Choosing from too many options can lead to suboptimal results (choice overload); monkeys do not experience choice overload

No evidence of the choice overload effect in a computerized paradigm with rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella). Maisy D. Englund, Michael J. Beran. Behavioural Processes, Volume 194, January 2022, 104545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104545

Highlights

• Choosing from too many options can lead to suboptimal results (choice overload).

• This study is the first to test nonhuman animals on the choice overload effect.

• Results indicate that monkeys do not experience choice overload with this paradigm.

• The methodology used here provides insights for future avenues of research.

Abstract: Given the choice, people are often drawn toward more options over fewer options in decision-making scenarios. However, mounting evidence indicates that sometimes, choosing from large arrays can result in suboptimal outcomes. The tendency to be overwhelmed, regretful, or less satisfied with a choice when there are many options to choose from is called choice overload. This effect has been well-studied in adult humans, but comparative research, such as with nonhuman primates, is lacking, despite the fact that such choice behavior may be related to general aspects of cognition that underlie behaviors such as foraging in the wild. In addition, research with monkeys can shed light on whether choice overload is a human-unique phenomenon that may be driven by sociocultural factors, or whether this effect may be shared more broadly among mammals. This experiment tested whether monkeys were susceptible to choice overload effects by using a computerized paradigm in which monkey subjects could choose from three, six, or nine task options. No evidence of choice overload was found for monkeys, although this may have been due to methodological limitations that are described.

Keywords: Choice overloadComparative cognitionNonhuman primatesOverchoiceParadox of choice