Regret in Experience-Based Decisions: The Effects of Expected Value Differences and Mixed Gains and Losses
Previous research on experience-based decisions with full feedback supports the idea that people tend to prefer options that minimize the probability of regret. The current study explored whether this preference is modulated by differences in expected value (EV) and the presence or absence of occasional losses. Participants (n = 52) completed an online experiment that involved repeated choices between a safer and a riskier option while receiving full feedback. The riskier option yielded a better outcome on 80% of draws so that choosing it minimized the probability of regret. Preference for the riskier, regret-minimizing option was high when it had the same EV as the safer option and all outcomes were gains, but it decreased when the safer option had a higher EV and when both options included occasional losses. Outcome ratings that were obtained on 50% of trials showed large effects of regret and rejoicing, confirming that participants were sensitive to relative comparisons between obtained and forgone outcomes. Reinforcement-learning modeling indicated that the effects of unequal EVs and mixed outcomes could be accounted for by assuming combined encoding of absolute and relative outcomes and unequal weighting of gains and losses. Overall, these results demonstrate that the impact of regret can be modulated by structural features of the choice environment.