How Varying Levels of Knowledge and Motivation Affect Search and Confidence during Consideration and Choice

Using a pull-down menu search technique, we study how ability (knowledge level) and motivation (accountability) interact with decision phase (consideration vs. choice) to affect consumers' search costs (amount of search), benefit (confidence) and efficiency (benefit for a given amount of search). We find that consumers adapt their search strategies across phases and that these adaptations occur in different ways and at different rates for consumers with different levels of knowledge and accountability.