Contrast Effect (Why do we enhance or diminish our judgements based on another example?)
The Contrast Effect, a brief explanation
What is the Contrast Effect?
The contrast effect in cognitive psychology is the tendency to judge something to be an enhancement or diminishment when immediately preceded by or simultaneously compared to something else.
Examples
When contrasting an old phone to your new phone you will likely see a large difference leading to an enhanced judgement of quality of your new phone.
When two job applications are viewed one after the other an interview panel will contrast and compare one to the other.
The literature
Fitzgerald Bone, P., Shimp, T. A. & Sharma, S. (1990). Assimilation and contrast effects in product performance perceptions: implications for public policy. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 9(1), 100-110. Doi: 10.1177/074391569000900108
Gunther, A. C., Miller, N. & Liebhart, J. L. (2009). Assimilation and contrast in a test of the hostile media effect. Journal of Communication, 36(6), 55-70. Doi: 10.1177/0093650209346804
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