In the attraction, compromise, and similarity effects, alternatives are repeatedly compared in pairs on single dimensions.
In multi-alternative choice, the attraction, compromise, and similarity effects demonstrate that the value of an alternative is not independent of the other alternatives in the choice-set. Rather, these effects suggest that a choice is reached through the comparison of alternatives. We investigated exactly how alternatives are compared against each other using eye-movement data. The results indicate that a series of comparisons is made in each choice, with a pair of alternatives compared on a single attribute dimension in each comparison. We conclude that psychological models of choice should be based on these single-attribute pairwise comparisons.
Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK. Electronic address: t.noguchi@warwick.ac.uk.
Takao
T
Noguchi
Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
Neil
N
Stewart
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003657:Decision Making; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult
Attraction; Compromise; Context effects; Eye-tracking; Multi-alternative decision making; Similarity