The effects of dissimulation on the accessibility and predictive power of weakly held attitudes

This research examines the effects of lying about one's attitudes (attitude dissimulation) on various strength-related consequences for weakly held attitudes. Dissimulation for weak attitudes could either produce a strengthening effect on the underlying attitude (if lying involves activation of the true attitude) or a weakening effect (if lying sets up a competing link to the false attitude). Results from three experiments using different dissimulation paradigms support the strengthening hypothesis. Lying about one's attitudes increases accessibility of the attitude, as well as its persistence and correspondence with behavior. These findings provide evidence for the far-ranging consequences of lying about one's attitudes. Other implications and opportunities for future research are discussed

Effects of inconsistent attribute information on the predictive value of product attitudes: Toward a resolution of opposing perspectives

This article examines the effects of evaluative inconsistencies In product attribute information on the strength of the resultant attitude, as manifested in its predictive ability. The existing literature makes opposing predictions regarding the effects of information inconsistency on attitude strength. We seek to resolve this dilemma by investigating the likelihood of inconsistency reconciliation-that is, whether or not people elaborate on inconsistencies with the goal of achieving an integrated evaluation. A strengthening effect should result when the processing goal is conducive to reconciliation and goal-facilitating factors are present in the environment; however, a weakening effect should be obtained when conditions are unfavorable to inconsistency reconciliation. Results from three experiments provide support for this conceptualization and offer a possible resolution of the opposing theoretical perspectives present in the literature

Hong Kong 1997 in context

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong ceased to be a British colony and became the first Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). We report the results of three field experiments conducted in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (N 1,250) from June to August 1997 that examine attitudes toward the impact of Hong Kong's transition as a function of question order and framing. We invoke two aspects of attitudes--(1) whether they are stored in a memory network, and (2) whether their validity is important to the respondent--to predict when order and framing effects are most likely to occur. Experiment 1 examines part-part order effects and reveals attitude polarization such that positive attitudes regarding the effect of the transition on the future of Hong Kong (China) become more extreme if they are elicited after similar responses regarding a related entity, China (Hong Kong). Experiment 2 focuses on part-whole order effects and finds evidence of carryover effects from responses to specific questions on subsequently posed general questions. Experiment 3 examines the effect of framing the transition issue as a "reunification," "handover," or `'takeover'' on attitudes toward the effect of Hong Kong's transition on Macau and Taiwan. The negative takeover frame elicits less favorable responses when respondents are motivated to hold attitudes perceived as valid (i.e., for attitudes toward one's own country) but not otherwise. We conclude by suggesting that reliance on survey data in making policy decisions could result in the implementation of decisions that are, objectively speaking, unpopular when the survey instrument evokes response biases

Contingent effects of anxiety on message elaboration and persuasion

This research examined the effects of anxiety on subsequent message processing. Experiment 1, conducted just before the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, manipulated anxiety by presenting Hong Kong participants with negative or positive potential consequences of the handover: Consistent with research documenting the cognitive deficits produced by anxiety, lower levels of message elaboration were obtained under high (vs, low) anxiety for an anxiety-unrelated message. However, for an anxiety-related message (e.g., a message about the upcoming handover ceremony), anxiety did not lower message elaboration, presumably because increased processing motivation compensated for cognitive deficits. Experiment 2 then revealed that, even for a motivating anxiety-related message (regarding job prospects), high anxiety results in a different type of processing compared to low anxiety. Specifically, capacity pressures caused heuristic cues in the message to bias the nature of systematic processing under high-anxiety conditions

Two roads to updating brand personality impressions: Trait versus evaluative inferencing

This research examines the dynamic process of inference updating. The authors present a framework that delineates two mechanisms that guide the updating of personality trait inferences about brands. The results of three experiments show that chronics (those for whom the trait is accessible) update their initial inferences on the basis of the trait implications of new information. Notably, nonchronics (those for whom the trait is not accessible) also update their initial inferences, but they do so on the basis of the evaluative implications of new information. The framework adds to the inference-making literature by uncovering two distinct paths of inference updating and by emphasizing the moderating role of trait accessibility. The findings have direct implications for marketers attempting to understand the construction of brand personality, and they emphasize the constantly evolving nature of brand perceptions and the notion that both the consumer and the marketer have important roles to play in this process

Product crises and babyfaces: the face of a company affects consumer judgments

Search the web for today’s business news or read the business section of the newspaper and you will likely come across a headline about a company facing a public relations (i.e., PR) crisis. Take the recent headline “Edelman Eats Humble Pie, Unmasked as Force behind Wal-Mart Blog; PR Giant Does Damage Control” in Advertising Age (2006). The accompanying article and photo of Richard Edelman contains an apology by him for a fake blog that his firm created on behalf of Wal-Mart. The question we address is how consumers will respond to Edelman’s public apology for the “error in failing to be transparent about the identity of the two bloggers from the outset.” How will Edelman’s apology impact consumer liking for the Edelman and Wal-Mart brands? We believe that Edelman’s photo in the news article, specifically whether he is perceived to have a “babyface” (large eyes, small nose, high forehead, and small chin) or a mature face will be one of the determinants of their response.link_to_OA_fulltextThe Annual North American Conference of the The Association for Consumer Research, Pittsburgh, PA., 22-25 October 2009. In Asia-Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Proceedings, 2009, v. 8, p. 17

How you look is who you are : the appearance reveals character lay theory increases support for facial profiling

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