Should I think carefully or sleep on it?: Investigating the moderating role of attribute learning

• The impact of prior learning is examined within Unconscious Thought Theory (UTT).
• Unconscious thought improved decision making regardless of information type.
• Conscious thought improved decision making when information was highly specific.
• Information specificity is identified as a critical moderator of UTT effects.

An emerging debate in the judgment and decision making literature has focused on whether unconscious thought can improve complex decision making beyond conscious thought. However, a previously overlooked factor in this debate is the role of attribute learning prior to deliberation. The effect of information specificity in prior learning is examined here. When attribute information is less specific (i.e. presented in valence), unconscious thought improves decision making beyond conscious thought. However, when attribute information is more specific (i.e. presented in absolute values), conscious thought with attribute information improves choice similarly to unconscious thought. These findings help bridge previous inconsistencies by suggesting that initial attribute learning exerts an important influence on the effectiveness of conscious and unconscious thought in complex decision making.