On September 9, the Journal of Experimental Psychology published a research result: A research team at Duke University started with an old question: Should we start strong with a good first impression, or end with a good ending?

To find out, they conducted a study of a hypothetical garage sale. In a series of experiments conducted online, researchers asked participants to search for items that could be sold in virtual trash bins.

Most of the items in each box are worthless, such as an old alarm clock or a potted plant. A few special items, like a nice lamp or a teddy bear, are worth more.

Participants earn real money based on the boxes they choose, so they are incentivized to find out which boxes are the most valuable.

However, unbeknownst to the participants, the total value of the 20 items in each box was the same. The difference is the order of "junk" and "gem".

In some boxes, all valuable items were placed on top so participants would find these items first when opening the box. In other boxes, the valuables are concentrated in the middle or at the bottom, and in still others, the items are mixed together.

After participants opened the different boxes, the researchers asked them to estimate the value of each box and pick their favorite. Some participants made an immediate judgment about the box, but others "slept on it" and made their decision overnight.

A pattern quickly emerged: When subjects had to make an immediate decision, they tended to base their memory and judgment not on the entire contents of the box but on the first few items they saw.

"We found that people have strong biases toward first impressions," said first author Allie Sinclair, who conducted the study as part of her PhD in the lab of Alison Adcock, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke.

Instant judgment vs. considered decisions

Time and time again, participants chose the box with the valuable item on it. When they saw these "babies" first and then the low-priced items, they were more likely to choose that box than someone who saw the bargains first.

Not only that, but they also tended to overestimate the value of the boxes - guessing they were worth 10% more than they actually were.

Sinclair, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, said this is an example of a psychological phenomenon called "priority bias."

It turns out that when we form an overall opinion about something, we are unduly influenced by the first-hand information we are exposed to, even when new facts emerge.

In the garage sale experiment, this bias prevented participants from rationally comparing boxes and even led them to believe that some boxes were worth more than they actually were. At the same time, ironically, when asked which items in the selected boxes were "treasures," they were less able to recall specific details.

Benefits of "taking a nap"

However, participants who were not asked to make a decision until the next day were less likely to fall into these traps.

"They made more rational choices and were equally likely to choose boxes with clusters of valuables at the beginning, middle or end," Sinclair said.

Participants who had "sleeped through" no longer overwhelmingly preferred the box with the best first impression. In their mental calculations, boxes that save the best for last are equally favored.

"Making judgments based on first impressions can be a good thing for in-the-moment choices," Adcock said. "Let's say you're watching the opening scene of a movie, or skimming the first few pages of a book. Making quick judgments based on these first impressions can help us decide when it's best to move on before investing too much time and energy."

"But when it comes to situations with long-term stakes -- for example, returning to a restaurant, a job posting, or a date -- the idea of ​​'sleeping it off' before making a decision is sensible," Sinclair said.

Adcock added: "This is the first time we've seen how the brain summarizes valuable experiences, and it's exciting. When the experience is over, our brains string it all together in memory to help us make better choices - and this neat trick happens overnight."

Compiled from /scitechdaily

DOI:10.1037/xge0001638