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Bridging the gap between joint and individual decisions: Deconstructing preferences in relationships
Author(s) -
Gorlin Margarita,
Dhar Ravi
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of consumer psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.433
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1532-7663
pISSN - 1057-7408
DOI - 10.1016/j.jcps.2012.05.002
Subject(s) - situational ethics , mindset , decision maker , decision field theory , bridging (networking) , psychology , decision fatigue , context (archaeology) , cognition , decision analysis , decision process , social psychology , business decision mapping , decision engineering , computer science , management science , economics , artificial intelligence , paleontology , mathematical economics , neuroscience , biology , computer network
Most choice research has studied how people make decisions within a narrowly defined choice context and has not paid sufficient attention to the role of social context. We commend Simpson, Griskevicius, and Rothman for directing the attention of choice researchers to the study of joint decision making and current theories on relationships. Building on SGR, we propose that a relationship partner's influence varies with the type of decision at hand and with situational factors. We propose four possible types of decision episodes, defined by whether the decision stage and the consumption stage each occur singly or jointly, and explore how the decision type impacts the extent to which a decision maker will take a partner's preferences into account. We further discuss how situational factors, such as the environment in which the decision is made, as well as the mindset and cognitive resources of the decision maker, are likely to influence decision outcomes.