Processing numerical versus verbal attribute information: A study using information acquisition patterns

Past studies on the differences between the processing of numerical and verbal information have typically considered numerical information in the form of ratings on a scale (scale-value numerical information). They have not focussed on numerical information in their natural unit of measurement (natural-value numerical information), which is more commonly found in marketing communications. This study tests previous findings using natural-value numerical information instead of scale-value numerical information under learning and choice tasks. Results suggest important differences between the processing of natural-value and scale-value numerical information.The authors thank Professor Terry L. Childers, Professor Donald Lehmann, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on a previous draft of the paper.