External validity tests of laboratory studies of information integration

Abstract

Laboratory research aimed at increased understanding of judgment and decision-making behavior has been criticized for lack of external validity. To counter this criticism, the present paper describes a number of laboratory studies of information integration that demonstrate that responses to independent variable manipulations in the laboratory are meaningfully related to factors external to the task and are predictive of decisions made outside the laboratory. Suggestions are made for how researchers can increase the generalizability and external validity of their results by taking into account differences between the laboratory setting and the natural environment.