The Feeling of Preference: Preference Expression in the Absence of Preferences

Abstract

The authors propose that preference construction is influenced by a transient “feeling of preference” – the perception that one has or should be able to form a preference in a given domain even before seeing the specific options in the choice-set and in the absence of any stored preferences (e.g., when the options are completely novel). In the context of the compromise effect, a feeling of preference entails choice of an “extreme” option that appears consistent with a lexicographic decision rule. A series of experiments demonstrates that the feeling of preference is situationally-triggered and independent of preference retrieval, motivation, fluency, and preference certainty. The implications of the notion of feeling of preference, and future research directions, are discussed.

Keywords: Feeling of Knowing, Constructed Preferences, Choice Strategies, Lexicographic choice, The Compromise Effect