Reading to make a decision or to reduce cognitive dissonance? The effect of selecting and reading online reviews from a post-decision context

This research challenges the presumption that reading online reviews solely affect reader attitudes toward a prospective decision. Instead, readers may strategically select and read reviews after a decision. This research advances and tests hypotheses proposing that: (1) post-decision readers select decision-supportive reviews earlier and more frequently; and (2) the reviews they read affect the subsequent cognitive dissonance they experienced. Two studies employed an original post-decision experiment and demonstrated that readers expressed biased review selection. Interestingly, the reviews they read affected and increased their cognitive dissonance. The findings contributed to understanding the complex dynamic of online reviews in a post-decision context.