Effects of Imagery-Eliciting Strategies on Imagery Processing, Memory, Beliefs, Attitudes, and Intentions From Print Advertisements.

The dissertation research examined four research questions. First, the question of whether or not imagery processing could be measured was addressed. It was assumed that mental imagery does exist and can be measured in three dimensions: quality, quantity, and elaboration. Support for this assumption is provided by the psychometric properties of the scale developed to measure imagery processing in concert with the support toward nomological validity of the construct that was provided by applying the scale in an experiment. Second, antecedents to mental imagery were examined, namely, the imagery-eliciting strategies of pictures and instructions to imagine, and their effects on consequence variables of memory, beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. A range of pictures was examined instead of simple pictures versus words. Also, it was shown that including instructions to imagine within message stimuli was more effective than not including instructions to imagine within message stimuli for several consequence variables studied. Pictures included in a print advertisement enhanced brand attitudes; more specifically, concrete pictures resulted in greater brand attitudes than either abstract or no pictures. More positive attitudes toward the advertisement were evident from concrete pictures as opposed to abstract pictures. Instructions to imagine enhanced inferred beliefs and attitudes. Third, the moderating role of processing preference on relationships between imagery-eliciting strategies and consequence variables and between imagery-eliciting strategies and dimensions of imagery processing was examined. This hypothesis was not supported. Fourth, the mediating role of imagery processing on relationships found between imagery-eliciting strategies and consequence variables was examined. When the mediating role of imagery processing, specifically elaboration and quality, was examined, relationships between imagery-eliciting strategies and consequence variables were completely or partially explained by those dimensions. Thus, further understanding of the effects of imagery-eliciting strategies in a print advertising context is provided

A food web model for the Baffin Bay coastal and shelf ecosystem. Part 1 : Ecopath Technical Report

This work was undertaken as part of a multidisciplinary research project funded by the Marine Observation Prediction and Assessment Network - MEOPAR (at ULaval), Canadian Institute of Health Research – CIHR (at University of Ottawa), and Sentinel North (at ULaval), and hosted at Université Laval, in Canada. The objective of the overall project is to support the food security (i.e., the availability and access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food that meets dietary preference) of Inuit communities of the Eastern Canadian Arctic, as well as to explore ways to adapt to effects of climate change. Inuit fish and hunt local marine species, from invertebrates to fish and marine mammals, which make a large part of their diet and are central to their food security. With temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average and sea ice becoming thinner and forming later, climate change effects on the distribution and abundance of Arctic marine species are already taking place. To better understand the effects of climate change in important subsistence species, a multi-species model (Ecopath with Ecosim) will be used to inform the development of an integrated ecosystem assessment. The model will be used as a tool to co-create scenarios of ecosystem change with the community of Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut, to inform adaptation strategies regarding food security (e.g., potential of new fisheries in the region). This report describes the development of an Ecopath model of the Baffin Bay coastal and shelf ecosystem. The methodology, data used to construct the model, data gaps and limitations are described

The laminar-turbulent transition in a fibre laser

Studying the transition from a linearly stable coherent laminar state to a highly disordered state of turbulence is conceptually and technically challenging, and of great interest because all pipe and channel flows are of that type. In optics, understanding how a system loses coherence, as spatial size or the strength of excitation increases, is a fundamental problem of practical importance. Here, we report our studies of a fibre laser that operates in both laminar and turbulent regimes. We show that the laminar phase is analogous to a one-dimensional coherent condensate and the onset of turbulence is due to the loss of spatial coherence. Our investigations suggest that the laminar-turbulent transition in the laser is due to condensate destruction by clustering dark and grey solitons. This finding could prove valuable for the design of coherent optical devices as well as systems operating far from thermodynamic equilibrium

Seeking Something Different? A Model of Schema Typicality, Consumer Affect, Purchase Intentions and Perceived Shopping Value

A study is presented that examines the effect of specific retail elements on deviations from the expected schema, or prototypicality of a retail store. The results suggest that subtle differences in the store name, the location, and the appearance of its salespeople can evoke contrast in the form of variable typicality scores. A structural model is presented that shows the outcomes of this variance in a retail context involving women\u27s apparel stores. Low typicality is associated with increased excitement and discomfort, and these emotions affect patronage intentions and perceived shopping value, This finding is counterbalanced by a direct, positive link between typicality and patronage intentions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved

The Effect of Motivation to Process on Consumers Satisfaction Reactions

This paper investigates potential moderating effects of the relationship between important explanatory variables and consumer satisfaction. Recent developments in assimilation-contrast theory suggest that involvement may change the satisfaction judgment process. Specifically, as involvement increases so should the likelihood of contrast, resulting in relatively more extreme satisfaction scores. Consistent with this reasoning, experimental results reported here support the moderating ability of involvement. Conversely, the potential priming effect of mood on reference standards is evidenced only under relatively low involvement

ADA Website Accessibility: What Businesses Need to Know

Lawsuits based on Title III of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) related to business websites and mobile applications have increased markedly. While the internet did not exist as it does today when the ADA was first enacted, websites are now considered “places of public accommodation.” There is considerable uncertainty for businesses because there is limited regulatory guidance for compliance. This paper reviews the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it applies to website accessibility. An explanation of the generally-accepted website accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.1) is provided with suggestions to help businesses ensure their websites are less subject to complaints and litigation concerning accessibility

Negative Emotions in Marketing Research: Affect or Artifact?

How similar are positive and negative affect? Are happiness and unhappiness opposite ends of the same continuum? Empirical marketing research generally reports separate positive and negative self-report consumer emotions. Recent research in social psychology calls this distinction into question and reasserts the bipolarity of human emotions. Despite the recent interest in consumer emotions among marketing researchers, the marketing literature has not addressed the issue directly. Two studies (n = 334 and n = 335) are reported that investigate this issue. The results suggest that positive and negative consumer emotions may sometimes, but not always, be distinct, and more importantly, suggest further studies. Additionally evidence is presented that suggests that the respondent task may moderate correlations between positive and negative consumer emotions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc

Decision-Framing Helps Make The Sale

The objective of this article is to demonstrate the relevance for marketing practitioners of the recent research findings concerning the decisionframing process. An overview of recent empirical research findings is presented along with a brief description of the theoretical rationale on which this research is based. Actual and hypothetical examples of the importance of this work on decisionframing are offered for consumer marketers and consumer research practitioners. Decision-making processes employed by consumers to choose among available alternatives have received a large amount of research attention from marketers over the past two decades. However, relatively little research effort has focused on how consumers initially “frame” the choice problem. The decision-frame is defined as the way in which the choice problem, the alternatives, and the perceived consequences associated with the selection of an alternative are perceived by the decision maker. For example, when business students are told that a proposed new business venture has an 80 percent chance of success, the majority of the students give the goahead; when the new business venture decision is framed so that it has a 20 percent chance of failure, the majority turn it down.7 Thus, such research indicates that the framing of the alternatives has a substantial impact on the choice among the available alternatives, even when the objective information about the options is invariant.3,8,16. © 1989, MCB UP Lt