THE EFFECT OF RESPONSE OPTIONS ON DECISIONS AND SUBSEQUENT BEHAVIOR -SOMETIMES INACTION IS BETTER

An active decision can result in more extreme self-inference than a pa ssive decision. In the present study, however, induced inaction had th e greatest effect on later behavior Students were asked to indicate th eir intentions about donating blood the following week. The rate of no nresponding to this request was highest when the only provided respons e option was to actively convey an intention not to donate, and the ac tual blood donation rate among these nonresponders was high. Recipient s of this response option may have suspended a decision about donation , a suspension which in turn could have increased the probability of e ventual donation through one or more social and self-perceptual path w ays. The behavioral effect of response option frames can be significan tly modified by specific features of the request situation.