Consumer-Product Skill Matching: The Effects of Difficulty on Relative Self-Assessment and Choice

Consumers infer their best product choice from comparative information about themselves and products (Prelec, Wernerfelt, and Zettelmeyer). Though common, this "matching" process leads to unstable preferences when perceived product ranks change due to product array manipulations. This article proposes that another variable, task difficulty, also leads to inconsistent choices through the matching process. Accuracy resulting from matching is also assessed by exploring domains where comparative standing is based on measurable, objective skill. The present studies show that people rely heavily on their relative self-assessments in product choice, but these estimates are often inaccurate and thus lead to unintended and inconsistent choices. (c) 2007 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..