Prefer Linear or Crooked: A Visual Representation Perspective
(R2023-117221)

AUTHORS

Sakshi Aggarwal, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Amritsar

ABSTRACT

Does the visual representation of a path impact a person’s expectation about the destination and the nature of consumption at the destination? We draw from the literature in diverse domains and theorize that linear paths are associated with serenity, while crooked paths are associated with adventurousness and demonstrate it empirically across six studies. We show that the effect is stronger for visualizers (vs. verbalizers). We demonstrate that the relationship between the path crookedness and the expected benefit derived from the destination is mediated by the fit between the path and the destination.