The Influence of Decision Aids on High School Students’ Satisfaction with their College Choice Decision

Abstract

Research by Wilson suggests that examining the bases of one's decision can lower satisfaction with the outcome of that decision.However, several investigators have found that using decision aids that cause people to consider the bases of their decisions leads to greater satisfaction with the decision. In the present study, high school students used either no decision aid, a pro/con list, or a computer program in making their actual college choice. Among students whose recall of the basis for their college choice was less accurate, the two aids resulted in significantly higher satisfaction with their decision when assessed after one college term compared to the satisfaction level of the control group. The authors suggest that use of a decision aid will heighten satisfaction with one's choice if the aid promotes the identification of the appropriate bases on which the decision will be made.

Relation of job search and choice process with subsequent satisfaction

“…Indeed, some research has suggested that careful decision-making leads to greater satisfaction and less regret over one's decision (see Aldag & Power, 1986;Bronner & de Hoog, 1983;Mann, 1972;Mau & Jepsen, 1992;Timmermans & Vlek, 1994). For instance, Kmett, Arkes, and Jones (1999) randomly assigned graduating high school students to one of three conditions. In one condition, students used a computer program that forced them to think about the bases for making a college choice.…”

Random error reduction in analytic hierarchies: a comparison of holistic and decompositional decision strategies

“…The ®nd-ings of Arkes et al (2000) and Kmett et al (1999) suggest that some decision makers prefer holistic procedures over their decompositional counterparts. Other data reported from this project (Morera, 1997) con®rm the ®ndings of Arkes and his colleagues.…”

“…Anecdotal evidence provided by Arkes et al indicates that some NIH grant reviewers prefer using holistic strategies over systematic decompositional strategies. Finally, Kmett, Arkes and Jones (1999) have found that decision aids have greater effect on high school seniors' satisfaction with their college choices when they did not have a ®rm idea of which attributes to consider. When high school seniors had an intuitive idea of which attributes to consider, the decision aid had no effect on their satisfaction with their college choice.…”

Limitations to the deficit attenuation hypothesis: Aging and decision making

“…Dual system theories distinguish between conscious, effortful processes (system 1) and automatic, resource free processes (system 2). Many dual system theorists argue that much decision making relies primarily on system 2 and there is evidence that requiring younger adults to engage in system 1 types of processing can actually lead them to make poorer choices (Dijksterhuis & Nordgren, 2006; Wilson, Schooler, Hodges, Klaaren, & LaFleur, 1993, but see also Payne, Samper, Bettman, & Luce, in press; Crossley & Highhouse, 2005; Kmett, Arkes, & Jones, 1999). Given evidence that most age deficits occur in system 1 processes (e.g., Jacoby & Dallas, 1981) it is not clear from a dual system perspective that decision making should show large age effects.…”