Study: How much you're willing to pay depends on what you were just doing

Your shopping buddy turns to you and asks, “Which one of these would you get?” Or, you’re talking with your spouse about which candidate you’d like to vote for before switching on the nightly news. Turns out simply being asked to make a choice– especially if you’re in a hurry or have something on your mind – will make you like the next thing you see more, says a new study from the Journal of Consumer Research.

The researchers found that asking people to choose among things primed them to think about positive attributes – and caused them to be in a positive frame of mind when evaluating the next item they saw.

“Simply asking participants to decide if they would buy (vs. reject) each of a set of products disposed them to search for favorable attributes before unfavorable ones in an unrelated product evaluation situation,” explain Hao Shen and Robert S. Wyer, Jr. (both of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology). “As a result, they evaluated the product they considered in the second situation more favorably than they otherwise would.”

The study expands our understanding of “memory priming.” As the researchers explain, our knowledge about a product or service usually involves norms – such as typical prices, typical amenities, and brand reputation associated with, say, a hotel. However, the researchers also reveal that this prior knowledge can be influenced by “procedural knowledge priming,” or, by introducing consumers to an activity that affects what they evaluate.

In another experiment, the researchers had participants in Hong Kong rank the prices of hotel rooms in three cities either from high-to-low or low-to-high. They were then asked to indicate how much they would pay for a hotel room, among other questions. When a lot of information was presented, those who ranked the prices from most expensive to least expensive were willing to pay an average of $19 more than those who had been asked to rank the hotels from lowest to highest priced.

In addition, “participants estimated the average price of hotel rooms in a city to be higher if they had rank[ed] prices from highest to lowest in a prior task than if they had ranked them from lowest to highest,” the researchers explain.

They continue: “Unrelated experiences can activate a search process that governs the order in which favorable and unfavorable product descriptions are identified and the evaluations that are made on the basis of them.”

Source: University of Chicago

Related stories:

Researcher converts biodiesel-waste glycerol into omega-3 fatty acids
The typical American diet often lacks omega-3 fatty acids despite clinical research that shows their potential human health benefits. Zhiyou Wen, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, found a way to grow these compounds using a byproduct of the emerging biodiesel industry.
Study shows consumers find grass-fed beef acceptable
High feed-grain prices and the growing interest in "natural" foods have spurred both consumers and farmers to consider grass-fed beef, and a recent study done by Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences researchers may reinforce this trend.
Grow your mobile in a pot? Maybe someday, say Nokia researchers
With a mobile phone you can make calls on the go, shoot photos and pinpoint your position on a map. And who knows, maybe one day you'll be able to grow your phone in a pot, if the futuristic ideas of technology researchers come true.
Touch can trump taste, says Rutgers retail scholar
For some consumers, the way a cup of mineral water tastes has more to do with the container than the contents. Especially for consumers who are less likely to enjoy touching items or products before deciding to buy them.
Fortified cassava could provide a day's nutrition in a single meal
Scientists have determined how to fortify the cassava plant, a staple root crop in many developing countries, with enough vitamins, minerals and protein to provide the poor and malnourished with a day's worth of nutrition in a single meal.
Average shoppers are willing to pay a premium for locally produced food
New research suggests that the average supermarket shopper is willing to pay a premium price for locally produced foods, providing some farmers an attractive option to enter a niche market that could boost their revenues.
Fungus fight: Researchers battle against dangerous corn toxin
The spiraling use of corn for food and fuel is creating heightened concerns about contamination of this staple crop with deadly aflatoxin. Produced by certain fungi that grow on corn, this contaminant is a known human carcinogen that especially threatens food safety in the developing world and can potentially cause the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in the United States each year.
Misery, not miserly: Even momentary sadness increases spending
Off to buy a new handbag and fabulous red shoes, or how about overalls and a riding lawnmower" Before going, a mood check for signs of despair and gloom might be in order because how a person feels can impact routine economic transactions, whether he or she is aware of it or not.

News discussion:

General Science news