Order effects in preference judgments: Evidence for context dependence in the generation of preferences

This paper explores the cognitive processes at work in preference generatio n. it tests the hypothesis that the evaluation process relies on a comparat ive context of alternatives, Participants in two experiments reviewed pairs of options that included one superficially attractive option and another t hat was normatively superior in some way but superficially unattractive, Ex periment 1 (N = 116) found that when the superficially attractive option wa s rated first, reported preferences for both options were higher than when the less attractive alternative was rated first. Experiment 2 (N = 177) rep licated this order effect on preferences using six pairs of options. I obta ined process measures that suggest the effect is attributable to the proces s by which people generate judgments of preference, Options ape rated more positively Co the extent that they compare favorably to other real or imagi ned alternatives; options are rated more negatively to the extent that they compare poorly to their alternatives. These two Experiments contribute to the literature on preference generation by specifying a process by which pe ople generate preferences. (C) 1999 Academic Press.