Multiattribute judgment: Attribute spacing influences single attributes.

The authors examine how the spacing of attribute levels influences single- and multiattribute judgments. Participants rated the overall attractiveness of apartments described by monthly rent, distance to campus, and a friend's opinion. An identical set of apartments was presented in 4 attribute spacing contexts. Distance levels for most apartments were either relatively far from campus or relatively close to campus. Rent levels for most apartments were either relatively expensive or relatively inexpensive. Judged attractiveness of identical apartments varied across contexts; a given attribute difference had a greater effect when it spanned more attribute levels. Moreover, rank orders of the same apartments reversed with changes in context. Results were consistent with the theory that perceptions of attribute levels vary with spacing in a manner consistent with range-frequency theory (A. Parducci, 1995), although response effects may also occur. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)