A Review of Consumer Judgment and Choice

Whether the goal is to improve or predict consumer decisions, understanding human judgment and choice processes long has been recognized as an essential component in the study of marketing. Though several reviews of judgment and choice research have been published recently (Abelson and Levi 1985; Einhom and Hogarth 1981; Pitz and Sachs 1984; Slovic, Lichtenstein, and Fischhoff 1985), relatively little attention has been given to the growing body of knowledge on consumer (including industrial buyer) judgment and choice. Consumer judgment and choice researchers face unique conceptual, contextual, and methodological problems that warrant special attention.Johnson70_A_Review_of_Consumer_Judgement_and_Choice004.pdf: 3733 downloads, before Aug. 1, 2020

Physician prescribing decisions: The effects of situational involvement and task complexity on information acquisition and decision making

This research utilized conjoint analysis and an analysis of information acquisition to examine the effects of situational involvement and task complexity on physician's decision-making process. The predictive accuracy of the linear model in predicting drug choice across situations was also assessed. A contingency model for the selection of decision strategies was used as a framework in the study. A sample of forty-eight physicians was asked to indicate their preferences and choices for hypothetical anti-infective drugs. Situational involvement was manipulated by telling physicians in the experimental group via the written scenario to assume that his/her decision would be reviewed and evaluated by peers and (s)he would be asked to justify drug choice. Task complexity was manipulated by varying the number of drug alternatives in a choice set. Results of the study indicated that physicians shifted from using compensatory to noncompensatory decision-making processes when task complexity increased. The effect of situational involvement on the decision-making process was not supported. However, physicians in the two groups were found to differ in choice outcomes and the attention given to specific drug attribute information. Finally, the linear model was found to be robust in predicting drug choice across contexts.physician drug prescribing decision-making process process tracing conjoint analysis