ABSTRACT
According to choice certainty theory, before a person takes an action, Mills wants to be certain that it is better than the alternative actions. The theory assumes that certainty that an action is best will be a function of the proportion of total cognitions favoring that action; the higher the proportion, the greater the certainty. An individual faced with a choice will attempt to increase his certainty regarding which action is best and will avoid decreasing his certainty. The purpose of the study involved the influence of physiological arousal and anticipated choice upon the halo effect. In a study more directly related to arousal prior to choice, Berlyne read words to subjects and asked the subjects to respond with the first word that came to mind. Mann et al. had subjects choose between two unpleasant physiological stimulations and reported that prior to announcing their choice, the subjects' heart rates increased.
