Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 2020
  • Working Paper
  • HBS Working Paper Series

A Preference for Revision Absent Objective Improvement

By: Ximena Garcia-Rada, Leslie John, Ed O’Brien and Michael I. Norton
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:53 
ShareBar

Abstract

Things change. Things also get changed—often. Why? The obvious reason is that revising things often makes them better. We document a less obvious reason: revising things makes consumers think they are better, even absent objective improvement. Eleven studies document the preference for revision and provide insight into its psychological underpinnings. Studies 1A–1C document the effect among MBA students engaged in a resume revision process, while Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate the effect both experientially (eating candy) and via choice (of pens). Revisions are preferred even when trivially different from their predecessors (study 4A), and even when there is no difference between original and revised versions (study 4B). Consumers overgeneralize their belief that revisers intend to improve their creations and that revisions represent the successful fruition of those intentions (studies 5A and 5B); as a result, consumers are relatively uncritical of flaws in purportedly revised products (a video game; study 6), unless cued to doubt that revisers can be trusted (study 7).

Keywords

Heuristics And Biases; Framing; Sequences; Judgment; Change; Perception

Citation

Garcia-Rada, Ximena, Leslie John, Ed O’Brien, and Michael I. Norton. "A Preference for Revision Absent Objective Improvement." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-087, February 2019. (Revised April 2020.)
  • SSRN
  • Read Now

About The Authors

Leslie K. John

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

Michael I. Norton

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • 2020
    • Faculty Research

    'Repayment-by-Purchase' Helps Consumers to Reduce Credit Card Debt

    By: Grant E. Donnelly, Cait Lamberton, Stephen Bush, Zoe Chance and Michael I. Norton
    • November–December 2020
    • Marketing Science

    Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency

    By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John
    • 2020
    • Faculty Research

    Work Values Shape the Relationship Between Stress and (Un)Happiness

    By: George Ward, Hanne Collins, Michael I. Norton and Ashley V. Whillans
More from the Authors
  • 'Repayment-by-Purchase' Helps Consumers to Reduce Credit Card Debt By: Grant E. Donnelly, Cait Lamberton, Stephen Bush, Zoe Chance and Michael I. Norton
  • Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John
  • Work Values Shape the Relationship Between Stress and (Un)Happiness By: George Ward, Hanne Collins, Michael I. Norton and Ashley V. Whillans
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College