The mere-measurement effect: Why does measuring intentions change actual behavior?
Morwitz and Fitzsimons tested four explanations for why a general purchase-intention question changes brand-level choice: label accessibility, attitude accessibility, attitude polarisation and preformed intention accessibility. In experiments with undergraduates choosing candy bars, the question raised choice of a liked bar and lowered choice of a disliked one: in the first experiment, a liked bar rose from about 30 to about 54 per cent and a disliked bar fell from about 16 to about 3 per cent. A computerised experiment showed faster responses to the target option after the question and no increase in attitude extremity. The authors concluded that attitude accessibility was best supported.
Morwitz and Fitzsimons tested four explanations for why a general purchase-intention question changes brand-level choice: label accessibility, attitude accessibility, attitude polarisation and preformed intention accessibility. In experiments with undergraduates choosing candy bars, the question raised choice of a liked bar and lowered choice of a disliked one: in the first experiment, a liked bar rose from about 30 to about 54 per cent and a disliked bar fell from about 16 to about 3 per cent. A computerised experiment showed faster responses to the target option after the question and no increase in attitude extremity. The authors concluded that attitude accessibility was best supported.
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Morwitz, V. G., & Fitzsimons, G. J. (2004). The mere-measurement effect: Why does measuring intentions change actual behavior? Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14(1-2), 64-74. doi:10.1207/s15327663jcp1401&2_8 https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp1401&2_8