Macizo Pedro, Ojedo Fernando
Departamento de Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología, Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC, Spain), Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
Psychol Res. 2018 Nov;82(6):1144-1157. doi: 10.1007/s00426-017-0884-4. Epub 2017 Jun 24.
In three experiments, we evaluate whether the processing of prices is holistic or componential. When participants receive two prices and they select the higher price, distance effects are found when the distances between the two prices are defined holistically but not when they are defined in terms of digits (Experiment 1). This result suggests that prices are processed holistically. However, we show that the holistic distance effect can be explained by the compatibility between the digits and the monetary category of prices (euro and cent). After controlling for the holistic distance, compatible trials (e.g., 8 euro-4 cent, 8 > 4, and euro > cent) are processed faster than incompatible trials (e.g., 8 cent-4 euro, 8 > 4 but cent < euro) with simultaneous and sequential presentation of prices (Experiment 2). Moreover, the compatibility effect is modulated by the ratio of intra monetary category comparisons (8 euro-6 euro) and inter monetary category comparisons (8 euro-4 cents) (Experiment 3). The existence of compatibility effects between the digits and the monetary category of prices suggests that cognitive processing of prices is not holistic but componential.
在三项实验中，我们评估价格处理是整体式的还是成分式的。当参与者收到两个价格并选择较高价格时，若两个价格之间的距离是整体定义的，则会发现距离效应；但若按数字定义，则不会发现距离效应（实验1）。这一结果表明价格是被整体处理的。然而，我们表明整体距离效应可以通过数字与价格货币类别（欧元和欧分）之间的兼容性来解释。在控制了整体距离之后，对于同时呈现和相继呈现的价格，兼容的试验（例如，8欧元 - 4欧分，8 > 4，且欧元 > 欧分）比不兼容的试验（例如，8欧分 - 4欧元，8 > 4但欧分 < 欧元）处理得更快（实验2）。此外，兼容性效应会受到货币类别内比较（8欧元 - 6欧元）与货币类别间比较（8欧元 - 4欧分）的比例的调节（实验3）。数字与价格货币类别之间兼容性效应的存在表明，价格的认知处理不是整体式的，而是成分式的。
