Choice Overload Research Articles

Choice, Psychological Ownership, and Option Valuation

ABSTRACTIn the past few decades, there have been concerns of a possible “choice overload effect” in that the provision of more (vs. less) choice might decrease choice satisfaction as it increases the difficulty of selecting an option among many. However, beyond choice satisfaction, there are other outcomes of offering more choices worth investigating. We examine another potential outcome of offering more choices. The results from four experiments suggest that offering more choice increases the chooser's valuation of the chosen option, relative to offering less choice. This is because offering choice increases the chooser's psychological ownership of the chosen option, a premise derived from prior conceptualizations of choice as fostering control. Thus, we extend theoretical understanding of the consequences of offering choice beyond satisfaction, while at the same time offer implications for marketers interested in understanding the benefits—in addition to the potential harms—of offering choice for consumers.

The “less is better” paradox and consumer behaviour: a systematic review of choice overload and its marketing implications

Purpose This study, a systematic literature review, aims to review the state-of-the-art literature on choice overload from 2000 to 2023. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews 53 research articles published in peer-reviewed journals, using thematic and descriptive analyses. The literature was selected using the PRISMA framework. Findings Recent research in consumer behaviour has found that too many choices can be detrimental to decision-making. This paper reviews the development of choice overload literature, methodologies used by researchers to study choice overload, small and large choice sets, antecedents, moderators and outcomes of choice overload and the contexts in which choice overload exists. Research limitations/implications Limited literature coverage because of the strict adherence to inclusion/exclusion criteria. The theory challenges the conventional choice models in psychology and economics according to which expanding a choice set cannot make decision-making worse and violates the regularity axiom, a cornerstone of classical choice theory. This review also identifies avenues for further research in the field. Practical implications A significant decrease in satisfaction or motivation because of too many choices would require marketers and public policymakers to rethink their practice of providing ever-increasing assortments to choose from because they could possibly boost their success by offering less. Originality/value This systematic review makes distinctive contributions by classifying the existing studies based on evidence “for” and “against” the existence of choice overload. The review also combines cross-context insights on assortment sizes, moderators and methodological commonalities and gaps to understand the multi-faceted nature and contextual nuances of choice overload.

User's Dilemma: A Qualitative Study on the Influence of Netflix Recommender Systems on Choice Overload

AbstractIn the digital era, where choices saturate daily life, the phenomenon of choice overload becomes a significant concern in consumer behavior and psychology. Recommender systems, exemplified by Netflix's sophisticated model, play a transformative role in navigating the vast landscape of digital entertainment. This qualitative study examines the impact of recommender systems on choice overload through 12 semi-structured interviews with Netflix users, revealing the intricate dynamics between personalization algorithms and user decision-making processes. The study is guided by the following research questions: (1) How does the Netflix recommendation system influence users' experiences of choice overload and ease of decision-making? (2) To what extent do users perceive Netflix's recommended content as appealing and diverse, and how reliant are they on these recommendations for content selection? (3) How do user interactions with Netflix's recommendation system, including user feedback, impact variables such as search time, choice effort, and choice satisfaction? The findings reveal a notable absence of explicit user feedback and the presence of choice overload in Netflix users. This is evident in prolonged search times, heightened choice effort, and moderate satisfaction levels, coupled with perceptions of unattractiveness and limited diversity in the recommended content. Negative emotional responses during content selection further underscore the challenges users face on the platform. Paradoxically, this gives rise to a potential “user's dilemma,” as the study exposes a high reliance and trust in recommendation lists. However, this reliance also results in users frequently experiencing frustration and disappointment when recommendations fail to meet expectations. The study provides valuable insights into the nuanced interactions between users and the Netflix platform and offers a foundational framework for ongoing refinement of recommender systems in the ever-evolving landscape of streaming services and emphasizes the need for recommendation lists to strike a delicate balance between effective guidance and user exploration.

Choice overload for RSV prevention—how to form your opinion

Choice overload for RSV prevention—how to form your opinion

Choice Overload in Crowded Primary Elections

The number of candidates running in U.S. primary elections is increasing. Contested primary elections force voters to decide between candidates that share party labels and are ideologically similar. Similar to contexts of non-partisan elections, an increase in the number of candidates should exacerbate the cognitive demand of voting in primary elections. We expect large candidate fields in primaries make voters (1) spend less time looking at each candidate profile, (2) more likely to abstain, (3) more likely to vote based on ballot position, and (4) more likely to feel overwhelmed with the decision. All four of these expectations were preregistered. We test the effect of large candidate fields on voter behavior using a survey experiment ( n = 2000) fielded by YouGov. We find large candidate fields cause respondents to spend less time looking at candidate profiles, to select candidates in the first half of the ballot, and to feel overwhelmed by the decision-making process. In contrast to our expectations, we find large candidate fields make respondents less likely to abstain.

A legal cure for news choice overload: Regulating algorithms and AI with ‘light patterns’ to foster autonomy and democracy

AbstractDespite an unprecedented abundance of news content, both news avoidance and dissatisfaction are rising. Blending journalism, philosophy and law scholarship, this paper argues that ‘news choice overload’ causes paralysis and poor outcomes as it transfers power to algorithms, thereby harming autonomy and, in turn, democracy. An analysis of Australian and European regulatory responses shows the need for an algorithmic regulator and a transparency requirement for digital platforms. Further, people's ability to choose autonomously can be fostered by positive interventions, or ‘light patterns’, including ‘diversity nudges’ and a shift from caveat emptor to a caveat venditor approach, in which digital platforms are assigned legal responsibility. Recognising that it is autonomy and democracy—not choice per se—that are valuable, such interventions can shift meaningful decision‐making back to citizens at a moment when the rise of generative artificial intelligence is giving algorithms yet more power.

Mate Choice Plurality, Choice Overload, and Singlehood: Are More Options Always Better?

A lack of options can make it challenging for individuals to find a desirable intimate partner. Conversely, an abundance of choices might lead to mate choice overload, making it difficult to determine the most suitable match. Additionally, having numerous alternatives after entering a relationship could undermine its stability by decreasing satisfaction with the current partner. The present research aimed to examine the effects of mate choice plurality on singlehood status and the willingness to stay in a relationship within the Greek cultural context. Specifically, we employed closed-ended questionnaires, which included instruments developed using AI, with a sample of 804 Greek-speaking participants. We found that participants who perceived they had a wider range of potential romantic partners reported a lower likelihood of being single. Furthermore, more perceived mate choices were associated with fewer years spent as single. However, mate choice plurality was also linked to higher choice overload, which, in turn, increased the likelihood of being single rather than in an intimate relationship. Moreover, more perceived mate choices were associated with more regrets about being in the current relationship. These regrets were linked to lower relationship satisfaction and ultimately contributed to a decreased willingness to stay in the relationship. Notably, this indirect effect was significant only for male participants.

Consumer Social Connectedness and Persuasiveness of Collaborative-Filtering Recommender Systems: Evidence From an Online-to-Offline Recommendation App

Consumers often rely on their social connections or social technologies, such as (automated) system-generated recommender systems, to navigate the proliferation of diverse products and services offered in online and offline markets and cope with the corresponding choice overload. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the consumers’ social connectedness and the economic impact of recommender systems. Specifically, we examine whether the social connectedness levels of consumers moderate the effectiveness of online recommendations toward increasing product demand levels. We study this novel research question using a combination of datasets and a demand-estimation model. Interestingly, the empirical results show a positive moderating effect of social connectedness on the demand effect of online-to-offline recommendations. Further delving into the findings, we also provide empirical evidence that social identification might explain why denser social connectedness with local users accentuates the effects of collaborative-filtering online-to-offline recommendations. Our study enhances the understanding of community factors affecting the efficacy of social technologies in multichannel operations while also extending the social identity theory in operations in the digital realm. The results also have intriguing operational implications for operations managers and practitioners, while suggesting several interesting avenues for future research on social technologies and operations management.

Screening embryos for polygenic disease risk: a review of epidemiological, clinical, and ethical considerations.

The genetic composition of embryos generated by in vitro fertilization (IVF) can be examined with preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). Until recently, PGT was limited to detecting single-gene, high-risk pathogenic variants, large structural variants, and aneuploidy. Recent advances have made genome-wide genotyping of IVF embryos feasible and affordable, raising the possibility of screening embryos for their risk of polygenic diseases such as breast cancer, hypertension, diabetes, or schizophrenia. Despite a heated debate around this new technology, called polygenic embryo screening (PES; also PGT-P), it is already available to IVF patients in some countries. Several articles have studied epidemiological, clinical, and ethical perspectives on PES; however, a comprehensive, principled review of this emerging field is missing. This review has four main goals. First, given the interdisciplinary nature of PES studies, we aim to provide a self-contained educational background about PES to reproductive specialists interested in the subject. Second, we provide a comprehensive and critical review of arguments for and against the introduction of PES, crystallizing and prioritizing the key issues. We also cover the attitudes of IVF patients, clinicians, and the public towards PES. Third, we distinguish between possible future groups of PES patients, highlighting the benefits and harms pertaining to each group. Finally, our review, which is supported by ESHRE, is intended to aid healthcare professionals and policymakers in decision-making regarding whether to introduce PES in the clinic, and if so, how, and to whom. We searched for PubMed-indexed articles published between 1/1/2003 and 1/3/2024 using the terms 'polygenic embryo screening', 'polygenic preimplantation', and 'PGT-P'. We limited the review to primary research papers in English whose main focus was PES for medical conditions. We also included papers that did not appear in the search but were deemed relevant. The main theoretical benefit of PES is a reduction in lifetime polygenic disease risk for children born after screening. The magnitude of the risk reduction has been predicted based on statistical modelling, simulations, and sibling pair analyses. Results based on all methods suggest that under the best-case scenario, large relative risk reductions are possible for one or more diseases. However, as these models abstract several practical limitations, the realized benefits may be smaller, particularly due to a limited number of embryos and unclear future accuracy of the risk estimates. PES may negatively impact patients and their future children, as well as society. The main personal harms are an unindicated IVF treatment, a possible reduction in IVF success rates, and patient confusion, incomplete counselling, and choice overload. The main possible societal harms include discarded embryos, an increasing demand for 'designer babies', overemphasis of the genetic determinants of disease, unequal access, and lower utility in people of non-European ancestries. Benefits and harms will vary across the main potential patient groups, comprising patients already requiring IVF, fertile people with a history of a severe polygenic disease, and fertile healthy people. In the United States, the attitudes of IVF patients and the public towards PES seem positive, while healthcare professionals are cautious, sceptical about clinical utility, and concerned about patient counselling. The theoretical potential of PES to reduce risk across multiple polygenic diseases requires further research into its benefits and harms. Given the large number of practical limitations and possible harms, particularly unnecessary IVF treatments and discarded viable embryos, PES should be offered only within a research context before further clarity is achieved regarding its balance of benefits and harms. The gap in attitudes between healthcare professionals and the public needs to be narrowed by expanding public and patient education and providing resources for informative and unbiased genetic counselling.

Too many cooks could spoil the broth: choice overload and the provision of ambulatory health care

Patient empowerment calls for an intensified participation of (informed) patients with more treatment opportunities to choose from. A growing body of literature argues that confronting consumers with too many opportunities can lead to a choice overload (CO) resulting in uncertainty that the selected alternative dominates all other options in the choice set. We examine whether there is a CO effect in the demand for ambulatory health care in Germany by analyzing the association of medical specialists supply on so-called patients’ health uncertainty. Further, we investigate if the CO effect is smaller in areas with a higher density of general practitioners (GPs). We find that patients who live in an area with a large supply of specialists are subject to a CO effect that is expressed by an increased health uncertainty. The coordinating role of GPs seems to be effective to reduce the CO effect, while preserving free consumer choice.

Applying Behavioral Economics to Social Capital to Increase International Enrollment in U.S. Community Colleges

ABSTRACT At a time when international student enrollment has been declining at community colleges for more reasons than just the pandemic, this paper attempts to address a gap in the literature to assist community colleges with their enrollment by helping them recruit international students. While there are many suggestions for improving international enrollment numbers, they are often financially costly. Given the budgets of community colleges and how international students choose their post-secondary institutions, community colleges are best able to raise international enrollment by concentrating on improving the campus experience for their current international students. To do so, this paper is the first to apply insights from behavioral economics to see how they might help increase the social capital of international students to boost international enrollment. Outside the classroom, international students may be helped by the college employing behavioral biases such as the availability bias and status quo bias and the heuristic known as the foot-in-the-door to raise their social capital with domestic students and using the information overload and choice overload to increase their social capital with academic counselors. Inside the classroom, faculty members can employ behavioral biases like the appeal to authority and the in-group bias to help international students increase their social capital with domestic students.

The effects of types of touch and haptic cues on choice overload

AbstractAlthough consumers are commonly exposed to numerous choices and the opportunity to touch products when they shop, the literature remains unclear on how both factors simultaneously affect choice. With the growth of online shopping, touch literature has studied the effects of mere touch (i.e., nondiagnostic tactile contact) or vicarious touch (e.g., observing a hand in physical contact with a product or imagining touching a product) to demonstrate that these nondiagnostic haptic inputs can comparably influence consumer attitude, just like diagnostic touch. By investigating the moderating effects of different haptic inputs on choice overload, this research reveals certain conditions in which nondiagnostic haptic inputs operate differently than those of diagnostic touch. We find that both mere touch (Study 1) and vicarious touch (Study 2) help reduce choice overload effects by eliminating the effect of choice set size on choice uncertainty, which is typically observed in the no touch (i.e., control) condition. As haptic cues have been increasingly employed to aid the online shopping experience for consumers, we also find that the choice overload effect is eliminated when an autotelic haptic cue is presented but amplified when an instrumental haptic cue is provided (Study 3). Besides, this research demonstrates that, while the moderating effects of the nondiagnostic haptic inputs are driven by increased personal control, instrumental touch can amplify choice overload effects due to the increased choice difficulty when choosing from large (vs. small) choice sets. These findings help retailers know what type of haptic cues to apply or avoid, as consumers have already been overloaded with abundant choices when they shop online.

On the advantages and disadvantages of choice: future research directions in choice overload and its moderators.

Researchers investigating the psychological effects of choice have provided extensive empirical evidence that having choice comes with many advantages, including better performance, more motivation, and greater life satisfaction and disadvantages, such as avoidance of decisions and regret. When the decision task difficulty exceeds the natural cognitive resources of human mind, the possibility to choose becomes more a source of unhappiness and dissatisfaction than an opportunity for a greater well-being, a phenomenon referred to as choice overload. More recently, internal and external moderators that impact when choice overload occurs have been identified. This paper reviews seminal research on the advantages and disadvantages of choice and provides a systematic qualitative review of the research examining moderators of choice overload, laying out multiple critical paths forward for needed research in this area. We organize this literature review using two categories of moderators: the choice environment or context of the decision as well as the decision-maker characteristics.

Exploring the resistance to e-health services in Nigeria: an integrative model based upon the theory of planned behavior and stimulus-organism-response

Despite the evident advantages of electronic health services (eHS), there is a noticeable opposition to their acceptance, which has raised a crucial question about why people, particularly in developing nations, oppose the acceptance of eHS. This study was designed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the rigid opposition to eHS by integrating two theoretical models: the Stimulus-Organism-Response theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior. In our detailed survey, 543 respondents over 18 years old from various regions of Nigeria participated. We evaluated the proposed model using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicated that lower health literacy was associated with a greater opposition to using eHS. In addition, communication and choice overload and perceived risk contributed to a negative attitude toward eHS. Subjective norms played a significant role in influencing the intention not to use eHS, which highlights social pressure’s effect. Further, a greater perception of behavioral control reduced the intention not to use eHS. Ultimately, the intention not to use eHS affected eHS rejection behavior significantly, which makes resistance to it a substantial problem. This research unveils factors that contribute to this behavior and provides insights for policymakers in the health field, with the goal to improve people’s acceptance of eHS. Further research is recommended in different geographical samples and contexts to gain a better understanding of the factors related to eHS rejection behavior.

Consumer Search, Steering, and Choice Overload

Consumer Search, Steering, and Choice Overload

Choice overload interferes with early processing and necessitates late compensation: Evidence from electroencephalogram.

Having a multitude of choices can be advantageous, yet an abundance of options can be detrimental to the decision-making process. Based on existing research, the present study combined electroencephalogram and self-reported methodologies to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of choice overload. Behavioural data suggested that an increase in the number of options led to negative evaluations and avoidance of choice tendencies, even in the absence of time pressure. Event-related potential results indicated that the large choice set interfered with the early visual process, as evidenced by the small P1 amplitude, and failed to attract more attentional resources in the early stage, as evidenced by the small amplitude of P2 and N2. However, the LPC amplitude was increased in the late stage, suggesting greater investment of attentional resources and higher emotional arousal. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed that the difference between small and large choice set began at around 120 ms, and the early and late stages were characterised by opposite activation patterns. This suggested that too many options interfered with early processing and necessitate continued processing at a later stage. In summary, both behavioural and event-related potential (ERP) results confirm the choice overload effect, and it was observed that individuals tend to subjectively exaggerate the choice overload effect.

Analysis of Factors that Influence Consumer Behavior towards Shopping Cart Abandonment in Online Shopping at Shopee

This research aims to identify and analyse factors that influence shopping cart abandonment behaviour when shopping on the Shopee marketplace. This research uses a purposive sampling technique of 100 active students in the Surabaya with the analytical method used in this research is multiple linear regression analysis. From the results of the analysis carried out, it was found that simultaneously (F test) the variables emotional ambivalence, hesitation at checkout, payment intention, choice overload, compare with website, perceived transaction inconvenience, perceived cost, and perceived risk had a significant effect on shopping cart abandonment behaviour. when shopping on the Shopee marketplace. Meanwhile, partial testing (t test) shows that choice overload is a variable that significantly influences shopping cart abandonment behaviour in online shopping at Shopee.

Understanding the role of Leisure Involvement and Choice Complexity on Choice overload in booking of leisure activities online among Young Consumers

People are faced with an oversupply of almost ever type of good. Due to the large number of options, it has become very important for service providers to understand, how customers act when they book leisure activities online. As far as the researcher knows, no one has looked into how having too many options affects people's decisions when they book leisure activities online before. This study looks at the difference between leisure activities done at home and while on holiday, taking into account the issue of choice overload when booking leisure activities online. There is a plan to use an integrated research approach that utilizes cognitive dissonance as well as spillover theories to testhypotheses. This study employed Gen Y (17-37 years) who have visited Goa in the last six months. The study's conclusions have consequences for both tourism-related businesses and consumers, guiding how they act, their emotions, judgments, and behaviors toward evaluating the alternatives.

The effects of impatience from waiting in line on choice overload

The effects of impatience from waiting in line on choice overload

Over two decades of research on choice overload: An overview and research agenda

AbstractSince Alwin Toffler coined the term choice overload in 1970, no systematic literature review has been conducted on this subject. At the same time, the three meta‐analytic studies available on the topic does not provide a comprehensive picture of the same. This systematic literature review seeks to critically evaluate the extant research on choice overload for 22 years using insights from 92 articles. After locating the major articles in the choice overload literature, we identified the theories used by researchers to explain the various aspects of choice overload, based on the TCCM framework. We then enlisted the contexts where the studies had been conducted, the characteristics (themes) of the studies, and the methodologies used in these articles. We further identified the relationships between the themes, the variables studied so far, the sampling types and sampling sizes and the statistical tools employed in these studies. Future researchers could investigate the impact of a variety of cognitive and affective factors that impact consumer psychological states and the likelihood of choice saturation. They could also focus on unexplored areas in the field of choice overload, such as comparing the effects of choice overload in physical and online contexts.