Question 20·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Craft and Structure
In a study of payment framing, consumers chose between financially equivalent appliance plans. Labeling a plan by its low monthly payment increased its selection, but only among consumers who had previously reported budgeting month to month; consumers who budgeted annually were unaffected. Since the budgeting pattern preceded the framing and marked whether the framing influenced choice, the researchers concluded that budgeting horizon may _____ the effect of payment framing on consumers' choices.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For a words-in-context question, identify the relationship established by the entire passage before comparing choices. In descriptions of research, pay close attention to timing and scope: distinguish a preexisting characteristic that changes an effect across groups from an intermediate mechanism through which one factor produces another.
Hints
Compare both groups
Determine how the framing effect differed between month-to-month and annual budgeters.
Use the timing detail
Consider why it matters that consumers reported their budgeting patterns before they encountered the framed plans.
Check each verb's scope
Look for the verb that describes a variable changing the strength of an effect across groups, rather than merely increasing or eliminating the effect in one group.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the full pattern
Monthly-payment framing influenced month-to-month budgeters but did not influence annual budgeters. Therefore, the strength of the framing effect varied according to budgeting horizon.
Use the timing detail
Consumers reported their budgeting patterns before seeing the framed payment plans. Budgeting horizon was therefore a preexisting characteristic associated with how strongly the framing affected choice, not an intermediate step caused by the framing.
Choose the precise verb
To moderate an effect is to alter its strength or direction depending on a circumstance or characteristic. This meaning accounts for the effect's presence in one group and absence in the other.