While I haven't done the research myself, another member of these boards has and historically, the dining/menu prices have risen between about 2-4% per year for the past 4-5 years.
DDP prices have risen at roughly twice that rate, so to suggest that they raise prices to make the DDP look attractive is a good soundbite, but doesn't particularly work once the historical prices of both sides are seen.
Of course, we won't know for anything but the pre-paid options for next year. It's also possible that if they do not have a set price, they could charge you for the highest possible price this year and then refund/credit the difference (sort of like they do if you book a room only for a year that rates haven't been released yet).
Also, rates on any and all menus at WDW can change and be raised at any time. It is not similar to the DDP where the price is locked in for a year. Just because the calendar changes from 2011 to 2012 does not mean prices will go up right then, and just because yesterday was in the same year as this one does not mean the prices will necessarily remain the same.
(Now, HDDR, SoA, Mickey's BBQ, and CRT are a little different due to the pre-pay nature, their prices are generally released early so people booking are charged the right one (if they were dropping, it's doubtful they'd bother... but they want to make sure that everyone's paying the higher price)).