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More Eagerness, More Suffering from Search Bias: Accuracy Incentives and Need for Cognition Exacerbate the Detrimental Effects of Excessive Searching in Finding Romantic Partners Online
Author(s) -
Lee ChunChia,
Chiou WenBin
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of behavioral decision making
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-0771
pISSN - 0894-3257
DOI - 10.1002/bdm.1852
Subject(s) - incentive , psychology , cognition , online search , selection (genetic algorithm) , quality (philosophy) , social psychology , computer science , internet privacy , cognitive psychology , microeconomics , economics , information retrieval , artificial intelligence , philosophy , epistemology , neuroscience
The systematic use of Web search tools to browse and evaluate recommendations is widespread. Such tools may be crucial for users to truly benefit from the enormous selection of options available online. However, a recent study demonstrated that a greater number of search options triggered excessive searching and led to inferior decisions (i.e., the more‐means‐worse effect; Wu & Chiou, [Wu, P.‐L., 2009]). Given that individuals who are motivated to make accurate choices (the accuracy incentive) tend to engage in broader and more exhaustive searches, Experiment 1 examined how the accuracy incentive influenced the search process. The findings indicated that the accuracy incentive led to excessive searching and poorer choices. Moreover, the search ratio, an indicator of excessive searching, mediated the negative effect of the accuracy incentive on choice quality. Experiment 2 investigated the role of the need for cognition (NFC) in the more‐means‐worse effect. High‐NFC participants demonstrated an increased tendency toward excessive searching and exhibited poorer selectivity than did low‐NFC participants. The current research indicated that the accuracy incentive of online searchers may serve as a determinant of excessive searching and that online searchers characterized by high NFC may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of excessive searching. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.