Most people believe that the price of an item is a direct indicator of

Most people believe that the price of an item is a direct indicator of the quality of that item: the more expensive a product is, the better it will work and the longer it will last. They hold this view even when the more expensive products appear to be exactly the same as cheaper alternatives.

Which of the following situations best illustrates the principle stated above?


(A) A businessman chooses a new car that is more expensive because he believes that more expensive cars are more reliable. The car he buys has better components than most other cars and is, in fact, more reliable.

(B) A woman purchases more expensive, organic cat food for her cat after she learns that there are artificial colors and pesticides in most dry cat food. She does this even though her veterinarian has indicated that while harmful to cats, artificial colors and pesticides are not likely to be fatal.

(C) A carpenter decides to buy a more expensive cordless drill, even though the less expensive drill has exactly the same features, technical specifications, and components.

(D) A woman chooses to purchase the store brand of most items at the grocery store, because the store brand is cheaper than the name brand and has the same ingredients. However, she does purchase a particular flavor of name brand cookies that are not available in the store brand.

(E) A dentist purchases a new, more expensive piece of equipment for his dental clinic. The old equipment was just as effective and easy for him to use, but the new equipment is more comfortable for patients. Since installing the new equipment, he has seen the number of new patients contacting his clinic increase by 30%.