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The Path or the Goal? Decision vs. Information Focus in Biased Information Seeking after Preliminary Decisions
[journal article]
Abstract Research on the phenomenon of selective exposure to information demonstrates that after preliminary or final decisions, people show a preference for supporting rather than conflicting information (confirmation bias). In this article, we examine conditions that increase or decrease distortions in the... view more
Research on the phenomenon of selective exposure to information demonstrates that after preliminary or final decisions, people show a preference for supporting rather than conflicting information (confirmation bias). In this article, we examine conditions that increase or decrease distortions in the search for information. We report on four experiments indicating that the confirmation bias is influenced by whether people focus on their decision or on the presented pieces of information during the information search. Focusing on the decision, for example, because a reward for a correct decision is promised or simply because participants repeatedly think of it, increases the confirmation bias. On the other hand, if participants focus on the available pieces of information because they have to invest money in order to search for information or because they have to evaluate the individual pieces of information, the confirmation bias decreases. Implications for theoretical understanding and interventions for decision-making situations are discussed.... view less
Classification
General Psychology
Free Keywords
Selective exposure to information after decisions; Dissonance theory; Salience; Decision vs. information focus; Incentives; Costs; Commitment
Document language
English
Publication Year
2008
Page/Pages
p. 1180-1186
Journal
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44 (2008) 4
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2008.02.009
Status
Postprint; peer reviewed
Licence
PEER Licence Agreement (applicable only to documents from PEER project)