Dynamic attribute processing contributes to choice-induced preference change

The phenomenon known as choice-induced preference change, where decision makers tend to rate options higher after they choose them and lower after they reject them (and often choose the option that they had initially rated lower) has been well-documented over many decades, and the principal findings are robust. Yet the source of the phenomenon remains poorly understood. The key measure is the spreading of alternatives (SoA) in terms of their subjective value ratings, where options that were initially rated closer together are later rated further apart. In this study, we reexamine previous findings related to SoA and probe the data for deeper insights. We report a variety of results supporting the idea that the relationship between choices and SoA is driven by the dynamic processing of individual attributes during the decision. Moreover, our results show that the influence of attributes differs early in choice deliberation versus late and also depending on which attributes were more recently the focus of consideration. Together, our results support the idea that processing of specific attributes is dynamic across deliberation time and across tasks, resulting in post-choice ratings that differ from pre-choice ratings in a systematic manner.