| Abstracts |
A mechanism model of the effect of hedonic product consumption on well-being
Jing Yang Zhong, Vincent-Wayne Mitchell
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
In response to recent calls for research into activities that may increase happiness, this study uses longitudinal data to investigate changes in within-subject, instead of between-subject, well-being. In the context of hedonic product consumption, this study reveals a mechanism by which consumption influences well-being through the mediating effect of satisfaction with associated life domains. Four years of data from a large national panel survey show that consuming hedonic products has indirect effects on well-being, by improving consumers' satisfaction within relevant life domains. High hedonic consumption improves satisfaction with relevant life domains, primarily through more frequent consumption of low-cost hedonic products rather than less frequent consumption of high-cost hedonic products.
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Interpersonal influences on adolescent materialism: A new look at the role of parents and peers
Lan Nguyen Chaplin, Deborah Roedder John
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
What causes adolescents to be materialistic? Prior research shows parents and peers are an important influence. Researchers have viewed parents and peers as socialization agents that transmit consumption attitudes, goals, and motives to adolescents. We take a different approach, viewing parents and peers as important sources of emotional support and psychological well-being, which increase self-esteem in adolescents. Supportive parents and peers boost adolescents' self-esteem, which decreases their need to turn to material goods to develop positive self-perceptions. In a study with 12–18 year-olds, we find support for our view that self-esteem mediates the relationship between parent/peer influence and adolescent materialism
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Might an overweight waitress make you eat more? How the body type of others is sufficient to alter our food consumption
Brent McFarran, Darren W. Dahl, Gavan J. Fitzsimons, Andrea C. Morales
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
This paper investigates how people's food choices can be shaped by the body type of others around them. Using a professionally constructed obesity prosthesis, we show that the body type of a (confederate) server in a taste test study was sufficient to alter both the quantity (Experiment 1) and specific choices (Experiment 2) participants made but that chronic dieters and non-dieters exhibited opposite effects. While non-dieters ate more snacks when the server was thin, dieters ate more when the server was heavy. Dieters were also more persuaded by a heavy (vs. a thin) server, choosing both a healthy and unhealthy snack more often when she recommended it to them. We suggest these results may be attributable to identification with the server.
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Regulatory focus and reliance on implicit preferences in consumption contexts
Arnd Florack, Malte Friese, Martin Scarabis
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
The present research tested the assumption that implicit preferences fit the eagerness of a promotion focus, but not the need for safe judgments and decisions of a prevention focus. In three studies, we assessed individual differences in implicit preferences for consumer goods and investigated their influence on self-regulatory behavior. In line with expectations, implicit preferences predicted choice intentions (Study 1), single and repeated choices between consumer goods (Study 2), and the amount of product consumption (Study 3) better for individuals in a promotion focus than in a prevention focus. The results were found with two different measures of implicit preferences.
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Rejoinder to commentators on structural equations modeling primers: Bentler, Bagozzi, and Fabrigar, Porter, and Norris
Dawn Iacobucci
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
In this brief article, I applaud the commentators for the many points they make, their offering additional perspectives, and for expanding the territory of structural equations modeling coverage begun in the Journal of Consumer Psychology primers.
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SEM with simplicity and accuracy
Peter M. Bentler
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
Professor Iacobucci has provided a useful introduction to the computer program LISREL, as well as to several technical topics in structural equation modeling (SEM). However, SEM has not been synonymous with LISREL for several decades, and focusing on LISREL's 13 Greek matrices and vectors is not the most intuitive way to learn SEM. It is possible today to do model specification via a path diagram without any need for filling in matrix elements. The simplest alternative is based on the Bentler–Weeks model, whose basic concepts are reviewed. Selected additional SEM topics are discussed, including some recent developments and their practical implications. New simulation results on model fit under null and alternative hypotheses are also presented that are consistent with statistical theory but in part seem to contradict those reported by Iacobucci.
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Some things you should know about structural equation modeling but never thought to ask
Leandre R. Fabrigar, Ronald D. Porter, Meghan E. Norris
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
Iacobucci (2009, 2010) covers a number of important issues in the use of structural equation modeling and in so doing provides researchers with many useful insights and sensible suggestions. This commentary focuses on three issues where our views differ somewhat from those expressed in the target articles: SEM and causal inferences, sample size, and model fit. In addressing each of these issues, our perspectives do not so much contradict the views expressed by Iacobucci as they reflect a somewhat different conceptual emphasis.
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Structural comparison and consumer choice
Arthur B. Markman, Jeffrey Lowenstein
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
Psychological research has demonstrated important parallels between the structural alignment process involved in judgments of similarity and the processes that are involved in analogical reasoning. Gradually, this work on comparisons was applied to consumer choice. In this paper, we review the influence of structural alignment on choices among a set of options. Then, we discuss extensions of this work to comparative advertising and to the role of analogy in marketing communication. Finally, we discuss important extensions to structural alignment suggested by this work such as the key role that affect plays in comparisons made during the choice process.
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Structural equation models are modelling tools with many ambiguities: Comments acknowledging the need for caution and humility in their use
Richard P. Bagozzi
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
My goal is to provide background and perspective on the use and interpretation of structural equation models (SEMs). SEMs are complex procedures with many assumptions, intricacies, and pitfalls. I hope to give a commentary that complements the primers done by Iacobuci and deepen the users' knowledge of the procedures. But I acknowledge that this effort is at best an incomplete introduction into SEMs and cannot do justice to the many issues (and controversies) associated with it.
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The psychological underpinnings of relative thinking in price comparisons
Ritesh Saini, Sweta C. Thota
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
This article investigates the psychological underpinnings of relative thinking—the tendency of consumers to consider relative savings, and not just absolute savings, in their decisions to search for a deal or purchase an item. We examine how (i) cognitive load, (ii) the affective-richness of the product, and (iii) the consumer's propensity for intuitive decision-making influence relative thinking. As hypothesized, high cognitive load and affect-rich (vs. affect-poor) products, and individual level preference for intuitive decision-making aggravate this behavior. Our results present clear managerial implications along with developing a better understanding of the behavioral foundations of relative thinking
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The role of behavioral mind-sets in goal-directed activity: Conceptual underpinnings and empirical evidence
Robert S. Wyer, Jr., Alison Jing Xu
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
The cognitive and motor behavior that people perform in the course of pursuing a goal can induce a mind-set that persists to influence the strategy they use to attain very different goals in unrelated situations. Although the strategies governed by a mind-set are typically applied consciously and deliberately, they are performed without awareness of the reasons for their selection. Research in both social psychology and consumer behavior exemplifies the impact of mind-sets on comprehension, judgments, and decision making, thus providing evidence of the scope and diversity of their effects.
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The use of structural equation models in Consumer Psychology: A methodological dialogue on its contributions, cautions, and concerns
Joseph R. Priester
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
The goal of Consumer Psychology is to use manipulations and measures in order to make inferences as to the psychological processes that underlie consumer behavior. A statistical tool available to do so is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Recent issues of this journal have provided primers in the use of SEM. Herein, three noted experts provide further guidance and philosophical consideration of the issues associated with SEM, as well as statistical and methodological concerns in general. The goal of this dialogue is to provide a foundation for the use of SEM in Consumer Psychology and the Social Sciences in general
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Use does not wear ragged the fabric of friendship: thinking of objects as alive makes people less willing to replace them
Jesse Chandler, Norbert Schwarz
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
Anthropomorphic beliefs about objects lead people to treat them as if they were alive. Two experiments test how anthropomorphic thought affects consumers' product replacement intentions. Consumers induced to think about their car in anthropomorphic terms (i) were less willing to replace it and (ii) gave less weight to its quality when making replacement decisions. Instead, they (iii) attended to (experimentally induced connotations of) the car's “warmth,” a feature usually considered relevant in the interpersonal domain. While anthropomorphic beliefs about brands are often seen as advantageous by marketers because they increase brand loyalty, similar beliefs about products may be less desirable.
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When consensus counts: Exploring the impact of consensus claims in advertising
Traci H. Freling, Peter A. Dacin
2010 Vol. 20 No. 2
Consensus claims are broad declarative statements used in an advertisement purporting that a majority of a certain group of consumers prefer or use the sponsor's product or service. While consensus claims are frequently used by advertisers, little is known about how they operate or their effectiveness. We utilize attribution theory to provide insight about how consensus claims operate, and to investigate the impact of consensus claims on attributions and brand attitudes. Results suggest consensus claims are an effective advertising strategy, but their persuasive impact varies according to the featured social information and the processing motivation of audience members.
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