Good to use for virtual consultation time : second life activities for and beyond the technical and web-based English writing classroom

Author name used in this manuscript: Dean A. F. GuiAuthor name used in this manuscript: Dora Wong2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Investigating the Role of Aesthetics in Consumer Moral Judgment and Creativity

ABSTRACT As human beings, we have a profound affinity for beauty, and an overwhelming amount of research recognizes our attraction to high aesthetics. Aesthetics significantly affect consumer behavior, such as purchase intention, product perception, consumer satisfaction, and product evaluation. Leading brands such as Apple are adored and coveted due to the high aesthetics and superior design of their products, which enables them to create and sustain competitive advantage. Because consumers often give more importance to aesthetics than functional attributes when choosing a product, marketers take aesthetics into account in their marketing strategies. This research explores aesthetics’ diverse relationships to consumer behavior. Specifically, I examine the relationship of aesthetics to consumers’ moral judgment and creativity and consider the moderating roles of individual traits, such as the centrality of aesthetics in one’s life and construal level. In essay I, I start by summarizing the general literature on aesthetics and the literature that is specific to marketing and consumer behavior. In essay II, I explore the effects of beauty on consumers’ moral judgment. Consumers often have to choose between what is right and what is easy, such as in paying more for fair-trade coffee, purchasing low-carbon footprint products, or recycling. Typically, consumers sacrifice money, time, or effort to make moral choices, and several factors are salient to these decision-making processes. The findings of the initial studies indicate that beauty does affect moral judgment. Additionally, verbal and visual beauty cues have distinct effects on moral judgment. Visual beauty cues overpower moral judgment, making consumers are less willing to forgo beauty to make morally responsible choices. On the other hand, verbal beauty cues induce consumers to make morally sound decisions when visual cues are not present. There is a dearth of research on the effects of product aesthetics on consumers’ moral judgment, and I seek to fill this gap. In essay III, I focus on the relationship between nature scenes and creativity while accounting for the centrality of visual product aesthetics. Additionally, I explore the moderating role of construal level. I posit that consumers who assign higher importance to product aesthetics are more likely to be creative when exposed to nature scenes. Research indicates that spending time in nature has soothing and restorative properties, such as stress relief, lower depression, and overall wellbeing. Moreover, research shows that a soothing natural environment facilitates the mental wellbeing that is conducive to creativity. The results indicate an interaction between scenery and creativity and that this relationship is moderated by the centrality of aesthetics in one’s life. Specifically, I observe improved creativity on exposure to nature scenes, and this relationship is significant for individuals who give higher importance to product aesthetics, finding that the centrality of aesthetics in one’s life extends to the appreciation of beauty in nature, as anticipated, and enhances creativity. The results also indicate a significant interaction between scenery and construal level; as anticipated, individuals with a low/concrete construal demonstrate a higher propensity toward creativity on exposure to nature scenes when compared to individuals with a high/abstract construal. This research provides a fresh perspective on the salience of aesthetics and contributes to the scarcity of research into moral judgment and creativity in consumer behavior

Looking for Whitman: the Poetry of Place in the Life and Work of Walt Whitman

This Level 1 Digital Humanities project, " Looking for Whitman: The Poetry of Place in the Life and Work of Walt Whitman," will engage faculty and students at four academic institutions--New York City College of Technology; New York University; University of Mary Washington; and Rutgers University, Camden--in a concurrent, connected, semester-long inquiry into the relationship of Whitman's poetry to local geography and history. Each class will explore the interrelationship between a specific locale and a particular phase of the poet's work. Utilizing open-source tools to connect classrooms, the interdisciplinary project will create a collaborative, online space in which students can participate in a dynamic, social, web based learning environment. In its conception and articulation, this project reflects the central themes of Whitman's work: democracy, diversity, and connectedness

The Effect of Constructivist Learning Environments on Student Learning in an Undergraduate Art Appreciation Course.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of constructivist methods on student learning in an undergraduate art appreciation class. Three constructivist learning activities were designed and implemented in an undergraduate art appreciation course for non-art majors at Mississippi College. Through these constructivist learning activities, students were involved in their learning throughout the semester in realistic art roles in which they worked as curators, Web page designers, and artists. Six subjects were selected to participate in this case study. Subject data was collected through three methods: interviews with subjects at three points during the semester, student documents produced during the three activities, and a field journal of observations made during the activities. The multiple data sources were triangulated to reveal nine patterns of learning. The data evidence that constructivism results in a deeper understanding of art and art processes than in a typical art appreciation course in which learners are merely passive recipients of knowledge. This was not only indicated by the nine patterns of learning which emerged from the data, but also in the students' awareness and regulating of their cognitive processes. Although the research provided an in-depth understanding of this case and should not represent or be generalized to the entire population of art appreciation students, the results of this study suggest that art appreciation instructors have an opportunity to facilitate high levels of student thinking and encourage metacognitive skills through constructivist methods such as the ones used in this study