Age Differences in Choice Satisfaction: A Positivity Effect in Decision Making.
Kim, S., Healey, M. K., Goldstein, D., Hasher, L., & Wiprzycka, U. (2008). Psychology and Aging. 2008 Mar Vol 23(1) 33-38.
The authors tested the possibility that older adults show a positivity
effect in decision making, by giving younger and older adults the
opportunity to choose 1 of 4 products and by examining the
participants' satisfaction with their choice. The authors considered
whether requiring participants to explicitly evaluate the options
before making a choice has an effect on age differences in choice
satisfaction. Older adults in the evaluation condition listed more
positive and fewer negative attributes than did younger adults and were
more satisfied with their decisions than were younger adults. There
were no age differences among those who did not evaluate options. This
evaluation-dependent elevation of satisfaction among older adults was
still present when participants were contacted 2 weeks after the
experiment. Age did not influence the accuracy with which participants
predicted how their satisfaction would change over time. (PsycINFO
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