The pack size effect: Influence on consumer perceptions of portion sizes

Hieke, Sophie; Palascha, Aikaterini; Jola, Corinne; Wills, Josephine; Raats, Monique M.

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2015.09.025

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Managing the consumers' product size perception is relevant for retailers. Extant literature has recognized perceived product size as an important factor in the formation of judgments about presented products (Hieke, Palascha, Jola, Wills, & Raats, ; Ketron, ; Van Ittersum & Wansink, ). As a result, product or package sizes might be misperceived (e.g., Prelec, Wernerfelt, & Zettelmeyer, ) leading to different downstream consequences such as a higher number of returns, but also a higher consumption and willingness to pay (WTP).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interaction effect of mobile phone screen and product orientation on perceived product size

Schmidt

Maier

2019

Psychology and Marketing

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Perceived product size is a key concern in online retail, particularly in fashion and grocery. The screen on which consumers view a product (e.g., desktop or mobile) might constitute a frame that biases size perception, on the basis of assimilation and contrast effects (pool and store theory). The rise of mobile commerce exacerbates this issue, as framing effects might be stronger versus desktop settings as screens are smaller. Further, as mobile phone's screen orientation varies situationally (vertical vs. horizontal), the perceived product size might vary, depending on the interaction of screen and product orientation. By introducing the framing ratio as a means to predict extent, dimensionality and symmetry of size biases, we generalize specific findings from extant research. Empirically, four experimental studies demonstrate that contextual frames (i.e., vertical vs. horizontal screens) and product orientation (e.g., jeans vs. shoes) interact to bias the size perception, in that sizes are overestimated on the dimension that approaches the frame (high framing ratio), compared with conditions where the frame is distant (low framing ratio). If product size is misperceived, willingness to pay might be affected (e.g., for groceries). Thus, size perceptions have a direct impact on managerially relevant variables.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interaction effect of mobile phone screen and product orientation on perceived product size

Schmidt

Maier

2019

Psychology and Marketing

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“…Different studies have reported the use of computer based tasks to measure food portion size related perceptions such as expected satiety [ 22 ], perceived volume [ 23 ], ideal portion size [ 24 ], portion size estimates [ 25 ], and perceived healthfulness [ 26 ], but few studies have investigated the predictive power of computer based tasks on actual behaviors and with mixed results. Wilkinson et al [ 27 ] reported that a screen-based measure of expected satiety was a good predictor of ideal portion size assessed in a computer task and of eating behaviors associated with real food, i.e., ad libitum food intake measurement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fairness-Based Tasks for Assessing Children’s Perceptions of Food Quantities and Associations with Portion Selection

et al. 2018

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It is critical to develop ecologically valid experimental methods to assess consumers’ food-related behaviors. Ad libitum approaches are often used but may not be appropriate for studies with children or with products that are not typically consumed until the individual feels full. The current study presents novel methods to assess children’s size perception and portion preference for gummy candies. In the first study, 62 children (30 boys, 32 girls) aged 6 to 9 years completed two matching tasks: one using pictures on a computer screen, and a similar task where the products were physically manipulated. Results of the two matching tasks were correlated, demonstrating that a computer-based approach could be used to predict the factors influencing children’s perception of food amount: the number, size, and shape of pieces. In the second study, a portioning measure was developed to investigate whether the factors identified in the matching tasks were confirmed in a task that more closely represented portion selection in the real world. The effects observed in the matching tasks could not be replicated in the portioning task. The size of each item had no significant impact on the portion selection, suggesting that it may be possible to reduce the size of pieces in snacks where multiple pieces are typically consumed without negatively impacting perceived quantity in children, thus offering a promising strategy to nudge children toward choosing smaller portions.

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“…The small portion of pasta consisted of 238 g of pasta and tomato sauce, which is equivalent to approximately two standard servings of pasta, or 1/3 of recommended daily carbohydrate intake ; the large portion consisted of 477 g of pasta and tomato sauce, which is equivalent to approximately four standard servings of pasta, or 2/3 of recommended daily carbohydrate intake. The portions were presented on a placemat with cutlery and a glass of water in the picture to provide a reference point for the bowl size (Figure ). After choosing their preferred portion size and completing some unrelated measures, participants rated their hunger level on a visual analogue scale from 0 ( not at all ) to 100 ( extremely ) and indicated the number of hours since they last ate.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Portion‐size preference as a function of individuals' body mass index

Reily

Herman

Vartanian

2016

Obesity Science & Practice

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SummaryObjectiveLarge portions of food are often blamed for rising rates of obesity. We tested the possibility that people who are heavier may tend to select or prefer larger portions than do people who are lighter.MethodsParticipants (total N = 798) were asked to choose between a small and larger portion of pasta for a hypothetical meal (Studies 1, 2 and 4), to indicate their ideal portion from a range of portion‐size options (Study 2), or to select their preferred portion size from each of 28 portion pairs (Study 3).ResultsAcross all studies, there were no significant differences between heavier and lighter participants in their portion‐size selection (effect sizes ranged from d = −0.06 to 0.33). The pattern was the same regardless of whether we grouped participants as having a body mass index (BMI) <25 vs. ≥25, as having a BMI of <30 vs. ≥30, or treated BMI as a continuous predictor.ConclusionsGiven the lack of association between BMI and portion‐size preference, we suggest that factors other than portion size, such as differences in meal frequency, food type, plate clearing or compensation at subsequent meals, may need to be considered in order to explain the increasing prevalence of obesity.

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The pack size effect: Influence on consumer perceptions of portion sizes

Cited by 16 publications

References 64 publications

The interaction effect of mobile phone screen and product orientation on perceived product size

The interaction effect of mobile phone screen and product orientation on perceived product size

Fairness-Based Tasks for Assessing Children’s Perceptions of Food Quantities and Associations with Portion Selection

Portion‐size preference as a function of individuals' body mass index

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