Subjects: Psychology >> Applied Psychology submitted time 2024-07-05
Abstract： Sensory cues, such as the color, flavor, and taste of food, play a crucial role in influencing individuals’ perceptions of food healthiness and their choices of healthy foods. However, traditional categorizations of sensory factors are insufficient for representing the diversity of food sensory perceptions in the context of new technology. Given this backdrop, food-related sensory factors can be divided into four types based on the distance of sensory organ detection and the nature of the sensory experience: proximal direct, proximal indirect, distal direct, and distal indirect sensory factors. The influence and mechanism of these sensory factors on food healthiness perception and healthy food choices vary. For distal senses, both direct and indirect sensory factors primarily operate through mental imagination, simulation, and cognitive mechanisms. In contrast, for proximal senses, direct sensory factors mainly impact through physiological arousal, brain reward, emotions, and memory, while indirect sensory factors still depend on mental imagination and simulation mechanisms. Additionally, sensory processing characteristics, exposure situations of sensory stimuli, and contexts for indirect experiences moderate the relationship between food sensory factors and psychological mechanisms. Furthermore, the type of food and individual characteristics can moderate the relationship between psychological mechanisms and perceptions of food healthiness and healthy food choices. Finally, future research directions are proposed based on this integrative framework.
Subjects: Psychology >> Other Disciplines of Psychology submitted time 2024-04-24
Abstract： With the rapid development of the environmental industry, the question of how to encourage consumers to behave environmental-friendly has become crucial. Scholars in the fields of social psychology, environmental psychology, and consumer behavior have explored the antecedents of eco-friendly behavior from a variety of perspectives. However, for policy makers and product producers, more solutions are needed to the questions of how to motivate consumers to engage in eco-friendly behaviors and how to increase consumers’ purchases of environmentally friendly products. In addition, most of the studies have focused on social and individual factors that drive consumers to engage in eco-friendly behaviors, while the contextual factors that are closely related to marketing practices have been paid limited attention, only Li et al. (2023) and Sun et al. (2024) have discussed the same-domain contextual factors that affects the eco-friendly behaviors. Therefore, exploring the antecedents of consumers’ eco-friendly behaviors from a cross-domain perspective can be a powerful addition to the pro-environmental research./t/nBased on this reality, this paper proposes that engaging consumers in creative activities can enhance their willingness to engage in eco-friendly behaviors, self-importance mediated this effect. In addition, we propose that environmental advertising interest appeals moderated the effect. Through six multi-method studies, this paper validates the positive effect of creative activity participation on consumers’ eco-friendly behavior. Specifically, Study 1 provides correlation evidence between creative activity experience and propensity to engage in eco-friendly behavior through data from a large-scale secondary survey. Study 2 verified the causal relationship between participation in creative activities and consumers’ eco-friendly behavior, suggesting that prior participation in creative activities promotes consumers’ subsequent eco-friendly attitudes and behaviors. Study 3 examined the mediation effect of self-importance, and ruled out the alternative explanations based on meaning in life, openness, and abstract thinking. Study 4 demonstrated that the effect was significant (disappeared) when environmental advertisements conveyed personal interest appeals (versus social interest appeals)./t/nThis paper has the following theoretical contributions. First, this paper explores the impact of consumers’ participation in creative activities on their subsequent eco-friendly behavior, a work that on the one hand contributes new outcome variables to the field of creativity research. On the other hand, it also contributes to a new understanding of the link between creativity and pro-social behavior topics. Second, this paper advances research on consumer eco-friendly behavior. Discussing how consumers’ experiences in prior contexts influence their eco-friendly behavior in subsequent contexts can contribute new antecedents to environmental behavior research. Finally, this paper enriches the research on self-importance. The paper reveals that increased self-importance is a key psychological mechanism by which engaging in creative activities can promote eco-friendly behavior, a finding that adds new antecedent and outcome variables to the self-importance literature.
Peer Review Status:
Awaiting Review
Subjects: Other Disciplines >> Synthetic discipline submitted time 2023-10-09 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： Dressing is a material supplement to the body, including primary dressing (such as tops and pants) and extended dressing (such as jewelry and accessories). Compared to extended dressing, primary dressing covers a larger part of the body and has a greater impact on forming impressions on others and initiating self-concept. Within primary dressing, formal attire and casual attire are among the most significant classifications of dressing styles.Existing literature has explored the influence of consumers' own formal attire (versus casual attire) on their cognition, emotions, and behavior from the perspectives of observers or wearers. These studies have examined the impact of individuals other than the consumer themselves, such as waiters, salespeople, advertising models, and other customers. While these studies have utilized various theoretical perspectives, such as social comparison theory, signaling theory, and clothing cognition theory, to explain the phenomenon and mechanisms of dressing style influencing consumer behavior, these theories have been introduced based on specific research purposes. As a result, the interpretation of the mechanisms underlying the influence of dressing style on consumer behavior remains fragmented, limiting the explanatory power of existing research conclusions. Specifically, it is difficult to provide a comprehensive theoretical perspective that explains when and how dressing style influences consumer behavior.After reviewing existing empirical research on dressing style, we have identified a correlation between this topic and regulatory focus theory. Formal attire (versus casual attire) can lead to either a promotion-focused orientation (versus a prevention-focused orientation), resulting in promotion-focused response strategies (versus prevention-focused response strategies), or a prevention-focused orientation (versus a promotion-focused orientation), resulting in prevention-focused response strategies (versus promotion-focused response strategies) for consumers. The key question is: When does formal attire (versus casual attire) lead consumers to adopt promotion-focused strategies (versus prevention-focused strategies), and when does it lead them to adopt prevention-focused strategies (versus promotion-focused strategies)? What are the underlying mechanisms behind these differential responses? This study aims to answer these questions.Therefore, this paper builds a model framework for the influence of dressing style (formal vs. casual) on consumer psychology and behavior based on regulatory focus theory. The main objective is to utilize regulatory focus theory to summarize consumer behavioral responses triggered by dressing style and to provide an integrated explanation of the mechanisms through which dressing style (formal attire vs. casual attire) influences consumer psychology and behavior within a single theoretical framework.This study holds significant importance and necessity in the field of consumer behavior research on dressing. Its significance lies in the fact that it establishes a novel and integrative research framework based on regulatory focus theory, advancing existing theoretical research. The necessity can be explained as follows: Building on regulatory focus theory and adopting a dual-process perspective, this study introduces moderating variables to reconcile divergent findings in existing research. Previous studies on the influence of dressing style on individual behavior have mostly emphasized the positive effects of formal attire (versus casual attire) based on outcome valence. However, this study takes a motivational process perspective and highlights the bidirectional influence of formal attire (versus casual attire) on consumer behavior. This contributes to a deeper understanding of how dressing style affects consumer behavior in academia.This study compares the differential impact of others' formal attire (versus casual attire) and one's own formal attire (versus casual attire) on consumer behavior based on regulatory focus theory.Specifically, this study found that from the observer's perspective, when others are dressed formally (versus casually), consumers exhibit promotion-focused responses through the motivation dimensions of gain focus, positive emotional experiences, and representation of aspirational goals. Consumers also show prevention-focused responses through the motivation dimensions of threat focus, negative emotional experiences, and cautious behavioral strategies. From the wearer's perspective, when consumers themselves are dressed formally (versus casually), they display promotion-focused responses through the motivation dimensions of ideal self-guidance, representation of aspirational goals, and positive emotional experiences. Consumers also exhibit prevention-focused responses through the motivation dimensions of responsibility self-guidance, moral requirements, and attention to negative outcomes. In these processes, variables such as self-construction, involvement, self-monitoring, and environmental norms play a moderating role by influencing the characteristics and states of regulatory focus.Future research should continue to focus on the following topics: The interactive effects of dispositional and situational regulatory focus on consumer responses to dressing. Examining how individual differences in regulatory focus, along with contextual factors, influence consumer reactions to dressing style would provide valuable insights. Applying regulatory focus theory to explain the effects of other types of dressing on consumer behavior. Investigating how different dressing styles beyond formal and casual attire impact consumer behavior through the lens of regulatory focus theory would enhance our understanding of the broader implications of dressing. Identifying the moderating variables that determine whether dressing style leads to promotion-focused or prevention-focused consumer orientations. Exploring the factors that moderate the relationship between dressing style and consumer regulatory focus orientations would contribute to a more nuanced understanding of this dynamic. Exploring additional consequences of dressing style on consumer behavior. Investigating other potential outcomes or downstream effects of dressing style on consumer decision-making, attitudes, and perceptions would provide a comprehensive understanding of the influence of dressing on consumer behavior.By addressing these areas of inquiry, future research can further advance our knowledge of the complex relationship between dressing style and consumer behavior.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-06-22
Abstract： This paper constructs a model framework based on regulatory focus theory to investigate the impact of formal and casual clothing styles on consumer psychology and behavior. This article proposes that from the observer's perspective, consumers exhibit a promotional response through the following three motivational characteristic dimensions when others dress formally (vs. casually): attention to benefits, positive emotional experience, and representation of ambitious goal states. This paper further proposes that from the observer's perspective, consumers also exhibit a preventive response through the following three motivational characteristics dimensions when others wear formal attire (vs. casual attire): paying attention to threats, experiencing negative emotions, and adopting vigilant behavior strategies. From the perspective of the wearer, this paper argues that consumers themselves exhibit a promotional response through three motivational characteristic dimensions when consumers wear formal attire (vs. casual attire): ideal self orientation, representation of ambitious goal states, and positive emotional experience. Finally, this paper argue that from the perspective of the wearer, consumers also exhibit preventive responses through three motivational dimensions: negative outcome focus, responsibility self orientation, and safety needs when dressing formally (vs.casual attire). In the above process, self-construction, involvement, self-monitoring, and environmental norms play a regulatory role by influencing the characteristic state of regulatory orientation.Future research can move forward the current paper from the following perspectives: 1) explore the interactive effects of idiosyncratic and situational regulatory orientations on consumer attire responses; 2) use regulatory orientation theory to explain the impact of other types of clothing on consumer behavior; 3) explore the variables that could moderate the effect of clothing style on consumers’ promotional orientation and their prevention orientation; and 4) explore other consumer-related consequences of clothing style.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Developmental Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： Packing elements operate to shape the way consumers perceive the environmental stimuli, which can significantly impact their decision-making. We can also categorize packaging elements into verbal and nonverbal package elements. Provided that much attention has been paid to uncovering the effect of nonverbal package elements, the two different types of elements actually affect distinct consumer outcomes. In general, nonverbal package elements are mainly responsible for consumers’ perceptions and emotional preferences, whereas verbal package elements are mainly responsible for consumers’ behavioral responses. Furthermore, the aforementioned effects of the two types of package elements are intervened by various mechanisms including neurophysiology, cognitive processing, transfer of self-control and multisensory interaction. On the other hand, characteristics of environments, products and individuals may alter the effects. Future studies can extend this literature by investigating the effects of these two types of elements on consumers’ awkward feelings, selection of transparent packaging and product appraisals.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： As a tool to convey food-related information to consumers, food labels can effectively solve the problem of information asymmetry in food consumption. With the popularization of food labels in practice, more and more scholars have begun to pay attention to the impact of different food labels on consumer behavior. However, most of the existing studies focus on a single food label type and its effects, lacking of comparison and discussion on the effects of different food labels and their inherent mechanisms and boundary conditions. Based on this, this paper reviews the research on food labels in the field of marketing, which focuses on how different types of food labels affect individuals' cognition, emotion and behavior. Meanwhile, this paper introduces the regulatory orientation theory to explain the different effects of different food labels, and on this basis, a more integrated food label effect framework is constructed in this paper. Through combing the existing literature, the existing research on food labeling has roughly underwent three stages. The first stage began in the early 1980s. The demand for the nutritional value of food led to the attention and research on the nutrition label. The second stage started around 2000. Scholars mainly focus on labels that can convey information about food safety and quality. In the third stage, in the last decade, eco-environmental labels attracted more attention from consumers and scholars. Based on the different levels of information coverage, food labels can be divided into two types: product-level labels and ingredient-level labels. The product-level label refers to the label which is used to explain the overall characteristics and quality information of the food (including date label, health warning label, organic label, natural label, brand information, genetically modified organism label, eco label, and fair trade label). However, the ingredient-level label refers to the label that is used to display the specific nutritional information of the food (including nutrition facts panel, GDA label, low-fat label, health claim, traffic light label, health star rating, calorie menu label, shelf label). Further analysis and comparison showed that different types of food labels differ in influencing results, mechanism of action, and boundaries. Specifically, the product-level labels can arouse consumers' perceptions of safety, risk, and morality, and can effectively increase consumers' trust in products. At the same time, after purchasing products with such labels, consumers will show more food waste and repeated purchases. Ingredient-level labels, on the other hand, mainly affects consumers' perceptions of product health, as well as subsequent food choices and food intake. The theory of regulatory orientation helps to explain the different effects of the two types of food labels. The product-level labels more often initiate consumer preventive orientation, while the ingredient-level labels activate consumer promotion orientation. In addition, the two types of food labeling effects are driven by the halo effect, information processing, conceptual metaphor, social identity, attribute inference and other mechanisms. Besides, these effects are moderated by social demographic factors, individual differences, and product characteristics. On the one hand, combing and commenting on the effects of different food labels can provide reference for food manufacturers to carry out food marketing practices. On the other hand, through the construction of food label research framework in the field of marketing, it can point out the context and direction for marketing scholars to carry out empirical research on food label. Based on the overall framework of food labeling effects constructed in this paper, we propose that further research on the topic of food label can be carried out from following aspects in the future: (1) Expanding the behavioral results of ingredient-level labels; (2) Expanding the behavioral results of product-level labels; (3) Exploring the impact of different food label presentation forms on consumers; (4) Expanding the outer packaging labels and related research; and (5) Exploring the reversal mechanism of the negative effects of food labels.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《心理科学进展》
Abstract： Residential mobility refers to the frequency with which people change their place of residence (i.e. move). As one of the key socio-ecological factors, it has a significant impact on individual’s cognition, emotions, and behaviors. Although the important effects of residential mobility on consumer psychology and behavior have already been outlined, no review studies have been found to summarize the consumer behavioral responses triggered by residential mobility or to explain this influence mechanism in a theoretical way. Based on this, this paper presents a review of studies on consumer psychological and behavioral responses to residential mobility, and categorizes the relevant research findings based on the regulatory focus theory, indicating that residential mobility leads consumers to adopt either a facilitative or a preventive response strategy. Furthermore, it is proposed that the autonomy and directional characteristics of residential mobility can explain the differences in the strategic choices of movers. Finally, a framework of facilitative and preventive strategies of residential mobility is constructed and several potential research questions are proposed. By reviewing the research on consumer psychological and behavioral responses to residential mobility, we found two behavioral response paths. On the one hand, movers adopt a series of facilitative behaviors, such as expanding social networks, seeking uniqueness, and cooperating and assisting across groups, in order to obtain social resources, strength their individual selves, and pursue their identities. Such behaviors of actively acquiring resources for self-improvement fit well with the facilitative responses in the regulatory focus theory. On the other hand, the risk-averse behaviors of familiarity seeking, nostalgic consumption, and preference for short-term venture capital products to relieve anxiety and other negative emotions, reduce uncertainty, and increase the sense of control in life are consistent with the preventive responses of the regulatory focus theory. Therefore, this paper uses the regulatory focus theory to rationalize the findings of the relevant studies, and points out that different dimensions of residential mobility will lead consumers to adopt different response strategies of promotion or prevention. Further analysis revealed that the autonomous and directional characteristics of residential mobility can indicate when mobile individuals adopt different response strategies. Specifically, when individuals are actively or upwardly mobile, they exhibit promotion focus and thus adopt facilitative behaviors,whereas when individuals are passively or downwardly mobile, they exhibit prevention focus and thus adopt preventive behaviors. Based on the above perspectives, we further explain the differences between the findings of existing research and construct a framework of facilitative and preventive strategies for residential mobility. The generalization and explanation of the differential consumption behaviors caused by residential mobility can, on the one hand, provide a reference marketing practices such as identifying target customers; on the other hand, by constructing a framework of residential mobility promotion and prevention strategies, it can provide a direction and clarification for marketing scholars to conduct empirical research on residential mobility and related characteristics. Based on this, we propose that further research on the topic of residential mobility can be conducted in the following aspects in the future: (1) using residential mobility as an antecedent to investigate the interactive effects of residential mobility and trait-regulated orientation on consumer behavioral responses (2) using residential mobility as an outcome to investigate the interactive effects of trait-regulated orientation and state-regulated orientation on residential mobility and related consumer behavioral responses; (3) exploring the boundary conditions of the consequences of residential mobility; and (4) discussing the impact of the effects of residential mobility autonomy and orientation on consumer behavior in a more realistic context.
Subjects: Psychology >> Management Psychology submitted time 2022-04-07
Abstract：
Residential mobility refers to the frequency with which people change their place of residence (i.e., move). As one of the key social-ecological factors, it has a significant impact on individual's cognition, emotions and behavior. The aftereffects of residential mobility have been reviewed by scholars in terms of health and well-being, social relationships, and educational outcomes. Residential mobility also has important effects on consumer psychology and behavior, but no review studies have been found that summarize the behavioral responses of consumers triggered by residential mobility or that explain this influence mechanism in a theoretical way. This paper presents a review of studies on consumer psychological and behavioral responses to residential mobility, and categorizes the relevant research findings based on the regulatory focus theory, indicating that residential mobility leads consumers to adopt either a facilitative or a preventive response strategy. Further, it is proposed that the autonomy (active vs. passive) as well as the directionality (upward vs. downward) of residential mobility can explain when consumers who experience residential mobility choose either facilitative or preventive strategies. Finally, several potential research topics are proposed for further research discussion with respect to the constructed framework of facilitative and preventive strategies of residential mobility.
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Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Management Psychology submitted time 2021-05-06
Abstract： As a source of food-related information, food labels have been found to play an important role in affecting consumers’ cognition, emotion and behavioral responses. Based on the different levels of information coverage, food labels can be divided into two categories: product-level labels and ingredient-level labels. We first comb the main effect of two kinds of food labels on consumers' cognition, emotion and behavioral responses. After that, we compare the similarities and differences between the two kinds of effects and their undelrying mechanisms and boundary conditions. Regulatory orientation theory helps to explain the different effects of the two types of food labels. The product-level labels more often initiate consumer preventive orientation, while the ingredient-level labels activate consumer promotion orientation. In addition, the two types of food labeling effects are driven by the halo effect, information processing, conceptual metaphor, social identity, attribute inference and other mechanisms. Besides, these effects are moderated by social demographic factors, individual differences, and product characteristics. Finally, we propose some feasible research directions based on the overall framework of food labeling effects constructed in this paper. " "
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2020-07-12
Abstract： Recent years, marketing scholars showed increasing interest in examining how crowding affected consumers’ emotion and behavior. However, these crowding literature in Marketing reported many inconsistent findings which await to be reconciled. The current meta-analysis paper therefore aims to find out the reasons why past crowding studies showed heterogeneity. In this meta-analysis paper, the authors analyzed 149 effect sizes which were from 38 Eastern and Western empirical studies and 81 samples. This paper found that social crowding significantly increased consumers’ negative emotion, but dramatically decreased consumers’ dominance. However, social crowding was found to be positively correlated with the approach-related shopping responses (ρ=0.208，N=28624), and negatively correlated with consumer attitudes and willingness to shop (ρ=–0.135，N=10094). This paper also found that spatial crowding which had a significant negative effect on the avoidance-related shopping responses (ρ=–0.409，N=3223), however, had no significant influence on the approach-related shopping responses. Further moderation analyses showed that some of the aforementioned main effects were significantly moderated by types of shopping environment (utilitarian vs. hedonic), the reality of the context (virtual vs. real), and sources of research samples (western countries vs. eastern countries, students vs. non-students). The current paper’s theoretical advances and practical implications are evident as well.
Subjects: Psychology >> History of Psychology submitted time 2020-01-30
Abstract： Scarcity is a state due to dissatisfaction of individual desire and demand, which is resulted from real scarcity of resource or perceived scarcity of resource. As a universal phenomenon, scarcity plays an important role in individual emotion, perception and behavior. Tangible resource scarcity is represented by scarcity in food, product and capital, whereas intangible resource scarcity is represented by scarcity in time. Are there any similarities and differences in different kinds of scarcity? This question has not been addressed by past scarcity research. After combing theses, this paper found that tangible resource scarcity led to individual’s cherishing behavior, compensation behavior, and approaching behavior, whereas intangible resource scarcity only led to cherishing behavior and compensation behavior. Future research should focus on the boundary conditions under which scarcity would not affect individuals’ behavior, and the impact of time scarcity on individual psychology and behavior. "
Subjects: Psychology >> Management Psychology submitted time 2018-09-07 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： 以往关于时间与金钱奖励选择问题的探讨主要从员工工龄视角着手。但这一视角不能直接解释外部环境资源短缺时, 员工对时间与金钱奖励选择偏好的差异问题。本文依据生命史理论, 探讨外部环境资源(如就业资源和自然资源)短缺与否对员工选择时间和金钱奖励偏好的影响及内在机制。本文以即将步入职场的大学生和企业员工为样本, 发现不管是外在就业资源短缺还是外在自然资源短缺都会促使员工更加偏好金钱而非时间奖励, 内在机制是外部环境资源短缺时人们的心理表征更具体, 并且这一现象在高物质主义者身上更为明显(实验1和2)。本文结尾讨论了对资源短缺、时间和金钱等研究领域的理论突破与推进。
Subjects: Psychology >> Applied Psychology submitted time 2018-03-22 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： Previous touch literature cannot answer whether prior touching of a new product (i.e. a new watch) can facilitate consumers’ evaluation of another extremely incongruent product (i.e. a new camera). The present research posits that asking consumers to previously touch (versus not touch) an extremely new product (i.e. a new computer mouse) can offer them an opportunity to transfer their learning of the touched new product to understanding another target product’s extremely incongruity, which consequently leads to incongruity resolution and increased evaluation of the target product (H1-H2). This research further posits that the prior-touch strategy will be ineffective when the prior-touched product is conceptually different from the target product (i.e., it is common) (H3), as conceptual disparity inhibits the occurrence of near transfer of learning. We conduct four lab experiments to test these hypotheses.
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