Effects of Causal Relatedness and Uncertainty on Integration of Outcomes of Concurrent Decisions

Purpose of Study: An experiment was conducted to investigate whether causally related outcomes of concurrent decisions are more frequently integrated than unrelated outcomes, and whether certain outcomes are more frequently integrated than uncertain outcomes. Method: Sixteen undergraduates in one group chose between buying means-end related and unrelated pairs of everyday consumer products, whereas 16 undergraduates in another group chose between lottery tickets with the consumer products as prizes. Findings and Results: The results indicated that both causal relatedness and uncertainty of outcomes of concurrent decisions affect integration. Conclusions: Means and ends were more often chosen when they were presented in the same sets of two concurrent decisions than when they were presented together with unrelated options or singly. The observed differences were smaller when choices were made between uncertain outcomes.