Page 143 - The Social Animal

Social Cognition 125

b. Tasti-burger: a hamburger that is rated very good on taste but
only average on nutrition [exactly as described in the control
condition].
c. Bummer-burger: a hamburger that is rated only good on taste
and only average on nutrition.
No reasonable person would select the Bummer-burger; it is nei-
ther as nutritious as the Nutri-burger nor as flavorful as the Tasti-
burger. But even though no one chose it, putting the Bummer-burger
on the menu had an effect; significantly more people in this condition
chose the Tasti-burger over the Nutri-burger. How did a worthless
burger create such a clear preference? The answer in a nutshell is: the
contrast effect. In contrast to the Bummer-burger, the Tasti-burger
looked great. When any object is contrasted with something similar
but not as good (or pretty, or tall, etc.), that particular object is judged
to be better, prettier, and taller than would normally be the case. For
example,if a man of normal height (say,5 feet 11 inches) is in the com-
pany of midgets, he seems very tall. If he is a member of a professional
basketball team, he seems very short. Some of you may recall a young
man who played basketball for the Boston Celtics several years ago
named “Tiny” Archibald. Would it surprise you to learn that “Tiny”
stood 6 feet 1 inch tall? In Jonathan Swift’s classic novel Gulliver’s
Travels,the hero, a man of normal height, was considered a giant when
traveling among the residents of Lilliput, and a dwarf when traveling
among the residents of Brobdingnag. This is the contrast effect.
One of my favorite examples of the contrast effect was produced
12
in an experiment by Douglas Kenrick and Sara Gutierres, who
asked male college students to rate the attractiveness of a potential
blind date before or after watching an episode of the popular televi-
sion show Charlie’s Angels. (As you may recall, the “angels” were ex-
traordinarily attractive young women.) The males rated their blind
date as far less attractive after they saw the show than before. The
“angels” provided a stringent context for rating attractiveness; almost
anyone would suffer by contrast.
Contrast effects can occur subtly and can have powerful effects.
A used-car dealer may place an old clunker on the lot to “improve
the appearance” of the autos in its immediate vicinity. A presidential
candidate may select a vice-presidential running mate of lesser
stature to enhance the positive perception of his or her own