Kilo what? Default units increase value sensitivity in joint evaluations of energy efficiency
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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in: Judgment and Decision Making, Jahrgang 15, Nr. 6, 11.2020, S. 972-988.
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Kilo what? Default units increase value sensitivity in joint evaluations of energy efficiency
AU - Herberz, Mario
AU - Brosch, Tobias
AU - Hahnel, Ulf J.J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2019, Society for Judgment and Decision making. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/11
Y1 - 2020/11
N2 - The unit in which numerical information is presented can have a strong influence on how decision makers evaluate and choose between available choice options. The present work examines the influence of frequently used default units on judgments and decisions of energy efficiency. Across three experiments (Ntotal = 497), our results provide evidence that value sensitivity increases by about 25% in joint evaluation mode when a product attribute is presented in the default unit versus a non-default unit. As a result, presenting an attribute in the default unit led to more favorable evaluations of superior products and less favorable evaluations of inferior products. This result was robust to changes in the numerical magnitude of the non-default unit. Moreover, when joint evaluation was performed across different units, products described using the default unit were evaluated more favorably than products described using a non-default unit. More favorable evaluations based on the default unit translated into a higher willingness to pay for efficiency advantages. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of default units to guide informed consumer judgments and effective energy efficiency labeling.
AB - The unit in which numerical information is presented can have a strong influence on how decision makers evaluate and choose between available choice options. The present work examines the influence of frequently used default units on judgments and decisions of energy efficiency. Across three experiments (Ntotal = 497), our results provide evidence that value sensitivity increases by about 25% in joint evaluation mode when a product attribute is presented in the default unit versus a non-default unit. As a result, presenting an attribute in the default unit led to more favorable evaluations of superior products and less favorable evaluations of inferior products. This result was robust to changes in the numerical magnitude of the non-default unit. Moreover, when joint evaluation was performed across different units, products described using the default unit were evaluated more favorably than products described using a non-default unit. More favorable evaluations based on the default unit translated into a higher willingness to pay for efficiency advantages. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of default units to guide informed consumer judgments and effective energy efficiency labeling.
KW - Consumer behavior
KW - Default units
KW - Evaluability
KW - Joint vs. separate evaluation mode
KW - Unit effect
KW - Psychology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096964719&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1930297500008172
DO - 10.1017/S1930297500008172
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:85096964719
VL - 15
SP - 972
EP - 988
JO - Judgment and Decision Making
JF - Judgment and Decision Making
SN - 1930-2975
IS - 6
ER -