Decisions, decisions, decisions: Recreation site choice with expected congestion and social interaction

set of computer-based recreation choice experiments were run to examine the effect of expected congestion and social interactions on the decision making process. MouseTrace is a process-tracing program that recorded individual subject's information acquisitions and provided the necessary information to determine if subjects used attribute-based or alternative-based processing for each choice made. In general, subjects utilized the simpler attribute-based processing for the first task and as they repeated the choice, they switched from attribute-based processing to alternative-based processing. However, after repeated decision tasks the introduction of a new attribute induced subjects to return to attribute-based processing.;Regression analysis on search type reveled that there were some fixed session effects. It also revealed that males are more likely to use attribute-based processing than females and older individuals are less likely to use attribute-based processing. Time restrictions encourage attribute-based processing and social interactions with a companion discourage attribute-based processing. Social interactions also had an influence on recreation site choice. They had the largest influence on the subjects whose interactions occurred in the early rounds.;Subjects were divided into two groups, attribute-based processors and alternative-based processors, by the type of processing used on the majority of choice tasks. Regression analysis revealed a significant difference in recreation-choice between the two groups. This is an intriguing result because recreation parks may be able to market themselves differently to different types of individuals. Attribute-based processing subjects were 6.7 percent less likely than alternative-based processors to choose a congested site.;The results were also used to determine WTP estimates for attributes at the Ohio State Parks. Attribute-based and alternative-based processing individuals had different WTP estimates for each of the attributes but the signs and magnitudes were similar for all attributes except when it comes to congestion. Attribute-based individuals had a WTP of...