The Effects of Price and Range of Potential Readers upon Evaluation of Psychological Textbooks

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Abstract
This study sought to demonstrate that psychological textbooks sold at a high price and addressing themselves to only few future readers (psychologists) are perceived as more valuable than cheaper books which are designed for psychologists and other students of related fields. Predictions were derived from commodity theory which states that restricting a commodity will result in an increase in value associated with the commodity. Results partly supported the commodity theory. Varying the price for a book led to changes in values associated with that book. The influence of the range of potential future readers on valuation seemed less clear.
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