Let the Clips Fall Where They May

Personality research has fueled debate over whether human judgment should be characterized as accurate or error-prone. Research from the thin-slice tradition suggests that a degree of accuracy can be obtained when least expected. Consumer psychologists tempted to join the debate may be better served by identifying the contexts under which accuracy is most likely and least likely to be observed and by exploring the causal mechanisms underlying each outcome. In so doing, the substantive scope of consumer research may be expanded to include decision contexts that have been largely ignored but are of considerable importance. Moreover, decision processes may be illuminated that can inform the more useful debate over deliberative versus nondeliberative decision making.