Examining the Role of Choice Closure in Choice Overload Phenomenon

Abstract

The need for variety have many negative consequences on the decision making process like newlinedissatisfaction, difficulty in decision making, lesser confidence and discomfort with the choices newlinemade. Individuals always try to make their own escape mechanism to avoid the negative newlineconsequences of choosing form a large set of options. In this journey they often loose up on newlinesome important choices and also don t enjoy the decision making process. This thesis throws newlinelight on constructive role of choice closure as a tool to make the decision making in case of newlineoverload manageable. newlineResearch conducted on choice overload and negative consequences have build upon the seminal newlinework of Iyengar and Lepper, (2000) The Jam Study . This study brought into notice how large newlinenumber of choice can be detrimental to the decision making process. However, studies by newlineChernev, Böckenholt, and Goodman, (2015); Townsend and Kahn(2014) have highlighted the newlineimportance of external and internal factors. newlineThis thesis is an attempt to address the contradictory findings from choice overload research and newlineby analyzing the constructive role played by choice closure and also the role of external and newlineinternal factors like ideal point availability and mental representation which have not yet been newlineexplored. The research also proposes the role of consideration set formation i.e. shortlist and newlinechoose strategy to minimize the overall negative consequences of choice overload. newline newline