2.1.3. Design and procedure
A within-participants experimental design was used with all of the participants undertaking all of the experimental trials (trial order was a between-participants factor). The dependent variable was the orientation (in degrees) in which the participants preferred to see the stimulus on the package ground-image. The initial orientation of the stimulus was selected randomly for each participant in order to avoid any kind of anchoring effect (which could have biased the results). We also asked participants if they were familiar with the wine brand.
The participants were instructed to rotate the stimulus by moving the cursor around it so that it looked most appealing (see Fig. 3 for the experimental layout). When the participants were satisfied with the orientation of the stimulus they were instructed to tap the Space bar on the keyboard, at which time the next trial would begin. After completing the study, the participants were debrief as to the nature of the study.