Deciding on a Continuum of Equivalent Alternatives Engaging Uncertainty through Behavior Patterning

Abstract

A psychology experiment examining decision-making on a continuum of subjectively equivalent alternatives (directions) revealed that subjects follow a common pattern, giving preference to just a few directions over all others. When restricted experimental settings made the common pattern unfeasible, subjects demonstrated no common choice preferences. In the latter case, the observed distribution of choices made by a group of subjects was close to normal. We conclude that the abundance of subjectively equivalent alternatives may reduce the individual variability of choices, and vice versa. Choice overload paradoxically results in behavior patterning and eventually facilitates decision predictability, while restricting the range of available options fosters individual variability of choice, reflected in almost random behavior across the group.