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Receiving advice on matters of taste: Similarity, majority influence, and taste discrimination

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  • Yaniv, Ilan
  • Choshen-Hillel, Shoham
  • Milyavsky, Maxim

Abstract

People routinely consider the opinions of others prior to making decisions on matters of taste (e.g., a restaurant or movie). Our theoretical framework highlights the role of two sources, social (majority) influence and similarity among advisors, in such decisions. We suggest that individuals' use of these sources depends on their taste discrimination. While highly discriminating judges seek the opinion of a similar advisor rather than the majority opinion, less discriminating judges do so less. In four studies participants made musical choices based on recommendations. The studies document the great appeal of behavioral similarity and the role of demographic similarity. They also provide evidence for the discrimination hypothesis. A formal simulation is developed to account for the relationship between taste discrimination and the predictive accuracy of the majority and of similar advisors. The results shed light on theories of advice utilization and social influence, and are connected with applications involving personalized recommendation systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Yaniv, Ilan & Choshen-Hillel, Shoham & Milyavsky, Maxim, 2011. "Receiving advice on matters of taste: Similarity, majority influence, and taste discrimination," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 111-120, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:115:y:2011:i:1:p:111-120
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    Cited by:

    1. Johannes Müller-Trede & Shoham Choshen-Hillel & Meir Barneron & Ilan Yaniv, 2017. "The Wisdom of Crowds in Matters of Taste," Discussion Paper Series dp709, The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
    2. Tuk, Mirjam A. & Verlegh, Peeter W.J. & Smidts, Ale & Wigboldus, Daniël H.J., 2019. "You and I have nothing in common: The role of dissimilarity in interpersonal influence," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 49-60.
    3. Johannes Müller-Trede & Shoham Choshen-Hillel & Meir Barneron & Ilan Yaniv, 2018. "The Wisdom of Crowds in Matters of Taste," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(4), pages 1779-1803, April.
    4. Eggleston, Casey M. & Wilson, Timothy D. & Lee, Minha & Gilbert, Daniel T., 2015. "Predicting what we will like: Asking a stranger can be as good as asking a friend," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 1-10.
    5. Anthony Cawley & Kevin Heanue & Rachel Hilliard & Cathal O’Donoghue & Maura Sheehan, 2023. "How Knowledge Transfer Impact Happens at the Farm Level: Insights from Advisers and Farmers in the Irish Agricultural Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-24, February.
    6. Thomas Schultze & Anne-Fernandine Rakotoarisoa & Stefan Schulz-Hardt, 2015. "Effects of distance between initial estimates and advice on advice utilization," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 10(2), pages 144-171, March.
    7. Wien, Anders Hauge & Peluso, Alessandro M., 2021. "Influence of human versus AI recommenders: The roles of product type and cognitive processes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 13-27.
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    9. Philipp Ecken & Richard Pibernik, 2016. "Hit or Miss: What Leads Experts to Take Advice for Long-Term Judgments?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(7), pages 2002-2021, July.
    10. Kausel, Edgar E. & Culbertson, Satoris S. & Leiva, Pedro I. & Slaughter, Jerel E. & Jackson, Alexander T., 2015. "Too arrogant for their own good? Why and when narcissists dismiss advice," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 33-50.

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