PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Product choice: When are consumers most satisfied?

2012-11-13
(Press-News.org) Consumers may be less satisfied with the choices they make if their options are presented one at a time rather than all at once, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

"Sequentially presented choices create uncertainty. Consumers know that alternatives will become available in the future, but not what those alternatives will be. So there is always the possibility that a better option could later be available," write authors Cassie Mogilner (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania), Baba Shiv (Stanford University), and Sheena Iyengar (Columbia University).

Many decisions—selecting a bar of soap at the drugstore, an entrée at a restaurant, or a pair of shoes from Zappos—involve choosing from options presented all at once. However, many important decisions—choosing a job, a home, or even who to marry—involve options presented one at a time. Does the way options are presented affect consumer satisfaction?

In a series of experiments, consumers presented with options one at a time ended up less satisfied with, and ultimately less committed to, their choices than those presented with their options all at once. Consumers presented with their options all at once tended to remain focused on the current set of options and focused on comparing them against each other, whereas those presented with their options one at a time tended to imagine a better option, hoping it would eventually become available. This feeling of hope undermined how they later experienced their choice, resulting in lower satisfaction and commitment levels.

"The primary difference between sequentially and simultaneously presented options is the presence of alternatives. Consumer satisfaction with a chosen option depends less on its objective merits, and more on how it compares to alternatives—real or imagined. Enjoying the most satisfaction from our choices might require being willing to give up the eternal quest for the best," the authors conclude.

### Cassie Mogilner, Baba Shiv, and Sheena Iyengar. "Eternal Quest for the Best: Sequential (vs. Simultaneous) Option Presentation Undermines Choice Commitment." Journal of Consumer Research: April 2013. For more information, contact Cassie Mogilner or visit http://ejcr.org/.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Optical boomerangs, ultralight fractal materials, and more

2012-11-13
Optical Boomerangs P. Aleahmad et al. Physical Review Letters (forthcoming) P. Zheng et al. Physical Review Letters, 109, 193901 (2012) Bending light around corners is usually done with mirrors, but now scientists have realized self-bending light beams that propagate along curved paths. Two independent groups have reported experiments on special light waves that can skid around curves. The researchers demonstrated that modified laser beams can be made to move along parabolic and elliptical paths. Furthermore, if obstacles are in their path, these beams can self-heal, ...

Do consumers evaluate cell phones differently if the warranty is expressed in years or days?

2012-11-13
Different units can be used to describe product features, but what may seem a rather arbitrary choice may have profound consequences for consumer product evaluations, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Consumers find it easier to process information expressed in default units and attribute the positive feeling associated with easier understanding to the product itself," write authors Christophe Lembregts and Mario Pandelaere (both Ghent University). Would you evaluate a cell phone differently if its warranty was expressed in days instead ...

Juvenile justice reforms should incorporate science of adolescent development

2012-11-13
WASHINGTON — Legal responses to juvenile offending should be grounded in scientific knowledge about adolescent development and tailored to an individual offender's needs and social environment, says a new report from the National Research Council. Accountability practices should not be carried over from criminal courts to juvenile courts; in particular, confinement should be used only in rare circumstances such as when a youth poses a high risk of harming others. The specific aims of the juvenile justice system are to hold youths accountable for wrongdoing, prevent further ...

Sociology, economics researchers receive grant to study development across the human lifespan

2012-11-13
AUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas at Austin sociologist Chandra Muller and economist Sandra Black have received a $3.2 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to study the effects of cognition on health, mortality, education and employment from high school and beyond. The three-year grant will support a study, led by Muller, that follows 14,825 respondents (born in 1964-65) of the nationally representative "High School and Beyond" survey. Designed and funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the multiphase survey examines educational, vocational and personal ...

BUSM study finds certain subgroups of black women have lower uptake of HPV vaccination

2012-11-13
(Boston) – A new Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) study has found that improving Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates in black women may require culturally sensitive approaches that address ethnic-specific barriers. The findings are published online in the November/December issue of the journal, Women's Health Issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females and in advanced stages, can cause cervical cancer. ...

Autism treatment is more than skin deep

2012-11-13
Metal-binding agents rubbed into the skin, prescribed by some alternative practitioners for the treatment of autism, are not absorbed and therefore are unlikely to be effective at helping the body excrete excess mercury. The study by Jennifer Cohen and Michelle Ruha from Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in the US, and their colleagues, provides evidence against the use of these treatments in children with autism. Their work is published online in Springer's Journal of Medical Toxicology. Metal-binding agents such as DMPS* have received significant attention in recent ...

Childhood abuse leads to poor adult health

2012-11-13
Montreal, November 13, 2012 – The psychological scars of childhood abuse can last well into adulthood. New research from Concordia University shows the harm can have longterm negative physical effects, as well as emotional ones. Scientists hypothesize that stress in early childhood causes physiological changes that affect a victim's response to stress, which puts the individual at an increased risk of disease later in life. Jean-Philippe Gouin, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Chronic Stress and Health in Concordia's Department of Psychology, tested this link and ...

Effects of alcohol on lymphoma, leukemia, and other types of hematological cancers

2012-11-13
Many observational epidemiologic studies have found an inverse association between alcohol consumption and hematological cancers (such as lymphoma and leukemia). This study, based on the Million Women's Study in the UK, is large enough to permit an evaluation of associations with various types of such cancers. Further, it takes into account newer coding systems for morphology so that diseases associated with the lymphatic system can be separated from those of the myeloid system. The key findings are that alcohol consumption appears to lower the risk of several types ...

G proteins regulate remodelling of blood vessels

G proteins regulate remodelling of blood vessels
2012-11-13
This press release is available in German. Blood vessels are extremely dynamic: depending on the external conditions, they can adapt their permeability for nutrients, their contractility, and even their shape. Unlike cardiac muscle cells, for example, the smooth muscle cells in blood vessels demonstrate a high degree of plasticity, so they can specialise or multiply as required, even repairing damage to the vessel wall. This vascular remodelling is evidently precisely regulated. Disruptions are extremely significant in conditions such as atherosclerosis or high blood ...

It pays to cooperate

2012-11-13
CAMBRIDGE, MA - Many species exhibit cooperative survival strategies — for example, sharing food or alerting other individuals when a predator is nearby. However, there are almost always freeloaders in the population who will take advantage of cooperators. This can be seen even among microbes such as yeast, where "cheaters" consume food produced by their neighbors without contributing any of their own. In light of this, evolutionary biologists have long wondered why cooperation remains a viable survival strategy, since there will always be others who cheat. Now, MIT physicists ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

TU Graz conducts research into endangered cultural heritage in the Western Himalayas

AI can be trained to provide safe advice for treating opioid use disorder in pregnancy: New study

A platform of gold reveals the forces of nature’s invisible glue

Drug which stops tumors' blood supply could help kids with bone cancer live longer

Disrupted sleep in teens identified as suicide risk factor

Traffic noise joins land clearance as damaging to bird survival

Innovative online monitoring system for farmland non-point source pollution enables automated monitoring of continuous cropping farmland

Stabilized fertilizers improve nitrogen use efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Endangered Kangaroo Island ground dweller found in trees

Guardians of the coast: Philippine scientists unlock the climate power of mangroves in Eastern Visayas

Nano-biochar helps rice roots turn silver ions into less toxic nanoparticles

New ‘liquid metal’ composite material enables recyclable, flexible and reconfigurable electronics

Extinction rates have slowed across many plant and animal groups, study shows

Tiny fossil bone helps unlock history of the bowerbird

AI tool beats humans at detecting parasites in stool samples, Utah study finds

Innovative biochar research to boost circular economy: Join live talk by Prof. Salah Jellali on October 29

Early life sugar restriction linked to lasting heart benefits in adulthood

The Lancet: Study confirms cardiovascular benefits of semaglutide beyond weight loss

‘Weight loss’ drug helps heart regardless of amount of weight lost

First truly global picture of wide inequalities in care for women’s cancers

International Consortium of Women’s Mental Health Experts present scientific evidence to support classification of postpartum psychosis as a distinct disease

PET imaging of inflammation predicts recovery, guides therapy after heart attack

Pennington Biomedical awarded renewal of NIH-funded Center to Advance Metabolic Disease Research and train future scientists

Planetary scientists link Jupiter’s birth to Earth’s formation zone

University of Louisville, UofL Health receive $11.5 million to develop new cancer immunotherapies

Survey: Californians don’t know cannabis driving laws

Gum disease and cavities linked to increased stroke risk

Gum disease associated with changes in the brain

Brian Cleary awarded $2.25 million NIH grant to advance single-cell gene expression research

Gut parasites identified from feces of ancient Mexican people

[Press-News.org] Product choice: When are consumers most satisfied?