Munz, Kurt P.and Vicki G. Morwitz (2018), "Spreading of Alternatives Without a Perception of Choice," Competitive paper presented at the Association for Consumer Research Conference Dallas, TX.
Choosing an option leads to more favorable attitudes toward that option compared to before choice. Three studies demonstrate that this “post choice spreading of alternatives” may not require choice at all. Spreading depends on accepting an outcome, rather than on the behavior of choosing or self-perception of having chosen.