Product Information Presented as Ratios and Consumer Processing Modes: can Analytical Processing Lead to More Biased Judgments for Certain Ratio Formats?

The results of three experiments show that while computing averages of data in ratio formats, such as detergent usage information in “loads per container” or exercise routine information in “calories burned per minute,” consumers tend to make inaccurate judgments. Paradoxically, more thorough processing further accentuates the inaccuracy.