Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Linguistics and Cognitive Science

Reader 1

Lise Abrams

Reader 2

Stacey Wood

Reader 3

Megan Zirnstein

Rights Information

2026 Cameryn KA Okamura

Abstract

Preferences are often assumed to be stable across time and context, yet research on cognition and behavioral economics suggests otherwise. The present study examined whether false reminders of prior choices amplify susceptibility to the asymmetric dominance effect, commonly known as the decoy effect, and secondly, whether working memory capacity moderates this relationship. Twenty-one participants completed an online experiment in which they first chose between pairs of everyday consumer products or services before receiving accurate, inaccurate, or no reminders of their earlier selections. They then made new choices from triplet sets containing a target (T), competitor (C), and asymmetrically dominated decoy (D) option designed to increase preference for the target. The study found that the reminder type did not significantly influence target choice behavior. However, participants rated decoy (D) options significantly lower than both target (T) and competitor (C) options. Additionally a marginal increase in target ratings was shown from the pair to the triplet phase, suggesting that the presence of the decoy may have selectively elevated evaluations of the target option. Secondly, working memory capacity did not significantly predict target choice rates. These findings suggest that while individuals are sensitive to the structural properties of choice sets, manipulating memory through reminder feedback alone may not be sufficient to significantly alter decision-making when past options remain visible at the time of decision. Implications for understanding the intersection of reconstructive memory and context-dependent preference construction are discussed.

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