Do open hands (always) open wallets : the influence of gestures on generosity

Emerging research on embodied cognition (Glenberg 2010), exploresthe influence of the body on the mind. We contribute to this literature by examining the influence of hand gestures on generosity. Two recent studies provide evidence that generosity can be embodied in certain hand processes. Williams and Bargh (2008) found that participantswhose hands experienced physical warmth (vs. coldness) displayed higher generosity. Hung and Labroo (2011) demonstrated that participants who firmed their hand muscles were more likely tomake monetary donations to an earthquake relief appeal. However,hand firming did not affect the amount participants donated. To extendthis hand processes research, we focus on two gestures that aremetaphorically related to generosity: “open-hand” (which relates tothe idiom open-handed, or generous) and “tight-fist” (which relatesto tightfisted, or stingy). We hypothesize and demonstrate that holdingan “open-hand” (vs. “tight-fist”) gesture increases consumers’generosity and that this embodied generosity effect is moderated byconsumers’ idiom knowledge (study 1), gesture timing (study 2), andself-monitoring (study 2)

Moving eyes move minds

Over the past decades psychology and consumer researchers have been fascinated by the influence of the mind on the body (Fazio, Powell, and Williams 1989). For example, the goals consumers have in mind can determine patterns of eye movements (Pieters and Wedel 2007). The present research, however, breaks this traditional perspective by looking at the influence of the body on the mind. Specifically, we posit that eye movements, despite being a subtle bodily process, can play a critical role in shaping consumer attitudes toward moving stimuli. That is, moving eyes move minds

Openhanded or tightfisted : the influence of gestures on generosity

We examine how two hand gestures, “open hand” and “tight fist”, can shape consumer generosity in charitable donations. We demonstrate that low self-monitoring consumers become more generous if they hold open hand (vs. tight fist) gesture prior to donation, and high self-monitoring consumers become less generous if same gesture is held during donation

Leftward or rightward : does matching horizontal stimulus movement with habitual reading direction improve evaluations?

People frequently encounter alphanumeric stimuli that move across the field of vision horizontally. This research examines whether the direction of motion - leftward or rightward - affects processing and evaluations of such stimuli

Attitudes shaped by eye movements : : the reading direction effect

Consumers frequently encounter alphanumeric stimuli that move across their fields of vision horizontally. This research examines whether the direction of motion—leftward or rightward—affects processing and evaluations of such stimuli. The findings demonstrate that when stimulus movement direction coincided rather than conflicted with the viewer’s habitual reading direction, evaluations of the stimulus were more positive (study 1). Further, this directional effect was driven by motor fluency rather than conceptual fluency (study 2), and its processes involved activation of reading knowledge (study 3)

Some like it hard whereas others don’t seem to care : a study of how touch influences reading medium preferences

Who said that reading couldn’t be a ‘touchy’ subject? The present research aimed to investigate whether individuals’ levels of Need for Touch (NFT) influence their preference for a specific reading medium (hardcopy, computer screen or mobile device). The study found that there was a significant difference in preference for reading medium between genders. Specifically it was found that heightened autotelic NFT increased females’ preference to read from hardcopy and males’ preference to read from electronic devices. The authors present the findings and discuss implications for marketing, limitations and future directions

A dynamic view of cultural influence : a review

Static models of culture's influence have given way to a dynamic view, which identifies not only differences across cultures in people's judgments and decisions, but also the situations and conditions in which these differences do or do not appear. Theory and evidence developed from a cognitive psychological perspective underlie this dynamic approach, including research emerging from the “dynamic constructivist” and “situated cognition” models. In the present review, we focus on findings that confirm the utility of this cognitively oriented approach, and briefly discuss the advantages and complementary nature of the “social collective” and neuroscience approaches to understanding culture

Promotional games: Trick or treat?

Some marketers use game settings to offer deals. Though research has studied the conditions under which consumers engage in such games, we know little about how they respond to deal offers won through the gaming process. We hypothesize that when faced with deal offers from games, such as scratch cards or trivia quizzes, consumers who are high (vs. low) in choice freedom needs often feel reactance and reject the offer. We find converging evidence for this prediction in both controlled experiments (studies 1 and 3) and in a field study (study 2), when using ethnic backgrounds as a proxy for participants’ choice freedom needs (study 1), when directly measuring these needs (study 2), and when manipulating beliefs about the importance of free choice (study 3). © 2017 Society for Consumer Psychology All rights reserved

A Multi-agent Simulation Paradigm of Customer Retention Management

Customer retention is one of the most important topics in customer relationship management research. To date, customer retention studies are mainly carried out on the macro or firm level instead of the individual customer level. This study develops a model of customer retention management from the individual customer perspective. This model introduces multiple agents and considers the interactions among these individual agents (firms and customers). Specifically, to establish this multi-agent simulation paradigm, the paper uses customer trigger threshold, customer competence increment and stimulus-behavior mechanism to model micro customer behaviors, and then relates the customer behaviors with the customer retention/acquisition shares of the firms

Embodied gentleness effect: The influence of hand movements on food preferences

Imagine that you have just finished some hand grip exercises, or you have just finished putting together a puzzle. You find some grapes and apples on the kitchen table. Which fruit would you choose to eat? These scenarios depict a common consumption phenomenon where consumers engage in certain hand movements prior to making seemingly unrelated food decisions. Hands are one of the most frequently used body parts in consumers’ daily life so it is not surprising that consumer judgments and decisions can be shaped by hand sensations and movements (e.g., Elder and Krishna 2012; Hung and Labroo 2011; Krishna 2006; Krishna, Elder, and Caldara 2010; Krishna and Morrin 2008; Lee and Schwarz 2010; Peck and Shu 2009; Peck and Wiggins 2006; Xu, Zwick, and Schwarz 2012). This paper contributes to this realm of research by examining the influence of incidental hand movements on consumer food preferences. Specifically, we focus on how hand movement gentleness could shape consumer attitudes toward foo