WHEN 'BAKALIE' ARE CHEAPER THAN ALMONDS. SUBADDITIVITY OF EVALUATIVE JUDGMENTS

The paper concerns the underestimation bias which consists in a difference of judgement depending on whether it is based on global intuitive assessment or rather on a minute evaluation of parts. It was hypothesized that global instinctive evaluations are relatively low, while evaluations based on a scrutiny of parts are relatively high. Two experiments supported this prediction. In experiment 1, a packet labeled with one word:'bakalie' (Polish equivalent of dried fruit & nuts), was judged as cheaper then a packet containing hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds and raisins. In experiment 2, the content of a shopping basket with 8 products was evaluated as cheaper than the same 8 products evaluated separately and totaled. These findings may allow for two interpretations. One pertains to the structure of cognitive representations of objects under evaluation. The second introduces the hypothesis of cognitive algebra.