Searching for Alternatives: Does Your Disposition Matter?

In the decision-making process, vast quantities of information is often parsed into a manageable set of top choices in order to meaningful select the best option. But what individual traits and dispositions impact this process? In this exploratory research effort, the authors address three such dispositions and their impact on selecting alternatives for a decision. Conducting two surveys for two different contexts, they find that motivational dispositions do have some impact on product searches, but may have minimal impact on information searches. The authors conclude that context has a major impact on the decision-making process and that technology/disposition fit may be a useful concept to guide the design of search technologies.