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臺大管理論叢
第
26
卷第
2
期
81
no longer be influenced by an anchoring heuristic that focuses on the difference in the
leftmost digits, and the difference between the allocated positions of nine-ending and zero-
ending prices on the analog magnitude scale will be very insignificant. This will, in turn,
diminish the influence of the difference in the leftmost and ending digits between nine-
ending and zero-ending prices. Given these inferred effects, the following hypothesis is
proposed:
H1: The difference in magnitude perception between nine-ending items and zero-
ending items priced one level higher is greater in the separate evaluation condition
than in the joint evaluation condition.
Following Bizer and Schindler (2005), the experimental condition in this study involves
quantitative estimations of the number of items that can be acquired for a given budget (e.g.,
how many $199 items can be purchased for $2000). However, Bizer and Schindler (2005)
procedure is extended by considering both separate and joint evaluation conditions. In the SE
condition, the quantitative estimations of nine-ending and zero-ending prices are carried out
independently by two groups of people. In the JE condition, these quantitative estimations
are carried out simultaneously, or side by side, by the same groups of people. Under the
mechanism of HSM, it is proposed that the nine-ending pricing effect is manifested when the
two types of prices are evaluated separately, but that it diminishes when they are evaluated
side by side, or jointly.
Since quantitative estimations of nine-ending and zero-ending prices are done
independently in the SE condition, there is no comparison target for each price. As H1 would
also seem to indicate, people can only rely on their mental cues of the prices, which makes
them more likely to ignore, or drop off, the ending digits of the prices and use an anchoring
heuristic to perceive the value on the leftmost digits by converting the numerical digits of
both prices into a magnitude (e.g., perceiving $199 as $100). The quantitative estimation of
items with the dropped off price is much greater than the actual number of items that can be
purchased within the same budget. Since the nine-ending pricing effect is manifested in the
SE condition, the quantitative estimations of nine-ending priced items are greater than those
of zero-ending priced items one level higher (e.g., $199 vs. $200).
In the JE condition, the quantitative estimations of nine-ending and zero-ending priced
items are carried out simultaneously; thus, the two prices become comparison targets for
each other, which greatly increase cognitive effort. As cognitive effort increases, people are
more inclined to use a systematic process than a heuristic process. Thus, they are more likely