Price promotions and consumer expectations. A researcher studying the effect of price promotions on consumer expectations makes up two different histories of the store price of a hypothetical brand of laundry detergent for the past year. Students in a marketing course view one or the other price history on a computer. Some students see a steady price, while others see regular promotions that temporarily cut the price. Then the students are asked what price they would expect to pay for the detergent. Is this study an experiment? Why? What are the explanatory and response variables?