Less is better: when low-value options are valued more highly than high-value options

This research demonstrates a less-is-better effect in three contexts: (1) a person giving a $45 scarf as a gift was perceived to be more generous than one giving a $55 coat; (2) an overfilled ice cream serving with 7 oz of ice cream was valued more than an underfilled serving with 8 oz of ice cream; (3) a dinnerware set with 24 intact pieces was judged more favourably than one with 31 intact pieces (including the same 24) plus a few broken ones. This less-is-better effect occurred only when the options were evaluated separately, and reversed itself when the options were juxtaposed. These results are explained in terms of the evaluability hypothesis, which states that separate evaluations of objects are often influenced by attributes which are easy to evaluate rather than by those which are important. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Comment on ‘Rank Disagreement: A Comparison of Multi-Criteria Methodologies’

In a recent paper in this journal, Buede and Maxwell found reasonable agreement between MAVT and conventional AHP most preferred alternatives in a large-scale simulation. We show that MAVT would have had total agreement on preferred alternatives with two modified forms of AHP, referenced AHP and linking pin AHP, under simulation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Information search and presentation in advisor–client interactions

When making a decision, people often search for more information supporting than conflicting with their preferred alternative. This can be counterproductive because potential risks and liabilities of the intended decision may be overlooked. However, when confronted with a decision problem, people often turn to advisors for help. We examined what kind of information advisors search for when confronted with a client’s decision problem and what information they present to their clients. Experiment 1 suggested that advisors (participants in the role of travel agents or friends) conducted a more balanced information search than personal decision-makers. However, when presenting information to their client, mock travel agents passed on more information supporting their recommendation than conflicting with it, whereas friends presented information in a balanced way. Experiment 2 replicated the balanced information search of advisors and suggested that this effect was partly mediated by the advisors’ increased accuracy motivation. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.     

The role of negative features in joint and separate evaluation

Separate and joint evaluations differ in the manner in which attribute information is processed. We propose that negative attributes weigh more in separate compared to joint ratings. To assess the relative weights of positive and negative attributes, stimuli were employed containing mixed attribute valence, with good and poor attributes. In three experiments it was demonstrated empirically that, using such mixed valence options, the negative attributes indeed weighed more than the positive ones in separate compared to joint ratings. Direct evidence for the increased weight of negative attributes in separate ratings was provided by showing preference shifts between joint and separate ratings for options with mixed attribute valence. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Re‐acquisition of upright vision while wearing visually left–right reversing goggles1

Abstract: The present research aimed to identify the important factor that makes it difficult to re‐acquire upright vision when wearing visually transposed goggles. The author wore left‐right reversing goggles and up‐down reversing goggles each for 14 days in 1986 and in 1990, respectively. When lying on one side with the left‐right reversing goggles on, the observer could get upside‐down vision, which made it possible to compare the difficulty of attaining upright vision when wearing up‐down reversing goggles. The only difference between the two situations is the dimension of the body image to be exchanged: The observer had to exchange the left and right halves of his body in the former situation and had to exchange along the top‐bottom axis of body in the latter situation. Introspective data revealed that attaining an upright sense is easier in the former situation; this means that the asymmetrical structure of our body in the top‐bottom dimension is an important factor in the difficulty of re‐acquiring upright vision.     

5~6岁自闭症儿童与正常儿童的辨别反转学习研究

采用条件性辨别反转范式,考察自闭症儿童与正常儿童的反转灵活性。44名5~6岁儿童（24名自闭症儿童,20名正常儿童）参加了辨别反转学习。结果显示：⑴在习得阶段,两类儿童都能辨别两个不同的条件性刺激;⑵在晚期反转阶段,正常儿童在晚期反转阶段升高了对新的条件性厌恶刺激的主观预期值,辨别了新的条件性刺激,而自闭症儿童在晚期反转阶段对新的条件性厌恶刺激的主观预期值没有显著性变化,无法辨别新的条件性刺激。研究结果表明,5~6岁自闭症儿童反转灵活性存在缺陷。     

文本表述和结构对小学生数学应用题表征的影响

以450名小学生为被试,探讨了文本表述和结构对小学生数学应用题表征成绩的影响。采用2(难度)×2(题材熟悉度)×5(措辞类型)×3(年级)四因素混合设计。结果表明:不同文本表述和结构对小学生解决数学应用题的影响不因年级的不同而不同;概念性措辞问题和情境性措辞问题都促进了小学生数学应用题的表征成绩;在容易问题中,额外信息对表征成绩影响较大;在较难问题中,数学运算关系难度对表征成绩影响较大;当解决文本背景较简单的标准措辞问题时,题材熟悉度对小学生的理解产生较大影响;文本长度对问题解决的影响取决于所增加的文本是否对理解问题的句法关系和语义情景有益。     

动态信息呈现对问题发现的影响研究

在多轮次动态和一次性静态两种呈现方式下,采用出声思维研究20名大学生潜藏与矛盾情境的问题发现特点。研究表明:(1)动态呈现促进被试更全面加工信息,发现问题数量和变通性优于静态呈现,但也阻断信息间的关联,不利于发现跨区问题。(2)动态呈现下,问题均匀分布在每个区域并按轮次先后顺序出现,静态呈现与此相反。(3)被试在新信息呈现后发现的问题分全新、改变方向、改变程度、一致性和联系性五类,潜藏情境中问题与先前信息关联更多。(4)被试对新信息影响做出积极评价。     

单页和多页呈现设计对网页信息搜索效率及主观感受的影响

本研究以操作绩效和主观满意度为指标,对网页信息的单页和多页呈现方式进行研究。实验采用搜索任务,共有46名被试参加实验。研究结果表明：（1）在常用的页码翻页、下拉翻页、填写翻页和上页下页翻页四种多页操作方式中,页码翻页是最优的操作方式;（2）无论是在搜索绩效上还是主观满意度上,网页信息的多页呈现方式都要优于单页呈现方式。本实验结果可以为网页信息呈现设计提供科学的依据。     

动画速度和学习者经验对多媒体学习的影响

以往研究显示,动画教学的效果很可能受到学习者先前知识经验与动画速度的影响。研究选取高经验和低经验的学习者,操纵动画播放速度为快、中和慢三个水平,利用眼动仪记录学习过程中的注意,探讨学习者经验和动画速度对学习效果和注意分配的影响。结果发现,在即时测验上,学习者经验和动画速度没有交互作用;在延迟测验上,低经验者在快速下成绩优于中速;高经验者对图片注视时间长于低经验者。研究认为,在即时测验上,学习者的经验水平不会影响动画速度的教学效果;在延迟测验上,低经验者在快速呈现动画时学习效果更好,学习者经验和动画速度对学习效果的影响更可能随着时间推移体现出来;基于整体型学习材料,高经验者比低经验者更关注图片。