EXPRESS: The Stability Effect for Weight Judgments

Package weight and calorie judgments play an important role in food-related consumer decisions. In this paper, the authors hypothesize and demonstrate that the bi-directional relationship between package stability and objective weight leads consumers to perceive visually more stable shapes as subjectively heavier: the “shape stability effect” (Study 1). The stability effect is mitigated (replicated) when the context makes volume (weight) judgments more accessible than weight (volume) judgments (Study 2). The shape stability effect has consequences for calorie perceptions (Study 3A) and consumption decisions (Study 3B). We also examined the implications for consumers’ WTP (Study 4A). Analysis of an archival data set (Study 4B) shows that for tasty (healthy) products, price is positively (negatively) associated with shape stability. Theoretically, these results add to the literature on volume and weight judgments, and calorie perceptions. Managerial implications for food packaging and positioning are offered.