An experimental study of information seeking in the decision process
Date
1976
Authors
Guthrie, Janice Andra
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Abstract
A survey of the current literature in the area of decision making reveals several persistent problems, including the lack of a definition of decision. This thesis approaches decision making as a process including information acquisition and processing, rather than as a discrete behaviour occurring subsequent to these events. Two hypotheses derived from the model are tested: that two forces are operating in the decision making process, one toward acquiring information and the other toward choosing one of the alternatives; and that relative valences are preferred in making decisions. Fifty-six undergraduate psychology students, 28 males and 28 females, served as subjects; their task was to assume the role of captain of a space ship and to decide which of two imaginary planets they would colonize, on the basis of information supplied to them by the ship's computer, on request, one item at a time. After each request, they were asked to state which planet they would choose on the basis of their current information about the planets. In one condition, comparable information about the planets was available to the subjects, while in the other it was not, although the subjects expected that it would be; for example, in the comparable information condition, subjects could ascertain the oxygen content of the atmosphere on both planets, while in the non-comparable information condition, information about the oxygen content of the atmosphere was available for only one of the planets. The experimental hypothesis that the order of requests for information (the PATH) would differ from the headings obtained subsequent to each request for information (the LOG) was confirmed; t(55) = -6.54, p < 0.001, two-tailed. The hypothesis that comparable information would be sought when making a decision was also confirmed, multivariate F (12, 43) = 3.158, p < 0.003. The results tend to support the conceptual hypotheses and the underlying model. Some implications of the results, and of the usefulness of the approach in the study of decision making are discussed. The difficulty of generalizing from an imaginary laboratory situation to the real world decision situation is also discussed, with the conclusion that, with proper precautions, the use of an imaginary decision is an appropriate and valuable tool for investigating the real-life situation.