The effect of response mode and affective state on multiattribute decision-making

Response mode research shows that participants under a judgment response mode demonstrate more compensatory processing than participants under a choice mode. Research on affect and choice reveals that positive-affect participants display more noncompensatory examination of information than negative-affect participants. In the present study, participants viewed a film clip to induce positive or negative affect and made judgments or choices for a series of candidates for a university professor's position. Results indicate a powerful effect for response mode across all dependent variables whereby judgment participants took more time, looked at more information, and showed less search variability than choice participants. The influence of affect, however, was undetectable, and several hypotheses are advanced to account for this finding. Acknowledgements This thesis is dedicated to my late brother Erik. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Lisa Scherer, for her guidance, her insight, and for her patience. Thanks are also due to my committee members, Dr. James Thomas, Dr. Joseph Brown, and Dr. Robert Carlson, for their helpful comments and suggestions. Finally, I would also like to thank my family, particularly my mother and my brother Don, for their constant encouragement and support.