Knowledge that Transforms

Abortion is the most frequently performed surgical procedure in this country, yet its provision to consumers remains one of the most contentious issues within our society. The purpose of this article is to broaden our understanding of this problem by examining abortion from a consumer-behavior perspective. The phenomenological study described in this article revealed that (1) a wide gap exists between the language of the public debate and that of private decision making, (2) the language of private decision making reflects a moral standard used frequently by women yet virtually ignored in the public debate, and (3) women who take charge of their own decisions cope better with the emotional aftermath, whether their decision is for birth or for abortion. The article closes with a discussion of policy implications that arise from this feminist look at the abortion dilemma as well as broader implications for consumer behavior.

Journal Article On the Utility of Consumers' Theories in Judgments of Covariation Get access Hans Baumgartner Hans Baumgartner Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 21, Issue 4, March 1995, Pages 634–643, https://doi.org/10.1086/209424 Published: 01 March 1995 Article history Received: 01 April 1993 Revision received: 01 August 1994 Published: 01 March 1995

Past discussions of manipulation checks and related measures have produced disagreement about their role in tests of theoretical explanations of consumer behavior. We use a Bayesian analysis to examine what such measures contribute to researchers' beliefs about competing theories and suggest when and why manipulation and confounding checks add to the ability to differentiate among alternative theoretical explanations of empirical results. We first focus on the case in which a statistically significant between-group difference on the dependent variable is augmented by information from a single indicator of the intended manipulation and a single indicator of a possible confound. We then examine the implications of multiple indicators and the use of a Bayesian analysis of continuous effect sizes.

The 1930s marked an important stage in the evolution of a mass consumer society in the United States. The current article examines the roles that Irna Phillips and the early radio soap opera played in that process. Through the daytime serial, Phillips developed a program format that appealed to American housewives, who were the likely purchasers of most household products. She adjusted story lines to meet the selling needs of her sponsors; she used soap opera characters as effective product spokespersons; and she designed program promotions to stimulate product sales. However, at the same time that her programs sold products contributing to social change, they also reinforced traditional expectations about the roles of women as housewives and mothers.

How adaptive are young children as decision makers? Although similar questions have been raised frequently with regard to adult consumers, very little attention has been paid to the nature of consumer decision-making abilities in young children. The purpose of this article is to explore the emergence of adaptivity in young children's decision-making skills in the context of predecisional search behavior. This article specifically examines the extent to which young children are capable of adapting their search behavior to differing levels of search costs and benefits in the decision environment. We report results from two experiments, conducted with children aged four to seven years, in which we examined children's search activity in the context of a game called “house of prizes.” The game involved making a choice between two “houses” that contained prizes hidden behind each “window.” Children were allowed to search behind the windows to uncover the prizes prior to making their choices, with differing costs and benefits of doing so. Data regarding the extent of search conducted by children of different ages suggest that the ability to adapt emerges during the preschool years in a limited fashion and develops rapidly thereafter.

Three experiments demonstrate that remembering someone's name facilitates their compliance with a purchase request made by the rememberer. Experiment 1 shows that name remembrance increases request compliance, but name forgetting does not cause a decrease in compliance. Experiments 2 and 3 show that name remembrance is perceived as a compliment by the person remembered, which mediates compliance with the purchase request. Experimental manipulations of the likelihood of name remembrance (experiment 2) and need for self-enhancement (experiment 3) provide results consistent with a complimentary explanation for the findings.

This article examines the role of decision ambiguity in judgments that consumers make about an incumbent (the brand a consumer currently uses) versus an attack brand (a new, superior competitor). It is hypothesized that decision ambiguity creates an advantage for the incumbent. A conceptualization of decision ambiguity is offered. In three experiments, factors that can cause decision ambiguity are manipulated and their effects on preference for the incumbent are investigated. The results underscore the role of decision ambiguity in incumbent brand advantage. In two other experiments, boundary conditions are examined.

This article explores the possibility that consumers use market data to make inferences about product utilities. The argument is made by means of an example based on the "compromise effect" found in extant experimental data. This phenomenon is generally looked at as a manifestation of deviations from rationality in choice. However, assuming full rationality, I describe a decision rule that is based on consumers' inferences about their information about their own relative tastes. Through a number of examples, I will argue that consumers often use this or similar decision rules to make inferences about utility. I then show that the decision rule may generate compromise effects in experiments and that it may be sustainable. The compromise effect could therefore be seen as preliminary evidence that consumers make such inferences.

Journal Article Researcher Introspection as a Method in Consumer Research: Applications, Issues, and Implications Get access Stephen J. Gould Stephen J. Gould Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 21, Issue 4, March 1995, Pages 719–722, https://doi.org/10.1086/209430 Published: 01 March 1995 Article history Received: 01 June 1993 Revision received: 01 May 1994 Published: 01 March 1995

Results of two studies designed to assess the manner in which the deal proneness construct is best conceptualized are presented. On the basis of a review of the sales promotion literature, three alternatives are identified: (1) deal proneness is a general construct that encompasses various deal types (i.e., a single deal proneness construct), (2) deal proneness is a domain-specific construct (e.g., coupon proneness, sale proneness, rebate proneness), or (3) deal proneness is a construct that includes only certain types of deals (e.g., price-oriented deals, active-oriented deals). Across both studies, operationalizations consistent with each of the alternatives are developed, confirmatory factor models consistent with each are compared, and the predictive validity of the alternatives is assessed by relating operationalizations consistent with each alternative to a variety of deal-responsive behaviors collected unobtrusively in natural field settings. Results support treating deal proneness as a domain-specific construct.