nudge_and_bias_in_subjective_ratings.xlsx

Subjective ratings have been central to the evaluation of icon characteristics. This study sought to examine the extent to which ratings may become biased when participants are presented with novel icons which have a limited range of variability in the icon characteristics being rated. Six key icon characteristics were rated which were visual (visual complexity, appeal), affective (valence, feelings) and semantic (concreteness, semantic distance). The range of icon values presented for rating was systematically manipulated in the expectation that limited variation in the to-be-rated stimulus characteristic may change the participants’ choice architecture, creating systematic biases in the ratings obtained.