Abstract
Researchers have found a tendency for Ss in gambling situations to reverse their preferences for different types of gambles. That is, Ss tended to choose to play more conservative (low variance) gambles, but to set higher selling prices for riskier (high variance) gambles, despite the bets having equal expected values. The present research investigated this preference-reversal phenomenon in a simulated managerial decision task. In the task, 97 undergraduates had to choose which of 2 products to develop and market as well as set prices for the products. Ss were given estimates of the profits (or losses) that would accrue if the product were a success or a failure and the corresponding probabilities of success and failure. In addition, some Ss made the decisions as individuals, whereas others made the decisions in groups. Results reveal that Ss tended to reverse their preferences but not as frequently as found in the gambling task. Further, results reveal that groups were significantly more prone to the decision bias than individuals. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 715-722 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Psychology |
Volume | 65 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1980 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- group vs individual decisions in simulated development & marketing of new products, preference-reversal phenomenon, college students, extension from gambling situations
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology