Journal of Consumer Research
August 10, 2010











































































































































































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Journal of Consumer Research
Highlights from Two Years Ago

Will I Spend More in 12 Months or a Year?
The Effect of Ease of Estimation and Confidence
on Budget Estimates

G�lden �lk�men
Manoj Thomas
Vicki G. Morwitz


Consumer budgets are influenced by the temporal frame used for the budget period. Budgets planned for the next month are much lower than recorded expenses, while those for the next year are closer to recorded expenses. The difficulty of estimating budgets for the next year imparts low confidence and leads to upward adjustment. When consumer confidence in estimates is increased, when natural beliefs about the relationship between cognitive ease and accuracy are reversed, or when cognitive resources are constrained, consumers no longer adjust their budgets upward for the next year.

Volume 35, Number 2, August 2008, DOI: 10.1086/587627


Selected Media Mentions

The New York Times
The Year of Magical Budgeting

CBC News
12 months vs. 1 year? Study finds long-term thinking best for budget

HULIQ
People predict budgets better on annual basis

Science Daily
People Predict Budgets Better On Annual Basis

Eureka! Science News
People Predict Budgets Better On Annual Basis

PhysOrg.com
People Predict Budgets Better On Annual Basis


The Mere Categorization Effect: How the Presence
of Categories Increases Choosers' Perceptions
of Assortment Variety and Outcome Satisfaction

Cassie Mogilner
Tamar Rudnick
Sheena S. Iyengar


What is the effect of option categorization on satisfaction? A combination of field and laboratory experiments reveals that the mere presence of categories, irrespective of their content, positively influences the satisfaction of choosers who are unfamiliar with the choice domain. This "mere categorization effect" is driven by a greater number of categories signaling greater variety among the available options, which allows for a sense of self-determination from choosing. This effect, however, is attenuated for choosers who are familiar with the choice domain, who do not rely on the presence of categories to perceive the variety available.

Volume 35, Number 2, August 2008, DOI: 10.1086/588698


Selected Media Mentions

The New York Times
Can't Decide? Look for the Label

EurekAlert!
Categories Help Us Make Happier Choices

Science Daily
Categories Help Us Make Happier Choices

Eureka! Science News
Categories Help Us Make Happier Choices

PhysOrg.com
Categories Help Us Make Happier Choices


One Individual, Two Identities:
Frame Switching among Biculturals

David Luna
Torsten Ringberg
Laura A. Peracchio


Bicultural bilingual individuals have incorporated two cultures within themselves and speak the languages of those cultures. When cued by a particular language, these individuals activate distinct sets of culture-specific concepts, or mental frames, which include aspects of their identities. Language-triggered frame switching (that is, switching from one set of mental frames to another) occurs only with biculturals, not with bilinguals who are not bicultural. The studies uncover frame switching at the within-individual level, and they include both qualitative and experimental evidence. The studies also provide a methodology to identify the relative activation strength of specific mental frames in different languages.

Volume 35, Number 2, August 2008, DOI: 10.1086/586914


Selected Media Mentions

CBC News
A split in linguistic personalities

EurekAlert!
Are You A Different Person When You Speak A Different Language?

Science Daily
Are You A Different Person When You Speak A Different Language?

Eureka! Science News
Are You A Different Person When You Speak A Different Language?

PhysOrg.com
Are You A Different Person When You Speak A Different Language?


Choice Set Configuration as a Determinant
of Preference Attribution and Strength

Song-Oh Yoon
Itamar Simonson


Despite the growing consensus that consumer preferences are often constructed when decisions are made, very little is known about the factors that determine the strength and stability of constructed preferences. The manner in which preferences are formed has a significant effect on their strength and stability. In particular, option set configuration, asymmetric dominance versus compromise, drives the decision process and whether consumers (consciously) focus on the chosen option or the context. This in turn affects the resulting decision process trace, as reflected in choice stability, confidence, and attribution. The results of five studies support this proposition. Thus, the strength of constructed preferences is a function of choice problem characteristics and the construction process.

Volume 35, Number 2, August 2008, DOI: 10.1086/587630


Selected Media Mentions

MSNBC
How retailers get in your head to get you to buy

ConsumerAffairs.com
New Research Uncovers Key to Consumer Preferences

EurekAlert!
Context Is Everything: New Research Uncovers Key To Consumer Preferences

Science Daily
Context Is Everything: New Research Uncovers Key To Consumer Preferences

Eureka! Science News
Context Is Everything: New Research Uncovers Key To Consumer Preferences

PhysOrg.com
Context Is Everything: New Research Uncovers Key To Consumer Preferences


Designing Discrete Choice Experiments:
Do Optimal Designs Come at a Price?

Jordan J. Louviere
Towhidul Islam
Nada Wasi
Deborah Street
Leonie Burgess


In discrete choice experiments, design decisions are crucial for determining data quality and costs. While high statistical efficiency designs are desirable, they may come at a price if they increase the cognitive burden for respondents. The authors address this problem by designing 44 experiments that systematically vary numbers of attributes and attribute level differences. The results for two product categories suggest that respondents systematically are less consistent in answering choice questions as statistical efficiency increases. This relationship holds regardless of the number of attributes and is statistically significant even if one accommodates preference heterogeneity.

Volume 35, Number 2, August 2008, DOI: 10.1086/586913


Selected Media Mentions

EurekAlert!
Context is everything: New research uncovers key to consumer preferences

Science Daily
Too Many Choices Can Spoil The Research

Eureka! Science News
Too Many Choices Can Spoil The Research

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