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In Defense of Consciousness: The Role of Conscious and Unconscious Inputs in Consumer Choice
Author(s) -
Simonson Itamar
Publication year - 2005
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 - 10.1207/s15327663jcp1503_5
Subject(s) - unconscious mind , consciousness , argument (complex analysis) , task (project management) , psychology , set (abstract data type) , cognitive psychology , consumer choice , natural (archaeology) , social psychology , computer science , economics , microeconomics , biochemistry , chemistry , management , archaeology , neuroscience , psychoanalysis , history , programming language
Although the argument that unconscious inputs are often key determinants of consumer decision making is compelling, it may be overstated, particularly with respect to choice. A comparison of the effect of conscious inputs (e.g., the attributes of options in the choice set) and unconscious inputs (e.g., a seemingly irrelevant observation or task) indicates that the former have a significant advantage. In particular, the impact of conscious inputs is supported by choice task norms and is less susceptible to being lost in the “noise” that is characteristic of most natural consumer environments (e.g., stores). Indeed, although consumers often have limited insight into influences and processes producing their choices, the assumption that consumers base their choices on conscious, willful evaluation of task‐relevant inputs has been quite successful in explaining a wide range of phenomena. It is expected that future research will put greater emphasis on the interactions between conscious and unconscious influences on decision making.