Choice environment, market complexity, and consumer behavior: A theoretical and empirical approach for incorporating decision complexity into models of consumer choice

Most empirical models of choice in economics and consumer research assume t hat the decision maker assesses all alternatives and information in a perfe ct information-processing sense. The complexity of the choice environment, the ability of the individual to make complex decisions, and the effect of choice context on the decision strategy are generally not considered in sta tistical model development. One of the reasons for. this omission is that t heoretical literature on choice complexity and imperfect ability to choose that has developed in psychology and behavioral decision theory (BDT) liter atures has not been translated into empirical econometric analysis. Second, the data used in economics and consumer research studies tend to be somewh at different from the data structures used in psychology and BDT literature s. In this paper we outline a theoretical model that simultaneously conside rs task complexity, effort applied by the consumer, ability to choose, and choice. We then construct a measure of task complexity and incorporate this in an analysis of a number of data series based on the random utility fram ework. We also examine the performance of our measure of task complexity in a composite data set that allows for increased variability in factors affe cting decision context. Our approach provides a mechanism to link research in BDT and econometric modeling of consumer choice. Our findings suggest th at task complexity does affect inferences about choice model parameters and that context effects, such as complexity, have a systematic impact on the parameters of econometric models of choice. The modeling approach provides a mechanism for inclusion of results from psychology and BDT in traditional economic models of consumer choice. (C) 2001 Academic Press.