Journal of Consumer Research
October 18, 2011


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Journal of Consumer Research
Current Issue Highlights

Knowing Where They Stand: The Role of Inferred Distributions of Others in Misestimates of Relative Standing

Andrew D. Gershoff
Katherine A. Burson

People often estimate how they compare to other consumers when they make purchase decisions. Unfortunately, they tend to err in this task, and this can lead to negative consequences in their choices. Previous literature has largely argued that these errors in estimates of relative standing are due to underweighting or ignoring the reference group. Using a novel measure of people's perception of the reference group, the authors show that consumers do attend to that information but err in their estimates of relative standing because they tend to overestimate the dispersion of others' performances and attributes. Three studies support this argument and provide insights that enable marketers to alter consumers' relative assessment process in formerly discounted ways. The authors demonstrate straightforward tools that can change consumers' impressions of others and thus change relative assessments and purchase decisions.   

 

Volume 38, Number 3, October 2011
DOI: 10.1086/659752

 


When Does the Past Repeat Itself? The Interplay of Behavior Prediction and Personal Norms

Pierre Chandon
Ronn J. Smith
Vicki G. Morwitz
Eric R. Spangenberg
David E. Sprott

Does asking people about their future behavior increase or decrease the likelihood that they will repeat their past behavior? In two laboratory and two field experiments, the authors find that behavior prediction strengthens behavior repetition, making people more likely to do what they normally do, when personal norms regarding engaging in a behavior are weak or not easily accessible. However, when personal norms are strong or made accessible at the time of the prediction request, behavior prediction weakens behavior repetition and increases the likelihood that people do what they think they should do-even if it's not what they normally would do. These findings provide new tools for influencing behavior repetition, reconcile some seemingly contradictory past findings, and contribute to the debate regarding the relative importance of habits and intentions in guiding behavior.

 

Volume 38, Number 3, October 2011
DOI: 10.1086/659378

 


Seeing Is Eating: How and When Activation of a Negative Stereotype Increases Stereotype-Conducive Behavior

Margaret C. Campbell
Gina S. Mohr

This research investigates the effect of activation of a negative stereotype on behaviors that are perceived to increase the chance of becoming a member of the stereotyped group. Activation of a negative stereotype (the overweight stereotype) is shown to lead to stereotype-consistent goal commitment (low health goal commitment), which partially explains increases in stereotype-conducive behavior (eating indulgent foods). Two theoretically relevant moderators are proposed and supported. Increased accessibility of the countervailing health goal and increased accessibility of the link between the behavior and membership in the stereotyped group both limit the effect of stereotype activation on stereotype-conducive behavior. Five experiments support the facilitative effect of stereotype activation on stereotype-conducive behavior, the role of goal commitment, and both moderators.

 

Volume 38, Number 3, October 2011
DOI: 10.1086/659754

 


Grapes of Wrath: The Angry Effects of Self-Control

David Gal
Wendy Liu

Prior research has shown that exerting self-control can lead to increased aggression. In the present research, exerting self-control is associated with angry behavior more broadly. In particular, using a "matched-choice paradigm," the authors find that after exerting self-control people exhibit increased preference for anger-themed content, greater interest in faces exhibiting anger, greater endorsement of anger-framed appeals, and greater irritation to others' attempts to control their behavior. The authors speculate on the possible mechanisms underlying these effects and discuss the theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of this research.  

 

Volume 38, Number 3, October 2011
DOI: 10.1086/659377

 


Predicting Consumption Time: The Role of Event Valence and Unpacking

Claire I. Tsai
Min Zhao

How much time do consumers predict they will spend on using a product or service when they have control over the usage time? Predicted consumption time is systematically influenced by the valence and the representation of the target event. In three studies, consumers predict spending more time on a pleasant event when it is unpacked into several subactivities and spending less time on an unpleasant event when it is unpacked. The authors also investigate the underlying mechanism and demonstrate that (1) people have a lay belief that they spend more (less) time on more (less) pleasant events and (2) unpacking increases the intensity of predicted consumption experience. These changes in time predictions influence consumption decisions and address alternative explanations, including mood, mood regulation, and attention. 

 

Volume 38, Number 3, October 2011
DOI: 10.1086/659379

 

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