MULTIATTRIBUTE EVALUATION PROCESSES - METHODOLOGICAL AND CONCEPTUAL ISSUES

Multi-attribute evaluation situations are characterised by a judge, a set of alternatives and a set of attributes. Each alternative has a va lue on each attribute, and the judge's cognitive process leading to an evaluation of the alternatives on the basis of their attribute values is a major topic in psychological judgement and decision-making resea rch. In this article we focus on methodological and conceptual issues related to this research. First we elaborate on two types of multi-att ribute evaluation, judgement and choice. Next, we discuss the developm ent and characteristics of the research paradigms used for studying mu lti-attribute judgement and choice: structural modelling and process t racing respectively. A central issue in both paradigms is the question whether the multi-attribute evaluation process follows compensatory o r noncompensatory principles. We relate this issue to various aspects of the research paradigms (linearity, additivity and configurality of the models used in the structural modelling approach, and information load and response mode in the process-tracing approach), and conclude that, in general, judgement follows compensatory and choice noncompens atory principles. Finally, we discuss conceptual and methodological pr oblems associated with the two research paradigms, and mention new dir ections for future research.