title: The gut chooses faster than the mind: a latency advantage of affective over cognitive decisions.
abstract: Dual-process theories often cite that affective processing occurs more rapidly than cognitive processing. A wide range of evidence seems to support this notion; however, little research exists in the context of decision making. We tested the hypothesis that affective decisions would be performed faster than cognitive decisions. Forty-nine students completed a series of forced-choice tasks involving well-known consumer brands, focusing on either emotionally or cognitively relevant aspects of the products. The results revealed a significant latency advantage for affective processing compared to cognitive processing.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Tom S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Marc J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Buehner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult