From Robert Cialdini’s “Influence”
Contrast Principle
- “the contrast principle, that affects the way we see the difference between two things that are presented one after another. Simply put, if the second item is fairly different from the first, we will tend to see it as more different than it actually is.” (p. 12)
- “So if we lift a light object first and then lift a heavy object, we will estimate the second object to be heavier than if we had lifted it without first trying the light one. The contrast principle is well established in the field of psychophysics and applies to all sorts of perceptions besides weight.” (p. 12)
Examples:
- “If we are talking to a beautiful woman at a cocktail party and are then joined by an unattractive one, the second woman will strike us as less attractive than she actually is.” (p. 12)
- In Retail, if a Salesman shows an expensive item first, the less expensive item will look more reasonably priced. If he buys a $495 suit, he will be more likely to buy the $95 sweater due to the Contrast Principle.
The reverse can also happen. “Presenting an inexpensive product first and following it with an expensive one will cause the expensive item to seem even more costly as a result—hardly a desirable consequence for most sales organizations.” (p. 13) - After a price of a car is set, the dealer will ask you to add the options. The $100 add ons doesn’t seem that expensive compared to the car.
- Real estate agents often show overpriced and undesirable homes first, then they show lesser priced homes. The lesser priced homes looks like a bargain!
- If something is priced really high, the mind quickly thinks Expensive= Good. A jewel store owner doubled the price of a certain jewelry by accident. It sold! When she had this jewelry at a low price, she couldn’t sell it.(This was during the slow season and tourist bought it).
Retail shops can raise the original price, and then discount it so it looks like a sale. So it looks cheap due to the Contrast Principle. - A girl wrote a letter to her parents. She described all the horrible things that happened to her. There was a fire in her dorm. She jumped out of a window and ended up fracturing her skull. She also met a boy and got pregnant. At the end of the letter, she said everything she said was a lie. She simply wanted to tell them she got a D and F in class.