Visual Size Matters: The Effect of Product Depiction Size on Calorie Estimates

Aner Tal, Yaniv Gvili and Moty Amar
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Aner Tal: School of Business, College of Law and Business, Ramat Gan 52573, Israel
Yaniv Gvili: School of Business Administration, Ono Academic College (OAC), Kiryat Ono 55000, Israel
Moty Amar: School of Business Administration, Ono Academic College (OAC), Kiryat Ono 55000, Israel

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-19

Abstract: Consumers’ calorie estimates are often biased and inaccurate. Even the presence of relevant nutritional information may not suffice to prevent consumer biases in calorie estimation. The current work demonstrates across two studies that visual cues given by larger product depictions lead to increased calorie estimates. Further, it demonstrates that these effects occur even when consumers are given, and notice, information about product quantity. The findings thus shed light on a novel biasing effect on consumer calorie evaluation, and, more generally, the findings provide evidence for the importance of visual inputs over textual ones in consumers’ nutritional assessment of food products. In this, the current research provides insights relevant to helping nutritional literacy via awareness of biasing influences on caloric assessment. In the same manner, the research also provides insights that may assist the regulator protecting consumers by highlighting factors biasing nutritional assessment.

Keywords: calories; visual cues; food judgment; biases; nutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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