Abstract
Numbers and prices can be processed and encoded in three different forms: 1) visual [based on their written form in Arabic numerals (e.g., 72)], 2) verbal [based on spoken word-sounds (e.g., "seventy" and "two"), and 3) analog (based on judgments of relative "size" or amount (e.g., more than 70 but less than 80)]. In this paper, we demonstrate that including commas (e.g., $1599 vs. $1599) and cents (e.g., $1599.85 vs. $1599) in a price's Arabic written form (i.e., how it is perceived . visually) can change how the price is encoded and represented verbally in a consumer's memory. In turn, the verbal encoding of a written price can influence assessments of the numerical magnitude of the price. These effects occur because consumers non-consciously perceive that there is a positive relationship between syllabic length and numerical magnitude. Three experiments are presented demonstrating this important effect.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 395-407 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of Consumer Psychology |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Auditory (verbal) representation
- Behavioral pricing
- Numerical cognition
- Price magnitude
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Marketing