Task complexity and contingent information processing in the case of couple’s decision making

Abstract

This study provides evidence that the husband-wife decision making process, just as the individual decision making process, is contingent upon the task complexity. As the task became more complex, couples used a multistage strategy more often, a smaller proportion of available information, a smaller proportion of available attributes, and a shorter time per unit of available information. In addition, this study explores differences in the information processing behavior between individuals and couples at equivalent levels of task complexity.