(no subject)
Aug. 12th, 2018 12:32 pm
Rationally, people should want to receive information that is costless and relevant for a decision. But people sometimes choose to remain ignorant. The current paper identifies intuitive-deliberative conflict as a driver of information avoidance.
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We contend that people avoid information when two conditions are satisfied: (1) they want to protect their current preference and (2) they recognize that their preference may change with information. Situations that involve an intuitive-deliberative conflict are likely to lead to information avoidance because when people have conflicting preferences, they may not trust that their current preference will win out in the face of new information.
Woolley, K., & Risen, J. L. (2018). Closing your eyes to follow your heart: Avoiding information to protect a strong intuitive preference. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114(2), 230-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000100
This is an interesting application of Kahneman's System1/2 theory to decision making. We can think of it as an "internal" information asymmetry between intuitive and deliberate self.
