Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

METHOD
Participants and Design 
 
Two hundred and seventy four undergraduate students voluntarily participated in the study for partial 
course credit. Participants were randomly assigned to the conditions of a 2 (cues: presence vs. absence) x 2 (order 
of reviews messages: positively valenced message first vs. negatively valenced message first). The latter variation 
was introduced to control for possible order effects. 
Stimulus Materials 
Two sets of stimulus materials were created. The first set of stimulus material introduced a cover story in 
which participants were asked to imagine making a hotel booking decision for their upcoming trip during Spring 
Break. The material also contained a four-paragraph factual description of the hotel attributes such as location, 
room amenities, check-in and check-out hours, proximity to recreational district and pricing. This set of stimulus 
was intended for two purposes: 1) To simulate in a lab environment an initial information search process a 
consumer is likely to take in real life; 2) To induce a full spectrum of predicisional disposition. 

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