Keuzepatroon

Keuzepatroon, literally meaning “choice pattern” in Dutch, refers to recurring tendencies in how people select among alternatives. In decision theory, consumer research and behavioral economics, it describes regularities in preferences that appear across different options, times, or contexts. A keuzepatroon may be deterministic (the same option is chosen given specific attribute differences) or probabilistic (choices follow a predictable likelihood).

Several factors shape keuzepatroonen, including price sensitivity, perceived risk, trade-offs between attributes such as quality and cost, information availability, time pressure, defaults, and social influence. Framing and context can shift patterns, producing different keuzepatroonen in otherwise similar situations.

Researchers study these patterns using methods such as choice experiments, conjoint analysis, discrete choice models, and analysis of revealed preferences. Patterned data can be grouped into segments to identify distinct keuzepatroonen by demographic or psychographic characteristics.

Applications span product design and pricing decisions, marketing strategy, and public policy, particularly in the design of choice architectures or nudges that guide behavior without restricting options. Examples include consumers consistently selecting the best value option when bundled features are compared, patients favoring familiar treatments, or voters leaning toward centrist candidates in two-party settings.

Critics caution that keuzepatroonen are often context-dependent and may change over time, with findings sensitive to sample size and measurement choices. The concept remains a descriptive tool to summarize regularities in decision making rather than a universal law of behavior.