The Effect of an Interruption on Risk Decisions

Interruptions during consumer decision making are ubiquitous. In seven studies, we examine the consequences of a brief interruption during a financial risk decision. We identify a fundamental feature inherent in an interruption’s temporal structure—a repeat exposure to the decision stimuli—and find that this re-exposure reduces decision stimuli’s subjective novelty. This reduced novelty in turn reduces decision makers’ apprehension and increases...