Assignment 2

Paper - When Choice is Demotivating: Can

One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?

Submitted by,

Anirudh G (MS16A005)

Anjali Lal (MS16A006)

Ann Mary Philip (MS16A007

Arjun T S (MS16A009)
Question 1

Figure out the experimental questions

Answer 1

The experimental question is Is having extensive options more intrinsically motivating than having
limited options?

Question 2

Evaluate different ways of phrasing the questions (Problem statement/study question)

Answer 2

1. Do increasing choices lead to decreased motivation?

This rephrased question makes the framing of null hypothesis easier. In this study, they are taking
only two sample levels (like 6 and 24 in case of study-1); however impact of increasing choices
discretely (in small quantum) is not considered.

2. Is choice-overload a real thing?

This rephrased question broadens our scope of study including additional factors other than
motivation.

Question 3

What is the design of the study?

Answer 3

The experiment involved three studies

First study

In this first field experiment, consumers shopping at an upscale grocery store encountered a tasting
booth that displayed either a limited (6) or an extensive (24) selection of different flavors of jam. The
two dependent measures of customers' motivation were their initial attraction to the tasting booth
and their subsequent purchasing behavior. It was conducted in an upscale grocery store located in
Menlo Park, California. On two consecutive Saturdays, neither of which fell on a long holiday
weekend, a tasting booth was set up inside the grocery store. Over the course of these two 5-hr
experimental periods, the behavior of approximately 754 shoppers was observed. Among the 386
customers present in the store during the hours when the extensive-choice booth was displayed,
only 242 actually encountered the display. Among the 368 customers present in the store during the
hours when the limited-choice booth was displayed, only 260 actually encountered the display.

The limitation of the first study was that it is possible that the consumers in the extensive-choice
condition felt that they did not have sufficient time to determine their preferences. Second study
endeavored to address these concerns and to generalize the findings from Study 1 to an educational
setting,

Second study

In this first field experiment, consumers shopping at an upscale grocery store encountered a tasting
booth that displayed either a limited (6) or an extensive (24) selection of different flavors of jam. The
two dependent measures of customers' motivation were their initial attraction to the tasting booth
and their subsequent purchasing behavior

One hundred ninety-seven students in an introductory social psychology class at Stanford University
served as the participants in this study. The class included 116 women and 81 men. In addition to
attending biweekly lectures, all students were required to attend smaller weekly discussion sections
led by five graduate student teaching assistants. The students were divided into 10 discussion
sections; each of the five teaching assistants led 2 sections. Sections included anywhere from 8 to 26
students.

Third study

In Study 3, participants initially made a selection from either a limited array or an extensive array of
chocolates. Subsequently, participants in the experimental groups sampled the chocolate of their
choosing, whereas participants in the control group sampled a chocolate that was chosen for them.
Participants' initial satisfaction with the choosing process, their expectations concerning the choices
they had made, their subsequent satisfaction with their sampled chocolates, and their later
purchasing behavior served as the four main dependent measures in this study. Conceptually, then,
the design of Study 3 involved three groups: limited choice, extensive choice, and a no-choice
control condition.

One hundred thirty-four students from Columbia University were randomly assigned to one of three
conditions. There were 33 participants in the limited-choice condition, 34 participants in the
extensive-choice condition, and 67 participants in the no-choice condition. This sample included 63%
women and 37% men. The ethnic distribution of the participants was 55% Caucasian, 25% Asian, 5%
Latino, 4% African American, and 11% other. To eliminate any participant who might have an
aversion to chocolate, all potential participants were prescreened on the basis of two questions.
First, all potential participants were asked, "Do you like chocolate?" Only those who responded "yes"
to this item were then recruited to be participants in this study. Second, participants were asked,
"How often do you eat Godiva chocolates?" Responses were coded as "never," "occasionally," or
"frequently." Because it was believed that high familiarity with Godiva flavors and varieties might
confound a participant's behavior within this study, only those participants who responded "never"
or "occasionally" were recruited for this study.
Question 4

What has the experimenter designated as independent, dependent and other control variables in
the study?

Answer 4

Study Independent Variable Dependent Variable Other Control Variables

Study 1 Choice displayed to Initial attraction Choice of day
the customer to the tasting avoided on long
limited choice (6) and booth holiday
extensive choice (24) Subsequent weekend
purchasing Choice of jam
behavior not in extreme
preferences
among the
limited option
Study 2 Choice given to the Completion of Each TA
students - limited assignment administered
choice (6) and Quality of essay two separate
extensive choice (30) written sections
Assignments
handed out in
section
meetings so
that students do
not notice
different version
Study 3 Choice given to Initial Control group
students - limited(6) satisfaction with sampled for
and extensive(30) the choosing both limited and
and two control no process extensive choice
choice group which Expectations with final no
was presented with concerning the choice given
limited(6) and choices they had Eliminate
extensive(30) choice made participants
but was finally not Subsequent who have an
given a chocolate for satisfaction with aversion to
their choice across their sampled chocolates
chocolates
Later purchasing
behavior

Question 5

Using this paper, evaluate how the question might have guided the investigators decisions about
methodological features including participant characteristics, target behavior, measurement
procedure and independent, dependent variables etc. Did the investigator attempt to manage
extraneous factors? If so how? Discuss possible extraneous variables that could influence the results
and different ways to address them in your view.

Answer 5

The experimental question clearly guides the experimental design and the methodological features
of the studies conducted by the researcher. Yes, the researcher attempts to control extraneous
variables across the studies to minimize the effect they could have on the results.

Study 1 -

The researcher ensured that the days chosen were two Saturdays which did not come on long
weekend holidays. Jam chosen was Wilkin&Sons because it had more than 30 varieties of jams
which were needed for the experiment. The limited choice chosen consisted neither the most
preferred nor the least preferred. To ensure that customers do not become conscious, data
collection was unobtrusive and inconscpicious.

Study 2

Extra credit was given as a motivation. Careful attention was given to selecting essay topics that
were comparable in difficulty, and analyses of performance revealed no differences as a function of
the specific topic chosen. To minimize the possibility that students would notice the different
versions, assignments were handed out in the section meetings rather than in class lectures. the
teaching assistants distributed these assignments, with an identical verbal description, reinforcing
the information about the opportunity for students to gain two extra points on their next midterm.
On no occasion were students led to believe that their essays would be graded. On the contrary,
they were explicitly told that their performance on the assignment was irrelevant to the receipt of
the two points.

Study 3

Control groups of limited and extensive choice group were formed to control to see effect if the
participants are not given chocolate of choice Participants were prescreened to check if any of
participants had any aversion to chocolates and were excluded. Participants were also screened for
familiarity with Godiva chocolate, only people who responded with Never or Occasionally were
recruited. To prevent participants response from being bias by the outcome of their choice, they
were asked to complete the questionnaire after they had made the choice but before they could eat
the chocolate.

In this study, they are taking only two sample levels (like 6 and 24 in case of study-1); however
impact of increasing choices discretely (in small quantum) is not considered.