Glossary

Default option

Προεπιλογή

The outcome that occurs if nobody makes an active choice. It competes with every other option, but is the only one that never has to be argued for.

Also known asdefault effect, status quo bias
Named byRichard Thaler & Cass Sunstein (2008)
Belongs to the skillDecision Making
Level1

How to spot it

You can spot it by asking one question: if this meeting ends and nobody does anything, what happens?

The research behind the term

The term is not our invention. It comes from published research, and what follows is what that research found — our own synthesis of the published abstract, not a translation of the original.

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behaviordoi:10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Ajzen's paper presents the Theory of Planned Behavior, according to which human behavior is determined chiefly by the individual's intention to act. That intention is shaped by personal attitudes, social norms and perceived behavioral control. The theory is widely used in psychology, education, health and operations research.

Practised in

The term does not stay a definition. It appears inside missions where the pattern happens in real time and you have to recognise it as it happens to you.

  • The Thing That Renews Itself

    Level 1

Sources

Every claim on this page maps to published research. The citations link to the original source.

  1. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior — doi:10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T