图形面积判断任务下信息加工模式和信息呈现方式对吸引效应的影响

研究使用图形面积判断任务取代典型的双属性决策框架, 考察了不同信息加工模式和信息呈现方式对吸引效应的影响。实验1比较了不同信息加工模式对吸引效应的影响, 结果发现, 当被试以直觉的信息加工方式进行面积比较判断时, 吸引效应不显著, 而以分析的信息加工方式判断时吸引效应明显存在, 后者效应强度显著大于前者。实验2通过调整图形排列顺序, 比较了刺激材料呈现方式对吸引效应的影响, 结果表明, 被试以直觉的信息加工方式进行判断时吸引效应依然存在, 但其表现要受信息呈现方式影响, 相对于将目标图形放置于诱引图形和竞争图形之间, 将诱引图形放置于目标图形和竞争图形之间而成为判断背景时, 吸引效应强度更大。研究提出了吸引效应形成的两阶段理论, 认为吸引效应产生的根源同时来自直觉的和分析的两个信息加工阶段, 研究也证实信息呈现方式对被试信息加工方式造成较大影响, 进而影响吸引效应强度。

The Influence of Information Processing Mode and Information Presentation Pattern on Attraction Effect in Area Comparison Judgments

Attraction effect refers to the phenomenon that the addition of an asymmetrically dominated alternative to a choice set can increase the share of one of the original alternatives. As a form of context effect, it has received considerable empirical scrutiny in the marketing, consumer behavior, employee recruitment and other decision-making literature in recent years. Based on experiments, this paper verifies that the attraction effect still exists in area comparison judgments, and that it is multiply determined by both intuitive processing and analytic processing. Experiment 1 used the aptitude test technique to trigger the information processing pattern (intuitive processing and analytic processing) and explored the effect of information processing on the attraction effect. 252 undergraduate students have participated in experiment 1 and were randomly assigned to the experimental manipulation. Through adjusting the sort order of the figures, experiment 2 explored the effect of the stimulus presentation pattern on the attraction effect. 196 undergraduate students have participated in experiment 2 and were manipulated to three different conditions (core set, context set 1 and context set 2). The results of Experiment 1 reveal that the attraction effect can occur in an area comparison judgment task. The results also demonstrate that the information processing mode affects the attraction effect significantly, and analytic processing leads to a higher attraction effect than intuitive processing does. However, no attraction effect is found under intuitive processing in experiment 1. The results of Experiment 2 show that the attraction effect still exists when participants judge under intuitive processing, but its performance is affected by figures’ sort order. Compared to placing the target alternative between the decoys alternative and the competition alternative, putting the decoys alternative in the middle as the judgment background will enhance the attraction effect. The findings of this study offer an explanation for the attraction effect that can be interpreted in terms of general notions of information processing. Specifically, these findings implicate two factors in the attraction effect: information processing and information presentation. We propose a dual information processing theory to classify the mechanisms of the attraction effect and suggest that the attraction effect is rooted in both intuitive processing and analytic processing. The study also verifies that stimulus presentation pattern can affect participants’ information processing, which then will influence the attraction effect.