How previous choice affects decision attribute weights: a field survey

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of people’s prior choice making on their weights of decision attributes. According to theories on post-decision processes, preferences are likely to be reconstructed in line with a preceding choice. The present study hypothesized that preferences are constructed so that superior (inferior) attributes of a chosen alternative are weighted higher (lower) than before. This hypothesis was tested in a field survey of university students in Japan. The data supported the hypothesis that the weights of the superior (inferior) attributes of the chosen alternative increased (decreased) as time passed since the decision was made. This result suggests the validity of the causal relationship in which choice shapes preference, which is the reverse of what is generally assumed in decision research.