Ask a willing participant to recommend an inexpensive product in writing, then repeat the recommendation without price words such as cheap, bargain, only, or just. Before either version is reviewed, define three scoring questions: does it name a concrete benefit, a fitting audience, and a meaningful limitation?
A second reader scores both versions in randomized order without knowing which came first. The hypothesis is that removing price language will expose whether the recommendation contains substantive reasons, not that the edited version must always score higher. Preserve ties, objections, and products that are genuinely valuable because of price.
The protocol measures what two short texts contain; it does not verify product quality or purchaser satisfaction. Publish the prompt, excluded words, scoring guide, order method, anonymous score changes, and disagreements before claiming that any recommendation survived the trapdoor.
A good bargain survives the removal of its price tag.Browse the evidence pages