Revision of opinion and decision times in an information-seeking task.

Abstract

40 male undergraduates purchased information to assist in making a decision and made preliminary decisions following each item of information. Without Ss' knowledge, the time taken to make each decision was recorded. 2 strong sequential effects were observed: a tendency to repeat one's previous decision following disconfirming information and a tendency to overemphasize the importance of the most recent event. Decisions were made faster the higher the probability of the decision's being correct and were faster when a decision was repeated than when it was changed. The latter result was more than a response-repetition effect, with speeds decreasing when a decision was repeated following the 1st in a sequence of disconfirming events. A tentative explanation in terms of "states of belief" is suggested. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)