Title: The Rank Length Effect

时间：4月14日10:30-12:00

地点：承泽园333教室

Speaker: Fengyan Cai

Abstract: 
Rank lists vary on the number of items ranked on the list (e.g., Top 5 vs. Top 20 movies on IMDb), that is, the rank length. Across nine studies, including both field and laboratory experiments, we examine the influence of rank length on evaluations, willingness to pay, and choice. We document a novel rank length effect—we show that the same ranked items are judged more positively when the rank length is longer (vs. shorter), but the difference between ranked items is smaller. Consumers’ narrow focus tendency and mental mapping jointly drive this rank length effect. We also consider three kinds of choice contexts: when all ranked items are equally attainable; when some ranked items are less attainable than others (e.g., the top-ranked items may be less attainable owing to cost or availability limitations); and, finally, when consumers compare ranked items with other items not in the total competitive set (e.g., a new unranked restaurant or an item from a different product category). In all contexts, the rank length effect persists. We discuss implications and offer suggestions for future research.

Introduction of Speaker:

Fengyan Cai is professor of marketing at Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She received her PhD in marketing from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Fengyan Cai’s research focuses on consumer behavior in general. Specifically, her recent research concentrates on: 1) consumers’ numerical processing, 2) consumers’ prosocial behavior, and 3) cross-culture consumer behavior. Her research appears in top journals in both psychology and marketing, such as Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Psychological Science, and Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology.