Academic research in several disciplines has demonstrated that consumers generally show a preference for certainty in the domain of gains. The current research provides evidence for an important psychological antecedent to this effect. Specifically, the authors find that the likelihood of...

When should retailers offer promotions with uncertain rewards? The current research investigates this question and finds there are instances when uncertain incentives may seem more attractive than their expected value. For example, a lottery between small and large rewards may even be as...