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https://doi.org/10.48548/pubdata-1481
| Resource type | Dissertation |
| Title(s) | Reasons or Principles: What makes for a better decision? |
| Subtitle(s) | The effect of decision strategy on well-being: An experimental investigation into deciding by reasons versus deciding by principle. With questionnaires on strategy satisfaction, decision style, and decision categorization. |
| DOI | 10.48548/pubdata-1481 |
| Handle | 20.500.14123/1555 |
| Creator | Botros, Christina |
| Referee | Pfister, Hans-Rüdiger  0000-0002-3802-4222Waldmann, Michael 0000-0002-8831-552XTeymoori, Ali 0000-0003-2227-7361 |
| Advisor | Pfister, Hans-Rüdiger 0000-0002-3802-4222 |
| Abstract | The main interest of this dissertation is in two deliberative decision strategies, 'deciding by reasons' and 'deciding by principle', and their potential to lead to a good decision. These two strategies are adopted from the philosophical literature, specifically the debate between particularists and generalists in moral philosophy. Accordingly, this dissertation includes philosophical as well as psychological work. The first part, 'Theoretical', focuses on the underlying argument using philosophical methods. After thoroughly scrutinizing the main terms used in decision sciences and in this dissertation (chap. 1), the subsequent chapters examine what is decision quality (chap. 2), theories of well-being and utility (chap. 3), and introduce the distinction between deciding by reasons and deciding by principle as well as ways to measure well-being (chap. 4). The whole argument is then summarized in chapter 'Consolidation: The Argument'. The part is concluded by delineating previous psychological research (chap. 5) and introducing the present empirical research (chap. 6). The second part, 'Empirical', includes three endeavors: the Pilot Study (chap. 7 and 8), questionnaires (chap. 9), and experiments (chap. 10). The Pilot Study has received a prominent position, because due to very little previous research on the matter, piloting was important to pave the way for this research. The Pilot Study established the feasibility of conducting this research as planned, as well as it spurred further inquiries besides the main topic. The chapter 'Questionnaires' (chap. 9) is largely an acknowledgment of the importance of these further topics motivated by the Pilot Study. It includes the construction and first validation of the Strategy Satisfaction Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Decision Style Questionnaire (DSQ). Furthermore, it had become evident that what I call the effect of content is something to be calculated with: Studying decisions necessitates (fictional) decisions for participants to work with -- but these decisions come with specific contents and the contents matter. Yet, there is no taxonomy of decision situations which would allow contextualizing or even partially controlling content. Accordingly, the last part of the chapter is devoted to eight Decision Categorization Scales (DCSs), categorizing decisions. Among these, one newly constructed scale based on textbook material, the Characteristics of Decision Situations Scale, proved especially interesting. The chapter 'Reasons vs. Principles' (chap. 10) then is devoted to the question whether it is using reasons or principles for decision making that leads to greater satisfaction. Three experiments are reported, two use a well-researched paradigm (the Trolley paradigm, the MADM paradigm), and one is a field experiment. The Trolley Experiment came with the additional mandate to show that the distinction between deciding by reasons and deciding by principle is psychologically not the same as deciding as a consequentialist or a deontologist, which could be shown analyzing participants' string variables. The MADM Experiment is a very straightforward experiment (of several further ones not reported, cf. Table Ad.1 on page 769 within the Appendix) testing the effect of the two decision strategies on satisfaction together with a control condition -- and does not find a difference. Taken together with the already weak and eclectic results of decision strategy on satisfaction in both the Pilot Study and the Trolley Experiment, another approach was due. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted where participants were to use the two deliberative strategies and a control strategy for real decisions in their own life at least 10 times during one week (between subjects). The Field Experiment did indeed find differences of decision strategy for immediate and global satisfaction -- however entirely conditioned upon gender (which had not been expected). All empirical results are thoroughly discussed within their own sections. Furthermore, all results are then summarized in chapter 'Consolidation: The Results'. The third part, 'Concluding', involves two enterprises. On the one hand, since this research project has spanned such a long time from conception to conclusion, and such little empirical research could be relied on when the project was conceived, another thorough and systematic literature search was conducted, documented, and according literature was reviewed (chap. 11 and 12). Relevant literature was then discussed in the light of results and non-results of the present research, and conclusions were drawn as to the possibility of effects of decision strategy on measures of satisfaction. The part concludes with an evaluation of the present research and an answer to the question posed in the introduction (chap. 13). |
| Language | English |
| Keywords | Decision Making; Decision Strategy; Decision Quality; Reason-based; Rule-based; Well-being; Happiness; Satisfaction; Moral Psychology; Strategy Satisfaction; Decision |
| Date of defense | 2024-10-25 |
| Year of publication in PubData | 2024 |
| Publishing type | First publication |
| Date issued | 2024-11-18 |
| Creation context | Research |
| Granting Institution | Leuphana Universität Lüneburg |
| Published by | Medien- und Informationszentrum, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg |
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