Choosing Versus Rejecting: The Effect of Decision Mode on Subsequent Preferential Choices

ABSTRACT People often make decisions by either choosing an alternative they like ( choose mode) or rejecting alternatives they dislike ( reject mode). Previous research has demonstrated that these two decision modes involve distinct cognitive processes. In the current work, we further investigate whether these distinct cognitive processes in these two decision modes symmetrically or asymmetrically impact people's subsequent preferences for their preferred (chosen or nonrejected) alternatives. Across three experiments involving consumer goods, we found that participants exhibited stronger preferences for items preferred through the choose mode compared with items preferred through the reject mode. Using eye tracking, we demonstrate that this effect can be explained by more selective visual attention directed toward task‐compatible alternatives in choosing versus rejecting decisions. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory and practice in the context of consumer preferences, as well as their extensions to other decision domains.