Comparing Journal of Consumer Psychology and Journal of Consumer Research

The Journal of Consumer Psychology (JCP) was created in 1992 partly in response to what was interpreted by some as a shift in the methodological focus of the Journal of Consumer Research (JCR). JCR began to increase its accommodation of postmodern approaches, compared to more positivistic approaches. JCP's mission was thus perceived by some to be more methodologically homogeneous, with a greater focus on traditional experimental psychology in the domain of consumer behavior. Is JCR really more methodologically diverse than JCP? In what other ways are the two journals similar or different? This article attempts to answer these questions with an in‐depth analysis of the articles published in both journals from 1992 to 1998. The articles are reviewed in terms of overall output, authorship, content, research design, and data analysis. Conclusions and implications are included.     

Consumer Vulnerability

Consumer vulnerability affects billions of consumers worldwide, yet there is no consensus about what constitutes this state or about its consequences for consumers. Indeed, while consumer vulnerability is often invoked in consumer research, it is usually discussed informally, with little conceptual anchoring. The goal of the current work was to advance the field's understanding of consumer vulnerability by (a) reviewing and integrating existing research, (b) extracting common features to develop a comprehensive framework for the concept of consumer vulnerability, and (c) charting paths forward for future research. We begin by defining consumer vulnerability as a state in which consumers are subject to harm because their access to and control over resources are restricted in ways that significantly inhibit their ability to function in the marketplace. We then introduce two lenses through which to identify this state: experience and observation. Next, we delineate the antecedents and consequences of consumer vulnerability and discuss the merits of adopting a view of this state as more global and dynamic. Finally, we use our framework to offer future research considerations.     

用户与循证医学

1　循证医学中用户的重要性什么是“用户” ?在循证医学实践中 ,使用卫生保健信息的任何单位或个人都可称之为用户 ,而卫生政策的决策者和病人则是循证医学的重要用户。如政府卫生决策机构、政府医疗技术评估机构、医疗保险机构、药厂、临床医生和病人。国际Ｃｏｃｈｒａｎｅ协作网的用户特指使用和传播Ｃｏｃｈｒａｎｅ系统评价证据的各国卫生决策机构或个人 ,包括英国国家医学研究会、英国国家卫生服务评估和传播中心、澳大利亚国立卫生研究会、证据的传播者和倡导者、病人及家属等。从病人的利益出发 ,充分尊重病人的自身价值和愿望 ,将…     

The Unconscious Consumer: Effects of Environment on Consumer Behavior

In this article, we argue that consumer behavior is often strongly influenced by subtle environmental cues. Using grocery shopping as an example (or a “leitmotif,” if you wish), we first argue that the traditional perspective on consumer choice based on conscious information processing leaves much variance to be explained. Instead, we propose that many choices are made unconsciously and are strongly affected by the environment. Our argument is based on research on the perception–behavior link and on automatic goal pursuit.     

Theory and Effects in Consumer Psychology

Drawing on Calder, Brendl, Tybout, and Sternthal’s (2021) discussion of constructs and variables, I suggest that the verification approach’s focus on variables fosters a plethora of disconnected “effects” and a dearth of integrative theorizing in consumer behavior research. I discuss how publication practices and incentive structures are likely to contribute to these phenomena.     

Package Graphics and Consumer Product Beliefs

In recent years, marketers' tactics to increase product sales through health claims have been scrutinized by public policy makers. The culmination of this process was the passage of the National Labeling Education Act, which highly restricts the type, amount, and format of nutritional information conveyed on the package. In this investigation, we examine an under-explored aspect of the package—its colors and pictures—to determine what, if any, impact these aspects have on consumer beliefs regarding important product characteristics. We find that even when very concrete verbal information is used, graphical representations have a significant and long-term effect on product beliefs and purchase intentions.     

Locus of Control for Consumer Outcomes: Predicting Consumer Behavior1

In order to predict which persons approach the task of shopping strategically, we constructed a measure of locus of control focused specifically on consumer behaviors and outcomes. Psychometric evaluations of the 14-item Consumer Locus of Control scale indicated that it was a reliable instrument whose characteristics were replicated in two separate samples. The scale was used to predict shopping behavior ranging from impulsive to strategic. The measure of consumer locus of control was significantly related to consumer behavior, whereas measures of economic and generalized locus of control proved to be unrelated to shopping effort, planning, and product knowledge. The more internal their consumer control beliefs, the more likely were subjects to be planful and purposive in the act of shopping.     

Construal Level Theory and Consumer Behavior

The three commentaries on our paper “Construal Levels and Psychological Distance: Effects on Representation, Prediction, Evaluation, and Behavior” offer insightful theoretical extensions and practical applications of construal level theory (CLT). We were inspired and challenged by the commentaries to elaborate on a number of issues, although our elaboration more often raises questions and speculations than provides definite answers. Owing to space limitations, however, we could discuss only some of the issues raised in the commentaries. The first set of issues concerns our theoretical framework, namely, similarities and differences among distance dimensions, the question of additional distances, the nature of the interaction among distances, and the relationship between psychological distance and construct of stimulus information sampling. The second set of issues concerns applications of CLT to consumer choice, namely, how to make better decisions, the nature of regret, and how people construct and process choice sets.     

品牌个性与消费者自我概念的一致性及其对品牌忠诚的影响

品牌个性与消费者自概念的一致性是指消费者在进行品牌选择时,倾向于选择那些品牌个性与其自我概念一致的品牌。品牌个性与自我概念的一致性对消费者的品牌忠诚具有积极的影响。许多研究都证实了这一点。本文主要对品牌个性与消费者自我概念的一致性对品牌偏好的影响做了简要的概述,对并对其未来研究方向进行了展望。     

Consumer evaluation in practice

Users of a community child and adolescent mental health service were surveyed, 3–4 weeks after their last contact, to determine their satisfaction with the service they received. High levels of overall satisfaction were obtained by general ratings, which tended to mask more specific critical comments to open-ended questions suggesting ways in which the service could be improved. The resulting changes in service provision are identified, the general value of consumer surveys discussed and the need to include open-ended questions in satisfaction surveys emphasized.     

Consumer decisions in relationships

Most research on consumer choice assumes that decisions are usually made by individuals, and that these decisions are based on an individual's personal attitudes, beliefs, and preferences. Yet, much consumer behavior—from joint decisions to individual choices—is directly or indirectly shaped by people with whom we have some relationship. In this target article, we examine how each member in a relationship can affect how consumer decisions are made. After reviewing foundational work in the area, we introduce a powerful and statistically sophisticated methodology to study decisions within relationships—a dyadic framework of decision-making. We then discuss how the study of consumer decisions in relationships can be informed by different theories in the relationships field, including attachment, interdependence, social power, communal/exchange orientations, relationship norms, and evolutionary principles. By building on the seminal foundations of prior joint-decision making research with theories and methods from contemporary relationship science, we hope to facilitate the integration of the consumer and relationships literature to better understand and generate novel hypotheses about consumer decisions in relationships.     

Construing Consumer Decision Making

Understanding how consumers represent outcomes and weigh different decision criteria is critical to consumer behavior research. Construal‐level theory articulates how psychological distance alters the mental representation of inputs and the effective weight given to “high‐level” and “low‐level” criteria. Trope, Liberman, and Wakslak (2007) provide a review of this literature. In this commentary, we illustrate the relevance of construal‐level theory to issues in consumer psychology, particularly consumer decision making. We highlight specific questions that researchers could address by considering consumer behavior within the framework of changes in construal. We focus our discussion on how construal levels affect consideration sets and how shifts in weight from high‐level to low‐level features might lead to consumer regret and dissatisfaction. Construal level can help us understand follow‐through on stated intentions for “really new” products and illuminate public‐policy issues such as consumer saving for retirement and nonredemption of rebates. We identify open issues related to how construal levels for the same object evolve over time and whether resources differ in terms of how susceptible they are to psychological distance effects.     

Reflective and Impulsive Determinants of Consumer Behavior

This article describes a dual‐system model of consumer behavior. This model is based on the assumption that all human behaviors are a joint function of reflective and impulsive mechanisms. Those mechanisms have different principles of operation but contribute to the act of buying. However, the relative contribution of impulsive and reflective processes depends on personal and contextual circumstances. The operation and interaction of the 2 systems at different stages of information processing is described and applied to the dynamics of consumer behavior, with a special emphasis on impulse buying.     

消费热点的形成条件和培育路径

消费需求在社会经济运行中的作用日益显现出来.在买方市场的经济条件下,有效需求不足已成为我国经济生活中的主要矛盾,经济增长越来越依赖干消费需求的扩大.消费需求的扩大取决干居民消费需求的扩大.消费热点是带动消费需求增长的发动机.居民消费需求的扩大,必须要有新的消费热点作支撑.随着我国消费结构的转换,国内原有的一些消费热点逐渐消失.从我国消费结构变动、消费水平提升和消费市场走势来看,电信、住房、教育、旅游、轿车、食品等将会成为城乡居民新的消费热点.采取切实有效的措施,大力培育新的消费热点,可以扩大居民消费需求,增大市场有效需求,促进国民经济较快增长.     

循证医学与用户健康信息学

近年来 ,医学信息学正随着循证医学的出现发生着悄然的变化。究其原因在于 2 0世纪以来科学技术的迅猛发展 ,社会经济快速增长 ,人们的生活水平普遍提高 ,疾病谱发生了重大变化 ,人类发病尤其是危害极大的疾病谱群已由感染和营养失调等单因素疾病 ,转向以机体自身代谢和调控失常为主要谱群的多因素性疾病。这些疾病的临床诊断、治疗、疗效评价、治疗目的、治疗方案的选择等诸多方面都向医学界提出了挑战[1] 。同时 ,与多因素疾病相关的老龄人口养生保健 ,及人们日益增多的保健需求 ,向医学界也提出了诸多类似的问题和挑战。循证医学正是在这…