Chapter 4• PRETEST
5.4 Dependent Variables
This part will be described according to the sequence of questions in the main experimental questionnaire (see Appendix (Ⅱ)).
5.4.1 Dependent Measures（Target Judgment）
After the priming task by requesting participants to read those advertisements, participants are asked to evaluate several dimensions about the brand presented in the final advertisement. All dimensions ready to be judged here will follow the rule of estimate”. That is, on a scale ranging from 0 to 10, participants merely have to circle
“one” score to express their evaluation toward one product dimension.
The first to-be-evaluated status is “prestige”. Subjects are requested to indicate how elegant and prestigious they think “the target” (the brand name changes depending on which condition mentioned above that subjects are randomly assigned into) will be on a scale ranging from 0 (low prestige) to 10 (high prestige).
“Prestigious dimension” is placed to be the first one because it is the main concern of this research. Besides, the question and the scale measuring the target’s prestigious
dimension is the same as the one in former pretests. This consistence indeed facilitates the follow-up result analyses, and makes the comparison between the experimental group in the main test and the controlling group in the pretests more plausible.
The second and the third dimensions to be evaluated are “price” and “quality”.
Subjects are asked to indicate how expensive and how quality they think about the target brand will be on a scale ranging from 0 (cheapest/ low quality) to 10 (most costly/ high quality). Price and quality dimensions are evaluated because they are supposed to relate with prestige status. Thus, it can also examine if there is positive correlation among prestige, price, and quality dimensions. That is, once participants think one target is more elegant, they will also indicate that the same target is more expensive and quality due to the positive relationship among these three dimensions.
The fourth and the fifth dimensions to be evaluated are those predicted being irrelevant to prestige. For example, when the target is casual clothes belonging to the same product category as primes, and then “design variety” and “size variety” are just the “irrelevant” dimensions ready to be measured. Participants are asked to indicate how various they think the design and size of the target brand will be both on a scale ranging from 0 (quite monotonous) to 10 (very diverse).
On the other side, when the target is the restaurant not belonging to the same product category as primes, “menu variety” and “service
“unrelated” dimensions to be measured. Participants are asked to indicate how various of the menu and how fast of the service they think the target restaurant will offer on a ranging from 0 (very monotonous/ very slow) to 10 (very diverse/ very fast).
Finally, the sixth and the seventh dimensions to be rated are those regarding to the overall appreciation of the designated target, such as “preference
“attitude”. Subjects are requested to indicate how much preference they show for the target brand on a scale ranging from 0 (dislikeful) to 10 (very fond). Similarly, they are
also required to indicate how positive their attitudes are towards the target brand on a scale ranging from 0 (very negative) to 10 (very positive). Preference and integral attitude are rated because it can also analyze if there is positive correlation between prestige and the overall evaluation of one product. That is to say, once participants think one target is more elegant, they will also express much preference and more positive attitude towards the same target owing to the positive relationship between prestige dimension and the whole appreciation of the target, and vice versa.
The subsequent Table 5-1 helps make whole dependant measures judgment) clearer:
Table 5-1. Summary of Seven Product Dimensions Ready to be Rated
Casual Clothing Explanation Restaurant
1. Prestige Main Concern 2. Price Related dimensions with prestige, and 2. Price 3. Quality expected positive correlation 3. Quality
4. Design Variety 4. Menu Variety
Unrelated dimensions with prestige
5. Size Variety 5. Service Efficiency
6. Preference Degree Integrative appreciation and expected 6. Preference Degree 7. Overall Attitude positive correlation with prestige 7. Overall Attitude
Purpose to Place Other Measured Dimensions besides Prestige Status Besides the judgment of prestige status, there are two reasons of inserting measured dimensions together with prestige. First, asking participants to measure diverse aspects and the overall appreciation about a target brand makes the survey look more like a normal product survey. Participants may think that it is only one product consuming survey among those advertisements they have just read. It helps
speculations about the relation between the priming task and the subsequent evaluation. Secondly, by requiring other aspects in addition to elegance, examine their relationship with prestige; for instance, if higher rating of prestige actually lead to higher scoring of price, quality, preference, or integral attitude.
5.4.2 Manipulation Checks
After the target judgment come manipulation checks, foremost, subjects are asked if they know the main purpose of the test. They also have to write down their about this experiment’s object if they circle “yes”.
Continuously, on the next page comes the judgment of every brand ever presented in previous advertisements in terms of their own prestige range on a scale ranging from 0 (low prestige) to 10 (high prestige), including four primes and the target. This is the most important manipulation check in this research. Based on the result of these ratings, whether there is an overlap between primes and the target or not examined. It helps check if overlap or non-overlap conditions actually occur as predicted. Also, whether the prestige ranges of the brands resemble those in pretests can be known. The reason to separate the point estimates of target judgment and prestige range checks is to decrease the possibility that participants may get confused with these two segments. For ways and styles to measure the two portions are somewhat resembling, if subjects read these two parts continuously, they may easily be bewildered by seemingly repeated questions. As a result, one page of asking the purpose of this test will inserted to separate target judgment and prestige range checks apart.
In the end, subjects would be asked if they have ever heard those brands presented in former advertisements before. It helps investigate the influence that whether people have heard those brand names or not on contextual priming effects.