Does unconscious thought outperform conscious thought on complex decisions? A further examination

Todd J. Thorsteinson and Scott Withrow

Judgment and Decision Making, 2009, vol. 4, issue 3, pages 235-247

Abstract: Two experiments examined the benefits of unconscious thought on complex decisions (Dijksterhuis, 2004). Experiment 1 attempted to replicate and extend past research by examining the effect of providing reasons prior to rating the options. Results indicated no significant differences between the conditions. Experiment 2 attempted to replicate the findings of Dijksterhuis, Bos, Nordgren, and van Baaren (2006) and determine if a memory aid could overcome the limitations of conscious thought on complex tasks. Results revealed that a memory aid improved decisions compared to the conscious thought condition. Participants in the unconscious thought condition did not perform significantly better than did participants in the conscious thought condition.

Keywords: conscious thought; decision making; unconscious thought. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009

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