IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jobhdp/v117y2012i2p332-340.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Four empirical tests of Unconscious Thought Theory

Author

Listed:
  • Huizenga, Hilde M.
  • Wetzels, Ruud
  • van Ravenzwaaij, Don
  • Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan

Abstract

According to Unconscious Thought Theory, people make better decisions after unconscious than after conscious thought (Dijksterhuis, Bos, Nordgren, & van Baaren, 2006a). Unconscious Thought Theory yields four specific predictions. First, an exact replication of Dijksterhuis et al. (2006a) study should indicate that unconscious decisions are superior to conscious decisions. Second, decisions should improve with duration of conscious thought. Third, unconscious decisions should be superior to conscious decisions, even if unconscious decisions are deliberated while having access to information. Fourth, unconscious decisions should be based on a weighting strategy. We report results of four studies, featuring 480 participants, that yield no evidence in favor of these predictions. Therefore our findings cast doubt on Unconscious Thought Theory and its advice to base decisions on unconscious thought. The results of our studies suggest that it is better to base decisions on conscious thought while having access to information.

Suggested Citation

  • Huizenga, Hilde M. & Wetzels, Ruud & van Ravenzwaaij, Don & Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan, 2012. "Four empirical tests of Unconscious Thought Theory," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 117(2), pages 332-340.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:117:y:2012:i:2:p:332-340
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.11.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597811001385
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.11.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:cup:judgdm:v:4:y:2009:i:7:p:601-610 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. repec:cup:judgdm:v:4:y:2009:i:6:p:509-517 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Slegers, David W. & Brake, Gregory L. & Doherty, Michael E., 2000. "Probabilistic Mental Models with Continuous Predictors," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 81(1), pages 98-114, January.
    4. Park, C Whan & Lessig, V Parker, 1981. "Familiarity and Its Impact on Consumer Decision Biases and Heuristics," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 8(2), pages 223-230, September.
    5. Ford, J. Kevin & Schmitt, Neal & Schechtman, Susan L. & Hults, Brian M. & Doherty, Mary L., 1989. "Process tracing methods: Contributions, problems, and neglected research questions," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 75-117, February.
    6. Billings, Robert S. & Scherer, Lisa L., 1988. "The effects of response mode and importance on decision-making strategies: Judgment versus choice," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 1-19, February.
    7. repec:cup:judgdm:v:4:y:2009:i:3:p:235-247 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. repec:cup:judgdm:v:3:y:2008:i::p:292-303 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mateusz Piwowarski & Katarzyna Gadomska-Lila & Kesra Nermend, 2021. "Cognitive Neuroscience Methods in Enhancing Health Literacy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-19, May.
    2. Santiago Sanchez-Pages & Claudia Rodriguez-Ruiz & Enrique Turiegano, 2014. "Facial Masculinity: How the Choice of Measurement Method Enables to Detect Its Influence on Behaviour," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(11), pages 1-10, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Steven B. Redd, 2002. "The Influence of Advisers on Foreign Policy Decision Making," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 46(3), pages 335-364, June.
    2. Carlson, Kurt A. & Guha, Abhijit, 2011. "Leader-focused search: The impact of an emerging preference on information search," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 133-141, May.
    3. Alex Mintz, 2004. "Foreign Policy Decision Making in Familiar and Unfamiliar Settings," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 48(1), pages 91-104, February.
    4. Newell, Ben R. & Weston, Nicola J. & Shanks, David R., 2003. "Empirical tests of a fast-and-frugal heuristic: Not everyone "takes-the-best"," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 82-96, May.
    5. Van Ittersum, Koert & Pennings, Joost M.E. & Wansink, Brian & van Trijp, Hans C.M., 2007. "The validity of attribute-importance measurement: A review," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 60(11), pages 1177-1190, November.
    6. Macintosh, Gerrard & Gentry, James W., 1995. "Cognitive process differences between discrete and relational exchange," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 4(4), pages 435-446.
    7. repec:cup:judgdm:v:4:y:2009:i:3:p:200-213 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Gilliland, Stephen W. & Benson, Lehman & Schepers, Donald H., 1998. "A Rejection Threshold in Justice Evaluations: Effects on Judgment and Decision-Making, , ," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 113-131, November.
    9. Alex Mintz & Steven B. Redd & Arnold Vedlitz, 2006. "Can We Generalize from Student Experiments to the Real World in Political Science, Military Affairs, and International Relations?," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 50(5), pages 757-776, October.
    10. Anja Dieckmann & Katrin Dippold & Holger Dietrich, 2009. "Compensatory versus noncompensatory models for predicting consumer preferences," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 4(3), pages 200-213, April.
    11. Binswanger, J., 2008. "A Simple Bounded-Rationality Life Cycle Model," Discussion Paper 2008-13, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    12. Daniel R Clark & Dan Li & Dean A Shepherd, 2018. "Country familiarity in the initial stage of foreign market selection," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(4), pages 442-472, May.
    13. Meng, Bo & Choi, Kyuhwan, 2016. "The role of authenticity in forming slow tourists' intentions: Developing an extended model of goal-directed behavior," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 397-410.
    14. Erfgen, Carsten & Zenker, Sebastian & Sattler, Henrik, 2015. "The vampire effect: When do celebrity endorsers harm brand recall?," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 155-163.
    15. Binswanger, Johannes, 2012. "Life cycle saving: Insights from the perspective of bounded rationality," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 605-623.
    16. Bonaccio, Silvia & Dalal, Reeshad S., 2006. "Advice taking and decision-making: An integrative literature review, and implications for the organizational sciences," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 101(2), pages 127-151, November.
    17. Mario J. Maletta, 1993. "An Examination of Auditors' Decisions to Use Internal Auditors as Assistants: The Effect of Inherent Risk," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(2), pages 508-525, March.
    18. Julian N. Marewski & Katja Mehlhorn, 2011. "Using the ACT-R architecture to specify 39 quantitative process models of decision making," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 6(6), pages 439-519, August.
    19. repec:cup:judgdm:v:6:y:2011:i:8:p:733-739 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Melo, Grace & Palma, Marco A. & Ribera, Luis A., 2024. "Are experts overoptimistic about the success of food market labeling information?," 2024 Annual Meeting, July 28-30, New Orleans, LA 343870, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    21. Nathan Berg & Gerd Gigerenzer, 2010. "As-if behavioral economics: neoclassical economics in disguise?," History of Economic Ideas, Fabrizio Serra Editore, Pisa - Roma, vol. 18(1), pages 133-166.
    22. Lee, Jihyun & Lee, Yuri, 2015. "The interactions of CSR, self-congruity and purchase intention among Chinese consumers," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 19-26.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:117:y:2012:i:2:p:332-340. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/obhdp .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.