Examining the Effect of Causal Focus on the Option Generation Process: An Experiment Using Protocol Analysis

An experiment using protocol analysis found that information providing different causal foci resulted in (1) the generation and selection of different types of causal hypotheses and (2) the generation and selection of different types of options. These "framing" effects were found for an il...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organizational behavior and human decision processes 1995, Vol.61 (1), p.54-66
Main Authors: Adelman, Leonard, Gualtieri, James, Stanford, Suzanne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral decision theory
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition. Intelligence
Decision making
Decision making. Choice
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Problem solving
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Studies
Variance analysis
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Summary:An experiment using protocol analysis found that information providing different causal foci resulted in (1) the generation and selection of different types of causal hypotheses and (2) the generation and selection of different types of options. These "framing" effects were found for an ill-structured problem with multiple causes and a wide range of viable options. These findings extend previous research on problem solving and decision making under uncertainty which has used different types of tasks and not focused on option generation per se. In addition, they extend previous research on option generation, which has not examined the effect of causal focus on option generation or selection. Additional analyses suggest that the option generation process can be represented as a cycle of option generation, clarification, and evaluation against certain criteria specified by the frame, with periodic breaks for considering data and to a lesser extent, the causes of it. The selected options tended to be those that had been evaluated, clarified, and generated again (i.e., regenerated) more often during the course of the option generation process. To use an analogy, the causal focus pointed the option generation rifle; option evaluation, clarification, and generation pulled the trigger.
ISSN:0749-5978
1095-9920
DOI:10.1006/obhd.1995.1005