Nicolau, Juan Luis2024-07-312024-07-312012-03-170923-0645https://hdl.handle.net/10919/120804This article confronts three psychological influences: relative thinking, referent thinking, and the zero-price effect. The experiment conducted in the context of bundles with complementary components, confirms previous evidence around the dominance patterns between relative and referent thinking when the bargain is a discount; however, when the discount is changed to a free product (worth the same as the discount), the zero-price effect arises. Specifically: (1) if actual price coincides with expected price, relative thinking is the norm, unless the zero-price effect appears; (2) if actual price moderately deviates from expected price, referent thinking is superior to any other effects, relative thinking and the zero-price effect; and (3) if the deviation is extreme, a battle royal among influences takes place: relative thinking beats referent thinking as long as the zero-price effect does not appear. If the zero-price effect is present, it will cancel referent thinking and reverse relative thinking.Pages 661-6699 page(s)application/pdfenCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 InternationalRelative thinkingReferent thinkingZero-price effectArticle - Refereedhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-012-9169-2233Nicolau Gonzalbez, Juan [0000-0003-0048-2823]1573-059X