For other uses see Preference (disambiguation). Contents 1 Definitions in different disciplines 2 See also 3 References 4 External links Definitions in different disciplines

The term preferences is used in a variety of related but not identical ways in the scientific literature. This makes it necessary to make explicit the sense in which the term is used in different social sciences.

In psychology preferences could be conceived of as an individuals attitude towards a set of objects typically reflected in an explicit decision-making process (Lichtenstein & Slovic 2006). Alternatively one could interpret the term preference to mean evaluative judgment in the sense of liking or disliking an object (e.g. Scherer 2005) which is the most typical definition employed in psychology. However it does not mean that a preference is necessarily stable over time. Preference can be notably modified by decision-making processes such as choices (Brehm 1956; Sharot De Martino & Dolan 2009) even in an unconscious way (see Coppin Delplanque Cayeux Porcherot & Sander 2010).

"Preference" may also refer to non-choices such as genetic and biological explanations for one's preference. Sexual orientation for example is no longer considered a sexual preference. See also Look up prefer in Wiktionary the free dictionary. Motivation Preference-based planning (in artificial intelligence) Sexual desire References Brehm J.W. (1956). Post-decision changes in desirability of choice alternatives. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 52 384-389. Coppin G. Delplanque S. Cayeux I. Porcherot C. & Sander D. (2010). Im no longer torn after choice: How explicit choices can implicitly shape preferences for odors. Psychological Science 21 489-493. Lichtenstein S. & Slovic P. (2006). The construction of preference. New York: Cambridge University Press. Scherer K.R. (2005). What are emotions And how can they be measured Social Science Information 44 695-729. Sharot T. De Martino B. & Dolan R.J. (2009). How choice reveals and shapes expected hedonic outcome. Journal of Neuroscience 29 3760-3765. External links Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on 'Preferences' Customer preference formation DOC (white paper from ICR)