Psychologically, would a person be more prone to buying something more expensive if they were shown the better product first and then the lesser quality last or vice versa?

Sometimes i buy the more expensive because i know it is better and last longer

If you take two items that are exactly alike, as in come off the assembly line one right after the other, and put a ten dollar sticker on the bottom of one and a hundred dollar sticker on the bottom of the other and set them side by side I will always pick up the more expensive. Over the years I have learned through many moistakes to shop around and compare. Many times when an item is really needed I will go with the expensive.

It could depend on the particular need for the item. If this is a product to be used often with great demand placed on it, the pricier item should offer better quality or more desirable features.

A smart shopper weighs need/want against cost, seeks fair return on investment. A poor shopper (label whore?) wastes their money.

I think they might be more likely to buy the high quality version if they saw it first.  Seeing it after the cheaper one could cause "sticker shock" and make the price seem unreasonable in spite of the quality issues.

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/how-our-brain-determines-if-the-product-is-worth-the-price