Effects of task difficulty on use of advice
By: Francesca Gina, Don A. Moore
Edition: Rev.
Series: Working paper / Division of Research, Harvard Business School -- 06-019; Working paper (Harvard Business School. Division of Research) -- 06-019
Publisher: Division of Research, Harvard Business School
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 27
Description: Although prior studies have found that people generally underweight advice from others, such discounting of advice is not universal. Two studies examined the impact of task difficulty on the use of advice. In both studies, the strategy participants used to weigh advice varied with task difficulty even when it should have not. In particular, the results show that people overweight advice on difficult tasks and underweight advice on easy tasks. This pattern held regardless of whether advice was automatically provided or whether people had to seek it out. The paper discusses implications for the circumstances under which people will be open to influence by advisors.
Notes: "Draft: February 4, 2006"--Added t.p.

Previously published as: When do people listen to advice? effects of task difficulty on use of advice. c2005.

Includes bibliographical references.