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臺大管理論叢
第
26
卷第
2
期
93
0.894,
p
= 0.413;
M
0
= 3.35 vs.
M
9
= 3.31,
F
= 0.332,
p
= 0.601).
Therefore, when both nine-ending and zero-ending prices had the same leftmost digits,
the nine-ending pricing effect diminished, and the differences in the price magnitude
perception between two kinds of prices were not significant in both SE and JE conditions,
thus supporting H4.
3.3.3 Discussion
Results from Study 3 support H4 that differences in magnitude perceptions between
nine-ending and zero-ending prices are insignificant in both SE and JE conditions when their
leftmost digits are the same. In contrast to the results of Study 1, Study 3 shows that when
the leftmost digits of nine-ending and zero-ending prices are one level apart (e.g., $1.99 vs.
$2.00), the differences in mean magnitude perception between nine-ending and zero-ending
prices are relatively smaller in both SE and JE conditions, and the variations of these
differences between SE and JE conditions are also insignificant for all three stimuli.
Therefore, when nine- and zero-ending prices have the same leftmost digits, participants are
more likely to make similar perceptions for both kinds of prices regardless of the changes in
price ending digits and how they are presented or evaluated. This finding supports Thomas
and Morwitz (2005) inference that the leftmost digit has a more dominant influence over
people’s magnitude perception than do the other digits to its right when multi-digit prices are
being perceived.
3.4 Study 4
According to the basis of cognitive effort, the predictions that the evaluation modes
would moderate the nine-ending effect were supported and proved in Studies 1, 2, and 3. In
Study 4, task complexity, which was most often used to examine the role of cognitive effort
on product evaluations, was manipulated to re-examine the bounded nine-ending effect in
order to more accurately test the strength of the evaluation modes. To understand the role of
task complexity, we might imagine that we are preparing to buy some cookies in a store.
There are usually several different brands with different packaging and different flavors, and
this wide array of choices increases the difficulty and complexity of making a comparison
between items (similar to Appendix). It also has an impact on our shopping time and on what
we will finally purchase. As Keller and Staelin (1987) study indicates, task complexity has
an inverted U-shape relationship with effective decisions. That is, people make an additional
cognitive effort initially, which increases the effectiveness of decision making. Clearly,
complex tasks require more cognitive effort, as Campbell and Gingrich (1986) have