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Visual Biases in Decision Making

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  • Jacob L Orquin
  • Sonja Perkovic
  • Klaus G Grunert

Abstract

We review research on eye movements in decision making and show that decision makers are subject to several visual biases such as the size, salience, position, emotional valence, predictability, and number of information elements. These biases lead decision makers to allocate their attention in ways that are arbitrary to their goals and sometimes bias their choices. We show that while some visual biases can be minimized, others are unavoidable. Consequently, it is impossible to present information in a completely neutral way. Any presentation format will bias decision makers to attend or ignore different information and thereby influence their choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacob L Orquin & Sonja Perkovic & Klaus G Grunert, 2018. "Visual Biases in Decision Making," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(4), pages 523-537, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:40:y:2018:i:4:p:523-537
    DOI: 10.1093/aepp/ppy020
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    Cited by:

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