Job-decision inconsistencies involving social comparison information: the role of dominating alternatives.

Full Abstract

Previous research on joint versus separate preference reversals has demonstrated that individuals focus on social comparison information when they are evaluating a single option but focus on absolute salary when they are considering more than 1 option. Study 1 demonstrates that social comparison information is important in multiple option scenarios when an option favorable on social comparison dominates an inferior, 3rd alternative. Study 2 examines why dominating alternatives are so attractive by investigating the role that the value-shift, weight-change, and emergent-value models play in explaining the pattern of results obtained in Study 1. Results provide support for the value-shift and emergent-value models and further suggest that these 2 models may be interrelated, with justification (emergent-value model) mediating the relationship between the attractiveness of the attributes (value-shift model) and the attractiveness of the dominating alternative.

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Author information

Author/s: Tenbrunsel, Ann E (AE); Diekmann, Kristina A (KA);

Affiliation: Management Department, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-0399, USA. ann.e.tenbrunsel.1(-atsign-)nd.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The Journal of applied psychology (J Appl Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Dec; vol 87 (issue 6) : pp 1149-58

Dates: Created 2003/01/31; Completed 2003/03/03; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12558220, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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