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Regret aversion and decision process quality: Effects of regret salience on decision process carefulness

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  • Reb, Jochen

Abstract

A considerable amount of past research has examined the effects of regret aversion on which options decision makers choose. However, past research has largely neglected to address the effect of regret aversion on the decision process. We conducted five experiments to examine the effect of making regret salient on decision process quality. We predicted that increased regret aversion would lead to more careful decision processing. The results consistently supported this prediction across the different decision situations, incentive structures, regret salience manipulations, and dependent variables used. In all experiments making regret salient led decision makers to take significantly longer to reach a decision. In Studies 2a, 2b, and 4 it also led participants to collect significantly more information before making a choice. Implications and future directions are discussed.

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  • Reb, Jochen, 2008. "Regret aversion and decision process quality: Effects of regret salience on decision process carefulness," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 105(2), pages 169-182, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:105:y:2008:i:2:p:169-182
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    3. Jhunjhunwala, Tanushree, 2021. "Searching to avoid regret: An experimental evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 298-319.
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    6. Klimm, Felix & Kocher, Martin G. & Opitz, Timm & Schudy, Simeon, 2023. "Time pressure and regret in sequential search," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 406-424.
    7. repec:cup:judgdm:v:10:y:2015:i:6:p:597-604 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Deb Feldman-Stewart & Christine Tong & Rob Siemens & Shabbir Alibhai & Tom Pickles & John Robinson & Michael D. Brundage, 2012. "The Impact of Explicit Values Clarification Exercises in a Patient Decision Aid Emerges After the Decision Is Actually Made," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 32(4), pages 616-626, July.
    9. Costa-Gomes, Miguel & Cueva, Carlos & Gerasimou, Georgios, 2014. "Choice, Deferral and Consistency," SIRE Discussion Papers 2015-17, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    10. Terry Connolly & Jochen Reb & Edgar E. Kausel, 2013. "Regret salience and accountability in the decoy effect," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 8(2), pages 136-149, March.
    11. Reb, Jochen & Connolly, Terry, 2009. "Myopic regret avoidance: Feedback avoidance and learning in repeated decision making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 109(2), pages 182-189, July.
    12. George, Jennifer M. & Dane, Erik, 2016. "Affect, emotion, and decision making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 47-55.
    13. Erik Hoelzl & Luise Hahn & Maria Pollai & Jan Masak, 2013. "The Effect of Feedback on Process and Outcome of Loan Negotiations: Consequences on Risk Aversion and the Willingness to Compromise," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 541-559, May.
    14. Terry Connolly & Jochen Reb, 2012. "Regret aversion in reason-based choice," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 35-51, July.
    15. Valerie L. Bartelt & Alan R. Dennis & Lingyao Yuan & Jordan B. Barlow, 2013. "Individual Priming in Virtual Team Decision-Making," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 873-896, September.
    16. repec:cup:judgdm:v:11:y:2016:i:3:p:275-286 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Joshua Buchanan & Amy Summerville & Jennifer Lehmann & Jochen Reb, 2016. "The Regret Elements Scale: Distinguishing the affective and cognitive components of regret," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 11(3), pages 275-286, May.
    18. Costa-Gomes, Miguel & Cueva, Carlos & Gerasimou, Georgios, 2014. "Choice, Deferral and Consistency," SIRE Discussion Papers 2015-17, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    19. Georgios Gerasimou, 2016. "Asymmetric dominance, deferral, and status quo bias in a behavioral model of choice," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 80(2), pages 295-312, February.
    20. Silvia Riva & Via A.Di Rudinì & Alessandra Gorini & Ilaria Cutica & Ketti Mazzocco & Gabriella Pravettoni, 2015. "Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and reliability, of the Italian version of the Passive Risk Taking (PRT) Scale," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 10(6), pages 597-604, November.
    21. Ang, Dionysius & Diecidue, Enrico & Dewitte, Siegfried, 2022. "To deliberate or not? The effects of anticipated regret and deliberation on willingness-to-pay," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 563-578.
    22. Syed Aliya Zahera & Rohit Bansal, 2018. "Do investors exhibit behavioral biases in investment decision making? A systematic review," Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 10(2), pages 210-251, May.
    23. Costa-Gomes, Miguel & Cueva, Carlos & Gerasimou, Georgios, 2014. "Choice, Deferral and Consistency," 2007 Annual Meeting, July 29-August 1, 2007, Portland, Oregon TN 2015-17, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    24. Roman Kraussl & Carmen Lee & Leo Paas, 2013. "The Effect of Anticipated and Experienced Regret and Pride on Investors Future Selling Decisions," DEM Discussion Paper Series 13-5, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    25. Cristofaro, Matteo, 2019. "The role of affect in management decisions: A systematic review," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 6-17.

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