Decision-making styles in a real-life decision: Choosing a college major

Kathleen M. Galotti, Elizabeth Ciner, Hope E. Altenbaumer, Heather J. Geerts, Allison Rupp, Julie Woulfe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

68 Scopus citations

Abstract

Undergraduate students were surveyed at the beginning stages of a potentially life-framing decision: choosing a college major. We investigated the relationships among individual difference variables (decision-making styles, planning proclivities, and epistemological orientations), cognitive measures of performance (e.g., amount of information gathered and considered); and affective reactions to, and descriptive ratings of, the decision-making process. There were few significant relationships between individual differences and performance measures. However, there were significant relationships found between individual differences measures and affective reactions to, or descriptive ratings of, the decision-making process. We suggest that stylistic measures have their effects in the way individuals frame the decision-making process rather than in the way they go about gathering or structuring information.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)629-639
Number of pages11
JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
Volume41
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Affective reactions to decisions
  • Decision-making
  • Decision-making styles
  • Individual differences

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Decision-making styles in a real-life decision: Choosing a college major'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this