Choosing among options presented sequentially versus simultaneously

When choosing among multiple options, people can view the options either one at a time or all together. This article reviews an emerging stream of research that examines the ways in which viewing options sequentially vs. simultaneously influences people’s decisions. Multiple studies support the idea that viewing options simultaneously encourages people to compare the options and to focus on the ways in which the options differ from each other. In contrast, viewing options sequentially encourages people to process each option holistically by comparing the option against previously encountered options or a subjective reference point. Integrating research from judgment and decision making, consumer behavior, experimental economics, and eyewitness identification, we identify ways in which the different processing styles elicited by sequential and simultaneous presentation formats influence people’s judgment and decision making. This issue is particularly important because presenting option either sequentially or simultaneously is a key element of choice architecture.