Lynch and Schwarz offer different assessments of the "mission accomplished" conclusion and the summary of the manner in which BDT research tested well-established economics assumptions and offered an alternative view of decision making. By and large Lynch and I are in agreement regarding the...

A main objective of Behavioral Decision Theory (BDT) research--demonstrating that economic theory often fails as a description of decision making as well as gaining insights into systematic influences on judgment and choice--has been largely accomplished. This research program, published in...

Although the argument that unconscious inputs are often key determinants of consumer decision making is compelling, it may be overstated, particularly with respect to consumer choice. A comparison of the role of conscious inputs (e.g., the attributes of options in the choice set) and unconscious...

We propose that the variety a brand offers can influence brand quality perceptions, and consequently, affect brand choice, even when the available option set is held constant. Specifically, brands that offer greater variety of compatible (i.e., focused and internally consistent) options are...

In a choice between any two options, decision makers can be divided into three segments: those who strongly prefer the first option, those who strongly prefer the second option, and those who might choose either option depending on the particular conditions ("switchers"). In any reference state,...

We utilize an experimental 'Speed Dating' service to examine racial preferences in mate selection. Our data allow for the direct observation of individual decisions of randomly paired individuals; we may therefore directly infer racial preferences, which was not possible in prior studies. We...

Despite the very long history of research on heritable traits, we still know very little about genetic effects on judgment and choice, including consumer decision making. Building on recent advances in epigenetics, we hypothesize that people inherit a general prudence tendency, which affects...

Over the past decade, marketers have been challenged by proponents of individual marketing (e.g., one-to-one marketing, mass customization, personalization) to shift from a focus on market segments to making individually customized offers. Specifically, marketers should develop "learning...

We provide a theoretical framework for studying mate search and selection based on a two-sided matching model. Guided by the model, we study dating behavior using data from an experimental dating market, where we generate random matching of subjects and create random variation in the number of...

Customers' expectations are key determinants of their consumption experiences, satisfaction, and loyalty. Therefore, knowing in advance what customers expect is critical for the success of marketing strategies. We examine alternative predictions regarding the impact of stating expectations...