Research Design Connections: Valuing the Familiar
Winet and O’Brien add to our understanding of when familiar options will be selected instead of novel ones. The researchers report that “In eight experiments with nearly 6,000 total participants, [they] explored whether people tend to prefer novel, exciting experiences, such as trying a new restaurant, or familiar ones, such as returning to an old favorite—and whether those preferences shift with the amount of time people believe that they have left to enjoy similar experiences. . . . the researchers [determined] perceived endings seemed to push participants toward familiar things. They found evidence that it was not simply because the familiar experiences were a safe bet that participants knew they would enjoy, but also because they were more likely to find those familiar things personally meaningful. . . . a café slated to close for renovations might put more of its favorite dishes on the menu rather than try new …
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