| dc.description.abstract | People constantly face repeated decisions in daily life, such as whether to continue dating
someone or to pursue new options. These situations reflect the exploration-exploitation trade
off, the dilemma between exploring new, uncertain possibilities or exploiting familiar, reliable
choices. One key bias influencing this trade-off is the hot stove effect: a negativity-driven bias
where people tend to avoid options that previously led to negative outcomes. Essentially, people
may stick with safer, known options and prematurely reject potentially good alternatives.
Experimental research has supported the presence of the hot stove effect in individual decision
making. This current study investigated how the availability of exploration opportunities
influences decision-making in online partner selection, specifically examining the hot stove
effect. Results reveal that the hot stove effect is at play in this context. Also, a significant effect
is found for condition, meaning that participants in the short condition, overall, shifted quicker
than participants in the long condition. However, no interaction effect is found, meaning that
the hot stove effect was equally strong regardless of exploration opportunities. Although
informative, this study is subject to several limitations. First, the sample size was relatively
small and unevenly distributed across gender, which may affect the generalizability of the
findings. Additionally, the research design resulted in low ecological validity, limiting its
applicability to real-world partner selection contexts. Future research should aim to enhance
ecological validity by aligning experimental setups more closely with realistic dating
environments. Incorporating an incentive structure may also increase participant engagement.
Finally, it is recommended that daters aim for a balanced approach between exploration and
exploitation, avoiding overly hasty decisions that may lead to the premature exclusion of
potentially compatible partners. | |
