Choice among behavior options: A methodology and an empirical example

It is shown that certain core assumptions of the exchange approach can be translated into an algebraic form which is useful in interpreting empirical patterns of choice behavior. These assumptions include the premise that actors hold certain values which they perceive to be attainable in varying degrees by a series of alternative courses of action, and the premise that actors choose among alternative courses of action through a decision rule, which weighs the relative importance and optimal allocation of these values. The algebraic translation of these assumptions can represent the cognitive-evaluative structures used by actors, thereby providing a series of insights into the value dimensions used in choosing among these behavior options. This methodology departs from the analytic procedures of experimental social psychology by explicitly creating a geometric representation of cognitive structure. This representation can be interpreted by mapping independent value rating scales into the space. Coordinates of the space, finally, can be used as dependent variables in conventional multivariate analyses, to study the determinants of individual variation in value orientation. (March 1978)