In everyday life, before deciding what to do, one has to think
about what could be done. We investigate option generation
from a developmental perspective, testing the predictions of the
Take-The-First-heuristic (TTF). Moreover, we examine the
influence of time limitation on decision-making processes.
Using soccer as a testbed, 6- to 13-year-old children (N = 97)
were tested in a video-based option-generation paradigm.
Children’s performance was aligned with predictions of TTF:
Children generated a mean of 2.21 options, did so in a
meaningful way and selected the first as final option in 74%.
With shorter time, children generated fewer and higher quality
options, selected better options and more often the first option
as final decision. Further, with age, an increase of the number
of options generated and an increase in quality of the final
decisions emerged. This age effect was more pronounced with
shorter time. Implications for real-life decision-making are
discussed
