When matching up features messes up decisions: The role of feature matching in successive choices.

Two studies examined feature matching in successive judgments. College students in both studies read about 2apartments with shared positive and unique negative f atures, and 1 less globally positive apartment with all unique features. In the feature-cancellation condition, participants first saw the shared-features apartments together and then saw the all-unique apartment. In the no-cancellation condition, participants first saw 1 shared-features apartment and the all-unique apartment together and then saw the other shared-features apartment. Shared-features apartments were rated higher when they were not seen together. The all-unique apartment was rated higher when it was seen last, when the first 2 apartments ' shared features canceled out. Study 2 replicated Study 1 and also demonstrated that 2 additional variables failed to moderate he effect. Memory measures suggest that shared features are paired up as an organizational strategy. During the 1992 U.S. Presidential election, the country let out a collective whine when presented with the Democratic and Republican candidates. Instead of just expressing the usual apathy about he election, voters eemed actively critical of both of the front-runners. George Bush was seen as being out of