Explanation
The situation involves a chain of service stations modifying their credit card surcharge policy to effectively be the same, but appear differently to the customers. We are asked to find a generalization this situation illustrates.
A. The situation does not illustrate the adoption of beliefs without evidence, but rather the reaction to how a pricing policy is framed.
B. While personal benefit is an important factor in perceptions of fairness, the policy change did not alter whether it benefited customers personally but changed how the price adjustment was presented.
C. The situation does not discuss the emotional responses of people to financial issues in general.
D. The situation does not indicate that people changed their minds about an issue that does not affect their lives; it was about a policy that directly impacted their financial transactions.
E. (Correct Response) The shift from a surcharge for credit to a discount for cash changed customer perceptions, even though the cost to the customer remained the same. This suggests that the framing of the policy mattered more to customers than the actual financial impact.