EXPRESS: The Golden Halo of Defaults in Simple Choices

Defaults are pervasive in consumer choice. Here, laboratory experiments that used eye tracking were combined with cognitive modeling to pinpoint the influence of defaults in the decision process, along with naturalistic experiments with large pre-registered samples to test the limits of defaults on consumer choices. Contrary to previous assumptions, in simple binary choices, default options did not potentiate rapid heuristic-based decisions but instead altered processes of attention and valuation. Model comparison indicated that defaults received a positive boost in value – a golden halo – that was large enough to increase hedonic choices when the default was hedonic, but had limited effects for utilitarian defaults or for when defaults were incongruent with background goals. The findings illustrate and quantify the mechanisms through which default options shape subsequent decisions in simple choices. Further, boundary conditions for when defaults can and cannot be used to nudge consumer choice are established.