Neuroscience
Whether its political spin doctors or orange-skinned health gurus, there seems no shortage of people seeking to charge others good money for the benefit of their wisdom. Regardless of the quality of this advice, one thing is for sure: The fact that someone has paid for it, means it is more likely to be heeded.
That's according to Francesca Gino at Carnegie Mellon University, whose new study shows that we're more likely to use advice we've paid for than advice that's free, even if there's no difference in quality between the two sources.
Dozens of students were asked questions about American history and received small cash prizes for correct answers. The students were either given the option of receiving advice on the correct answers, or advice was imposed on them. Sometimes this advice was free; other times it was paid for out of the students' winnings. Crucially, the advice always came from the same source - in the form of the answer that a student from a pilot session had given to the same question - so the quality of advice was held constant regardless of whether it was free or paid for.
Throughout the study, the participants took more account of advice they had paid for than advice they were given free, even though it was made clear to them that the advice was of the same quality. A final study showed the students took even more account of advice if it was made more expensive.
Gino said her findings could be explained by a phenomenon in decision-making theory known as the sunk cost fallacy. This is our desire to justify our past investments through our present and future behaviour - it's why that expensive pair of shoes that you never wear is still cluttering up your cupboard. In the case of advice, it seems we feel compelled to use guidance we've paid for, so as to justify the expense. And perhaps it explains why expensive frauds can sometimes be so influential.
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GINO, F. (2008). Do we listen to advice just because we paid for it? The impact of advice cost on its use. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2008.03.001
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
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Neuroscience
We're more likely to listen to expensive advice
Whether its political spin doctors or orange-skinned health gurus, there seems no shortage of people seeking to charge others good money for the benefit of their wisdom. Regardless of the quality of this advice, one thing is for sure: The fact that someone has paid for it, means it is more likely to be heeded.
That's according to Francesca Gino at Carnegie Mellon University, whose new study shows that we're more likely to use advice we've paid for than advice that's free, even if there's no difference in quality between the two sources.
Dozens of students were asked questions about American history and received small cash prizes for correct answers. The students were either given the option of receiving advice on the correct answers, or advice was imposed on them. Sometimes this advice was free; other times it was paid for out of the students' winnings. Crucially, the advice always came from the same source - in the form of the answer that a student from a pilot session had given to the same question - so the quality of advice was held constant regardless of whether it was free or paid for.
Throughout the study, the participants took more account of advice they had paid for than advice they were given free, even though it was made clear to them that the advice was of the same quality. A final study showed the students took even more account of advice if it was made more expensive.
Gino said her findings could be explained by a phenomenon in decision-making theory known as the sunk cost fallacy. This is our desire to justify our past investments through our present and future behaviour - it's why that expensive pair of shoes that you never wear is still cluttering up your cupboard. In the case of advice, it seems we feel compelled to use guidance we've paid for, so as to justify the expense. And perhaps it explains why expensive frauds can sometimes be so influential.
_________________________________
GINO, F. (2008). Do we listen to advice just because we paid for it? The impact of advice cost on its use. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2008.03.001
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- Self-motivation: How "you Can Do It!" Beats "i Can Do It!"
We know self-talk can help people's self-control (e.g. "Don't do it!"), and boost their morale (e.g. "Hang in there!") in sporting situations. However, before now, no-one has investigated whether self-talk is more effective depending...
- Helping Other Students With Undergraduate Research Awards And Opportunities
My university recently featured me on their webpage for their new Office of Competitive Awards and Research for my recent REU at Cornell University. It's definitely exciting to get press coverage. And it looks like REU's are definitely the...
- Psi Chi Meeting Tonight (10/1) In Bps 1103!
Psi Chi Meeting Tuesday, October 1 6:30 pm BPS 1103 Psi Chi's 2nd meeting of the semester will take place tonight Thursday, October 1st @ 6:30 pm in BPS 1103. Tonight's meeting will feature a Resume Clinic conducted by a Writing Center professional....
- Train Your Brain This Summer At The 2013 Illinois Summer Neuroscience Institute!
2013 Illinois Summer Neuroscience Institute University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Campus May 20-24, 2013 ISNI is a week-long, all expense-paid program that is designed to introduce motivated undergraduate students to a career in neuroscience research....
- Surf The Online Psychology Career Center!
Want tips on how to get into graduate school? Need advice on how to prepare for the Graduate Record Exam, develop an academic vita, or get good letters of recommendation? Want to search through hundreds of job listings in psychology? Then go to http://www.socialpsychology.org/career.htm...