Tested the conflict-theory postulate that both bolstering activity and unbiased appraisal of alternatives may occur prior to the making of an overt decision. 90 female undergraduates chose between 2 unpleasant physiological stimulations. In 1 condition, Ss were told that prior to announcing their choice they would receive additional information about the side effects of the stimulations. In a 2nd condition, Ss were told that there would be no additional information about the side effects. "Spreading" of the alternatives (bolstering) was found only in the no-information condition. The significant main effects for the information vs. no-information variable support a conflict theory assumption that under specifiable conditions spreading will occur before a decision is made. Findings are inconsistent with L. Festinger's assumption that spreading of alternatives will occur only after commitment to a decision has been made. A significant acceleration in heart rate during the period preceding the overt decision indicates that Ss found the decision stressful. The hypothesis that extraneous cognitive activity tends to increase the amount of bolstering was not supported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)