Back to topics

A preselected option can change an otherwise open choice

A study of retirement-plan enrollment at one US employer examined what changed when the preselected enrollment option changed. The available abstract describes a before-and-after comparison; assessing the full study requires its methods, and the result is not a rule for every choice.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • Why might someone keep a default they would not have actively selected?
  • How could you distinguish convenience, inertia, and an apparent recommendation?

Start reading

Ready to try your ideas aloud?

Your topic carries over. Record up to 2½ minutes, depending on your plan.

Psychology

Can an option nobody wants change what people choose?

Choosing between two offers can feel different when a third appears beside them. A decoy is less attractive than one option on the relevant features, but its presence does not reliably change every decision.

5–7 min

Can an option nobody wants change what people choose?

Psychology5–7 minChoosing between two offers can feel different when a third appears beside them. A decoy is less attractive than one option on the relevant features, but its presence does not reliably change every decision.

How can you miss something that is right in front of you?

Psychology3–5 minLooking at a scene does not mean noticing everything in it. When attention is occupied by one task, something plainly visible can go unreported, a pattern called inattentional blindness.

Psychology

When a question reshapes a memory

After a car crash or a crime, the way an investigator phrases a single question can change what a witness remembers seeing. Research on eyewitness reports separates what someone originally observed from information introduced afterward, making question wording a crucial part of the evidence problem.

3–7 min

When a question reshapes a memory

Psychology3–7 minAfter a car crash or a crime, the way an investigator phrases a single question can change what a witness remembers seeing. Research on eyewitness reports separates what someone originally observed from information introduced afterward, making question wording a crucial part of the evidence problem.

A preselected option can change an otherwise open choice | Speech Topic | speaking.app