Slider Scale or Text Box: How Response Format Shapes Responses

Consumer payments elicited on slider scales can be systematically different from those elicited through text boxes because of the end point assimilation effect. When people use text boxes to make payments, they evaluate monetary values relative to the starting point of the response range. In contrast, when people use slider scales, they evaluate monetary values relative to the starting point as well as the end point of the response range. Consequently, payments elicited on slider scales tend to be assimilated toward the end point of the response range. This slider scale end point assimilation effect varies for ascending and descending payment formats. For ascending payment formats (e.g., eBay bids), slider scales elicit higher payments than text boxes. But for descending payment formats (e.g., Priceline bids), slider scales elicit lower payments than text boxes. This research not only documents how slider scales alter consumer payments, but also explains how the mental number line affects financial decisions.