Decision Making and Personality

The current research examines how personality traits such as rational/experiential processing and emotionality (positive and negative) influence how people respond to framed options. Rational processing is a logical and rational way of making decisions; whereas, experiential processing is an automatic and gut feeling approach to making decisions (Stark et al., unpublished manuscript, Epstein et al. 1996). Previous research has shown that whether options are framed as losses or as gains influences choices, and that this can change decisions that are made when options are risky or uncertain. Specifically, individuals tend to prefer certain options when they are focused on gains, but prefer uncertain options when they are focused on losses (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981; Kuhberger, 1998). To examine decision making in accordance with personality traits over 100 college students were given a packet of scenarios, which they were instructed to write and rate how they feel about a scenario and two consequential program plans. The scenario packet also includes measures of logical and intuitive processing and level of emotionality. The scenario packet was used to measure decisions in response to gain-framed and loss-framed scenarios. Following the scenario packet the participants were given a personality inventory to assess personality traits. The data from the decision making packets was compared to the participants’ personality traits. We expect to find that participants who rely more on intuitive processing compared to logical processing, and who show greater levels of emotionality, are more influenced by the frame of the option