Further exploration of two-stage decision making in the Monty Hall dilemma

Two experiments on P-stage decision making in the Monty Hall dilemma (MHD) are reported. Experiment 1 tested an illusion-of-control hypothesis using a 2-person condition in which participants made only the second stage of the decision; control participants made both the initial and final decisions. More switching occurred on Trials 1-20 in the 2-person condition, but the conditions did not differ on Trials 21-50. In Experiment 2, varying the number of doors and the number of incorrect doors shown had no effect an the initial propensity to stick, but had a strong effect across trials. Satisficing can occur when the situation is not compelling, as in the standard S-door MHD.