Research projects have three phases: (1) design, (2) execution, and (3) systematic exploration of range and limits. To achieve external credibility, positivistic and interpretive consumer researchers must pay close attention to phase 3.
In this article we examine the impact of asking hypothetical questions on respondents' subsequent decision making. Across several experiments we find that even though such questions are purely hypothetical, respondents are unable to prevent a substantial biasing effect on their behavior. Further, we find that an increase in cognitive elaboration increases the contaminative effects of hypothetical questions and that this increase occurs primarily when the hypothetical information is relevant. In-depth poststudy interviews with a subset of the participants suggest that the effects of hypothetical questions on choice occur beyond awareness and, as a result, are quite difficult to counteract.
Literacy is a continuous, multidimensional indicator of proficiency in using written language. This essay reviews several recent books on literacy, and suggests some profound theoretical issues about consumer behavior inspired by a sociocultural perspective on literacy. In particular, ties between literacy and six diverse research programs on consumer behavior are highlighted: responses to persuasion; affect and decision making; the meanings of products and brands; social marketing of health behaviors; consumption, identity, and resistance; and the impact of the internet on consumer behavior. In addition, questions both interesting and troubling about the impact of consumption on literacy are raised in the hope of encouraging future research.
This essay discusses the fact that in many cases means and variances of probability distributions are confounded and cannot be separated, which poses particular problems for analysis and interpretation of behavioral response data in consumer research. The discussion focuses on random utility theory to show that the confoundment of means and variances poses problems for published research in many areas of consumer behavior. Examples are provided to show why and how reported empirical differences in means may in fact be differences in variability. Ways to deal with the problem empirically are discussed.
The most recent wave of decision research goes beyond the usual critiques of linear probability weighting, exponential discounting, and other specialized assumptions, and challenges some of the most basic assumptions of the decision-making paradigm itself. In response to these challenges, decision researchers have proposed alternative accounts of behavior, some of which bear little resemblance to decision making as it is commonly conceived. I provide an overview of some of the challenges confronting the decision-making paradigm, and I present the broad outline of what I see as an emerging alternative perspective.
Ironically, when consumers turn to an information source to assist in decision making, they are faced with the added responsibility of having to make a decision about the information source itself. A normative model is presented that shows that consumer assessment of an information source should include both the task for which an information source is sought and the appropriate probability of success for the task. A key distinction between tasks is whether or not the consumer knows the agents' (or prospective agents') ratings of the alternative in question at the time of his or her assessment of the information source. A series of experiments is presented that examines consumer assessment of the diagnosticity of one type of information source, consumer agents (e.g., movie critics and stock analysts) across the three common tasks of seeking recommendations, seeking evaluations, and choosing between agents who have provided conflicting advice. Results show that consumers frequently select inferior agents for providing recommendations and choose product alternatives that should be avoided because of a failure to recognize when a task calls for a conditional rather than overall assessment of agent prior performance. A final study attempts to isolate the reasons for these shortcomings by examining the process underlying consumer diagnosticity assessment of information sources. Implications and future research to address and improve consumer assessment of information sources across tasks are discussed.
We propose aggregate customization as an approach to improve individual estimates using a hierarchical Bayes choice model. Our approach involves the use of prior estimates to build a common design customized for the average respondent. We conduct two simulation studies to investigate conditions that are most conducive to aggregate customization. The simulations are validated by a field study showing that aggregate customization results in better estimates of individual parameters and more accurate predictions of individuals' choices. The proposed approach is easy to use, and a simulation study can assess the expected benefit from aggregate customization prior to its implementation.
This article discusses several advantages of latent variable structural equation modeling (LVSEM), and the potential it has for solving some fundamental problems hindering research in the field. The advantages highlighted include the ability to control for measurement error; an enhanced ability to test the effects of experimental manipulations; the ability to test complex theoretical structures; the ability to link micro and macro perspectives; and more powerful ways to assess measure reliability and validity. My hope is to sensitize researchers to some of the key limitations of currently used alternative methodologies, and demonstrate how LVSEM can help to improve theory testing and development in our discipline.
Journal Article The Impossibility and Necessity of Re-Inquiry: Finding Middle Ground in Social Science Get access Richard R. Wilk Richard R. Wilk Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 28, Issue 2, September 2001, Pages 308–312, https://doi.org/10.1086/322905 Published: 01 September 2001
Journal Article The Seventh Moment: Qualitative Inquiry and the Practices of a More Radical Consumer Research Get access Norman K. Denzin Norman K. Denzin Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 28, Issue 2, September 2001, Pages 324–330, https://doi.org/10.1086/322907 Published: 01 September 2001