GET THE AUTOPSY ➔

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion · chapter 1 · id influence-c1-02-the-expensive--good-heuristic-

“The 'expensive = good' heuristic reliably drives consumer behavior, as demonstrated by the turquoise jewelry store anecdote where doubling the price caused items to sell out.”

TRUE, BUTconfidence: medium⚠ extracted by pipeline, re-audit pending

Receipts

Rao & Monroe (1989), Journal of Marketing Research 26(3)DOI registry: valid
Meta-analysis of 36 studies showed a positive price-quality association (r = 0.27), but the effect is heavily moderated by product category and consumer expertise.
Shiv, Carmon & Ariely (2005), Journal of Marketing Research 42(4)FLAGGED: DOI not in registry
Participants who paid a discounted price for an energy drink solved fewer puzzles than those who paid full price, consistent with the price-quality heuristic affecting actual performance via placebo-like effects.

This claim is a stable, citable object. If you can falsify a verdict, tell us. Corrections are loud here.