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When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?

6 important questions on When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?

Did the number of choices provided on the instruction sheet actually influence the percentage of students who completed the assignment? (Study 2 ESSAYS)

65% of the students chose to do the assignment (overall). There was, however, a significant effect of condition. 74% of the limited-choice condition turned in the assignment. 60% of the extensive-choice condition completed the assignment.

Were these differences in willingness to write an essay also reflected in quality of the essays? (Study 2 ESSAYS)

Limited-choice condition performed slightly but significantly better than those assigned to the extensive-choice condition.

Discussion Study 2 ESSAYS

People seemed to prefer to exercise their opportunity to choose in contexts where their choices were limited, and they performed better in such limited-choice contexts. Both study 1 and 2 support the hypothesis that extensive-choice contexts may be initially more appealing but are subsequently more likely to hamper people's intrinsic motivation.

What are the processes that produce the decreases in subsequent motivation exhibited in contexts that offer extensive choices?

1. People encountering overly extensive choices use a choice-making heuristic that necessarily leads them to feel less committed to exercising their preferences.
2. People satisfice; stop when they find any choice that seems acceptable.
3. They are less confident in their choices.
4. They may feel more committed to the choice-making process, which may inhibit choosers from exercising their choices, out of fear of later regret.

Were participants in the extensive-choice condition more apt to satisfice, and other condition optimize? (Study 3 CHOCOLATE)

The results revealed no differences by condition for questions regardig goals of either satisficing or optimizing. Instead, suggested that both the limited- and extensive-choice participants were predictably more confident that their chocolate selection would satisfy them than that it would be among the best they had ever had. Nor were there any differences in anticipated satisfaction. Observed no differences by condition in particpants' reports of how informed they felt aobut their choices or in their tendency to choose default options.

Is it possible for people to experience extensive choices as being both more enjoyable and more overwhelming? (Study 3 CHOCOLATE)

Participants encountering the extensive options reported enjoying the decision making process sig. more than participants who encountered limited options. Yet, participants offered extensive choices also reported finding it more dificult. Likewise, extensive-choice participants reported finding it more frustrating. There was no significant correlation between the extent to which participants reported enjoying decision-making and the extent to which they found the decision process to be difficult. Difficulty in choosing was correlated with the extent to which they found the process frustrating.

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Inleiding Psychologie en Maatschappij: Economische Psychologie

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When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?

6 important questions on When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?

Did the number of choices provided on the instruction sheet actually influence the percentage of students who completed the assignment? (Study 2 ESSAYS)

Were these differences in willingness to write an essay also reflected in quality of the essays? (Study 2 ESSAYS)

Discussion Study 2 ESSAYS

What are the processes that produce the decreases in subsequent motivation exhibited in contexts that offer extensive choices?

Were participants in the extensive-choice condition more apt to satisfice, and other condition optimize? (Study 3 CHOCOLATE)

Is it possible for people to experience extensive choices as being both more enjoyable and more overwhelming? (Study 3 CHOCOLATE)

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