{"title":"EXPRESS: The Effects of Psychological Distance on the Diagnosticity of Digits to the Left versus Right of a Separator","authors":"Dengfeng Yan, Suhas Vijayakumar, Jiewen Hong","doi":"10.1177/00222437241262799","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Many numerical expressions contain a separator such as a comma (e.g., 1,234) or a decimal point (e.g., 12.34) that divides the number into left and right parts. This research examines how individuals compare such numbers as a function of psychological distance. Integrating insights from research on diagnosticity, numerical cognition, and mental construal, we hypothesize that as psychological distance increases, the perceived diagnosticity of digits to the right of a separator (hereinafter right digits) decreases faster than that of the digits to the left of a separator (hereinafter left digits), which leads individuals to assign less weight to the right digits in comparative judgment. Four studies offer triangulating support for this theorizing and the underlying mechanism. In addition, we show that this effect is attenuated or suppressed when individuals perceive that numerical ratings are more stable over time (thereby increasing the perceived diagnosticity of right digits, Study3), and when the distinction between left and right digits are made less obvious (e.g., when removing the digit separator, Study 4). This research offers additional nuance to our understanding of numerical cognition and how psychological distance influences the processing of different types of information.","PeriodicalId":48465,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Marketing Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Marketing Research","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437241262799","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Many numerical expressions contain a separator such as a comma (e.g., 1,234) or a decimal point (e.g., 12.34) that divides the number into left and right parts. This research examines how individuals compare such numbers as a function of psychological distance. Integrating insights from research on diagnosticity, numerical cognition, and mental construal, we hypothesize that as psychological distance increases, the perceived diagnosticity of digits to the right of a separator (hereinafter right digits) decreases faster than that of the digits to the left of a separator (hereinafter left digits), which leads individuals to assign less weight to the right digits in comparative judgment. Four studies offer triangulating support for this theorizing and the underlying mechanism. In addition, we show that this effect is attenuated or suppressed when individuals perceive that numerical ratings are more stable over time (thereby increasing the perceived diagnosticity of right digits, Study3), and when the distinction between left and right digits are made less obvious (e.g., when removing the digit separator, Study 4). This research offers additional nuance to our understanding of numerical cognition and how psychological distance influences the processing of different types of information.
期刊介绍:
JMR is written for those academics and practitioners of marketing research who need to be in the forefront of the profession and in possession of the industry"s cutting-edge information. JMR publishes articles representing the entire spectrum of research in marketing. The editorial content is peer-reviewed by an expert panel of leading academics. Articles address the concepts, methods, and applications of marketing research that present new techniques for solving marketing problems; contribute to marketing knowledge based on the use of experimental, descriptive, or analytical techniques; and review and comment on the developments and concepts in related fields that have a bearing on the research industry and its practices.