Conditional Control of Fluid Consumption in an Occasion Setting Paradigm Is Independent of Pavlovian Associations

Drug states, flavors, and contextual cues were each trained as conditional discriminative stimuli to control a saccharin-LiCl association. In transfer tests, drug states transferred control over consumption to other flavored solutions and to food. Contexts and flavors transferred control only to other flavored solutions. Pavlovian control groups given direct pairings of context-LiCl or flavor-LiCl did not show reliable transfer. However, these control groups did show greater or the same aversion to the specific context or flavor predicting LiCl compared to the context or flavor discrimination groups. The dissociation of the discrimination and Pavlovian groups on transfer versus preference tests suggests that performance on the occasion setting task cannot be due to simple excitation or learning about a unique compound cue. Data from extinction procedures provide further support for the dissociation between simple excitation and occasion setting.     

Formation of associations of colored and flavored food with induced sickness in five avian species

Domestic ducks, geese, pigeons, quail, and chickens were given colored, flavored, or colored and flavored food and then injected with lithium chloride. Each species showed learning of color and taste aversions. Flavor facilitated the formation of color aversions in ducks, geese, and pigeons but not in quail or chickens. Color interfered with the formation of flavor aversions in quail and chickens but not in the other three species. These findings indicate that all birds can probably associate both colored and flavored food with induced sickness and that colored food is more easily associated with induced sickness than is colored water. Moreover, these findings suggest that the capacity to associate colored and flavored food with induced sickness and the interaction between color and flavor in food vary between species. Birds, such as quail and chickens, that eat relatively tasteless food rely more on color than on flavor cues when forming learned food aversions. Birds that can select their food on the basis of taste, such as ducks and geese, rely more on flavor than on color when forming aversions to food. Birds, such as pigeons, that are initially raised on tasty food before switching to predominantly tasteless food show tendencies that are similar to those of ducks and geese.     

视觉搜索中风味引发对关联颜色的注意偏向

人们常将特定的颜色与风味联系起来形成色味联结, 而且颜色线索会影响风味感知, 这体现了视觉信息对味觉信息加工的跨通道影响。本研究通过两个行为实验, 考察了味觉信息是否也会影响视觉搜索。实验任务要求被试品尝饮品后对形状靶子进行视觉搜索, 并且操纵了味觉刺激的提示性以及靶子颜色与风味之间的关联性。实验1的结果表明, 当风味线索提示的靶子颜色是与风味关联的颜色时可以加快视觉搜索。但如果与该风味关联的颜色出现在干扰项上, 风味线索则无法促进视觉搜索。其后, 我们在实验2中排除了语义启动的混淆, 也发现了与实验1一致的结果。本研究的结果表明, 风味线索会引发对关联颜色的注意偏向, 证实了味觉刺激对视觉注意的跨通道影响, 为色味交互提供了新的实验证据, 揭示了跨通道影响可能的发生机制。     

Who Deserves Faulty Products? How Blaming the Victim Prevents Consumer Punitive Action

A core requirement of a functioning free‐market system is that consumers hold companies accountable for selling faulty products. Following a harmful product failure, any blame that is incorrectly directed toward the victim may threaten consumer well‐being. Four experiments—in contexts of both fictitious and actual high‐profile product failures—show that this may in fact occur. The findings show that for a victim possessing immoral character: (a) consumers exaggerate blame because, (b) the victim is seen as deserving of suffering in general and, as a result, (c) consumers are less likely to take punitive action against the company (e.g., petition signing, negative word of mouth, and supporting financial justice). One field experiment and three online experiments converge to show that morality's effects are unique from other traits (e.g., sociability), but may be attenuated based on severity of harm to the victim and consumers’ own beliefs about justice. In sum, the current research furthers understanding of how and why victims are blamed, how doing so may threaten consumer and societal well‐being, and how it might be prevented.     

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.     

Pleasure principles: A review of research on hedonic consumption

Thirty years ago, Hirschman and Holbrook (1982) advocated greater attention to hedonic consumption and the myriad ways in which consumers seek pleasure and enjoyment. A thorough review finds that the topic has much appeal and that consumer research has made significant progress toward understanding some of its parameters. However, many questions remain unanswered, particularly with regard to understanding the sources of pleasure, the manner in which consumers seek it, and the ways in which consumers might alter their hedonic consumption decisions to maximize pleasure and happiness. We assess three decades of research on hedonic consumption, emphasizing areas of greatest potential for future exploration.     

Responsivity to pain in rats changed by the ingestion of flavored water

Sprague-Dawley male rats drank flavored water and subsequent pain responsivity was assessed using a hot plate first after isotonic saline and later after either 2.75 (Experiment 1) or 2.5 (Experiment 2) mg/kg of morphine hydrochloride was injected. A 48-h exposure to any one of several different flavors resulted in a reduction of the analgesic effects of morphine as shown by an attenuation of the increased latency to paw lick caused by the morphine. This effect was independent of the amount consumed. A 26-h exposure to a flavor decreased pain reactivity before and after morphine as shown by an overall increase in latency to paw lick. This effect was not influenced by whether the normally preferred flavor was made aversive by a previous pairing with lithium chloride-induced illness. These findings are consistent with the idea that many flavors, independently of palatability and amount consumed, increase the release and utilization of endogenous opioids.     

Enhancement of food aversion by exposure to a poisoned conspecific in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether exposure to a poisoned conspecific enhances prior food aversion in rats. In Experiment 1, subjects were serially exposed to two foods, cocoa‐flavored and cinnamon‐flavored ones, and were then poisoned 1 h later. On the next day, they were exposed to a poisoned conspecific that had eaten a cocoa‐flavored food. On the subsequent choice test, subjects had an enhanced aversion to cocoa‐flavored food. The result was replicated in Experiment 2, in which a cinnamon‐flavored food was assigned as a target. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings.     

Mood Effects on Attitudes,Perceived Risk and Choice: Moderators and Mediators

How and when positive and negative moods affect attitudes, risk perceptions, and choice is a problem that interests both consumer researchers and practitioners. We propose that the extent of constructive processing moderates mood effects with stronger effects when constructive processing is higher. In addition, we propose that when consumers have unrestricted versus constrained processing resources, moods are more likely to operate through affect priming and less likely to operate through the affect‐as‐information process. The results from 3 experiments support these hypotheses. We discuss implications of the findings for models of how affect influences judgments and directions for future research.     

Extraordinary consumer experiences: Why immersion and transformation cause trouble

This paper presents and discusses how consumers are transformed in and out of immersion during extraordinary, long‐lasting wilderness canoeing experiences. Based on a hermeneutic multi‐phase empirical approach, we show how extraordinary experiences can be dynamic, multifaceted, and emergent. The positive connotations of prior research are questioned as we find that consumers face various paradoxes and ambiguities throughout the various consumption phases. While a major part of research today focuses on the co‐creation efforts of consumers when they combine various on‐site resource of experiencescapes, our findings point to the importance of understanding consumer resources. The distinction held between the ordinary and the extraordinary does not hold within the present context, and we discuss how role conflicts may influence transformation and immersion during consumption of experiences.     

Assessing the predictive validity of perceived globalness and country of origin of foreign brands in quality judgments among consumers in emerging markets

Consumers in emerging markets are known to have strong preferences for well‐known foreign brands. Drawing on schema and categorization theories, this study empirically investigates how accessible two components of brand foreignness – globalness and country of brand origin – are in consumer perceptions of brand quality in emerging markets. In addition, we argue that brand globalness can be shaped by inferential reasoning and test how consumer perceptions of brand globalness are affected by both a brand's country of origin and its perceived quality. Two different studies were conducted with young‐adult consumers in China. The study found that in their evaluations of foreign brands consumers are more influenced by country of origin than by brand globalness. It also found that consumers tend to perceive a high level of globalness in high‐quality brands and brands from a favorable country‐of‐origin. Further, this tendency was found to differ between well‐known and lesser‐known brands. These findings confirm the predictive validity of country of origin, but contrast with extant literature on the role of brand globalness as a principal quality cue for foreign brands among consumers in emerging markets. Our findings also imply brand globalness can be an inferred attribute of perceived brand quality and country‐of‐origin image. Keywords: brand foreignness, brand globalness, country‐of‐origin effect, emerging markets.     

Making Time Matter: A Review of Research on Time and Meaning

In this conceptual article, we review three decades of research on time and meaning in consumer research and psychology to identify key themes that have emerged, build frameworks that integrate past research, and reveal areas of potential for future empirical exploration. We begin by carving out a conceptual understanding of meaning in life and identifying time as a key lens through which the pursuit of meaning can be viewed. We then review extant research on how to spend and construe time in ways that enhance meaning, relying on two frameworks—one anchored in three dimensions of meaning (purpose, mattering, and comprehension) and the other in three levels of time (momentary, day‐to‐day, and lifetime). We conclude by outlining several directions for future research focused on deepening our understanding of how consumers can think about and use their time in ways that boost their sense of meaning in life.     

Satisfaction in the context of customer co‐production: A behavioral involvement perspective

Consumers increasingly subscribe to community‐supported agriculture (CSA) programs as an alternative retail channel for fresh produce. Compared with supermarket retailers, CSAs are built around an ethos of community rather than efficiency and economies of scale; and CSA programs demand far greater customer co‐production than supermarket retailers. For instance, CSA members (customers) assume responsibilities for physical distribution, market timing, and financial risk taking—activities that, for customers of traditional supermarkets, are assumed by the retailer or other market intermediaries. Service‐dominant logic suggests that such co‐production activities provide value for consumers. And the expanding demand for CSA programs anecdotally supports the notion that consumers find value in co‐producing fresh produce. However, whether or not co‐production leads to greater satisfaction with a product category remains largely untested. We draw on community theory to test if engagement in co‐production activities leads to satisfaction with a product category. By examining product satisfaction, we test an outcome of co‐production that is consumer‐centric. Results from an exploratory field study suggest that two types of value co‐creation—commitment to co‐production and behavioral involvement in product‐related activities—are positively correlated with product satisfaction. Our results support the notion that value co‐creation provides value for consumers. Interestingly, these findings are antithetical to studies that suggest service convenience constitutes non‐monetary value for consumers. Our study suggests that the community theory is a viable theoretical frame for consumer research on co‐production. Further, our findings suggest that consumer research into the co‐creation of value should incorporate measures of product satisfaction and draw on behavioral as opposed to exclusively attitudinal assessments of co‐production activities. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of awe on consumer preferences for healthy versus unhealthy food products

This research investigates how a discrete positive emotion (awe) impacts consumers' decisions on food choices. We probe and demonstrate that the experience of awe enhances consumer preferences for healthy versus unhealthy products. In a series of three studies, we find that awe, compared with a neutral emotion, increases consumers' likelihood to choose healthy products over unhealthy products (Study 1). Consumers' processing styles drive the observed awe effect (Study 2), whereby awe increases reliance on analytic processing, which leads to preferences for healthy products. Moreover, the experience of awe exerts a stronger influence on product choices among consumers with a chronic intuitive rather than analytic processing style (Study 3). Theoretical contributions to the research on awe, information processing, and healthy food preference, as well as practical implications for consumers and marketers, are discussed.     

Consumer acceptance of innovations in food: A survey among Polish consumers

The aim of the study was to examine the possible factors that might contribute to consumer acceptance of food innovations. Particular attention was paid to 3 main factors: (a) relationship between socio‐demographic determinants and level of consumer innovation, (b) evaluation of consumer innovation acceptance, particularly toward animal‐derived food products, and (c) consumer preferences for health‐promoting food innovation over time. Studies were conducted using quantitative research methods in 2004 and 2011. An organic method of production, least important in 2004, was top rated in 2011, and ease of preparation dropped to the bottom of the list in 2011, whereas food origin, low fat, and sugar content were ranked in the first group of the considered factors in 2011. Since 2004, consumers have become used to products with various innovations. The new generation of Poles is relatively more open to new food products, due to the wide range of food products available on the free market. Furthermore, the group of well‐educated consumers with a higher level of income has increased in size, and this includes people interested in knowledge of a product's nutritional value and its health impact. Our study extends existing research in the area of understanding consumer expectations toward food innovations. The results not only contribute to the field of consumer behavior but also have practical potential for food market applications, especially for companies operating on or planning to enter the Polish food market, and which could be used for developing communication strategies.     

Social meanings in Christmas consumption: an exploratory study of UK celebrants' consumption rituals

• Although much has been written about the celebration of Christmas from a variety of perspectives, limited attention has been paid in the consumer behaviour literature to understanding the behaviours of consumers surrounding this event. Apart from insights gained from prior work on consumption rituals and meanings of festivities, our knowledge of meaning creation through Christmas consumption is partial, and written mainly from a North American perspective. Since consumer behaviour is shaped by cultural and social contexts, understanding the relationship between consumption objects and the social meanings that consumers ascribe to them is a research imperative. This paper explores the ways in which the British Christmas is consumed as a shared consumption experience, by bringing together two different approaches taken by consumer researchers and sociologists to analysing social consumption patterns. These are drawn from structuralist and post‐structuralist thinking. The findings of an exploratory qualitative study are used to demonstrate how an enhanced understanding of consumption meanings associated with this particular cultural context can lead to new insights into how consumers create social meanings through special, as well as ordinary, behaviours.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Object Concepts in the Chemical Senses

This paper examines the applicability of the object concept to the chemical senses, by evaluating them against a set of criteria for object‐hood. Taste and chemesthesis do not generate objects. Their parts, perceptible from birth, never combine. Orthonasal olfaction (sniffing) presents a strong case for generating objects. Odorants have many parts yet they are perceived as wholes, this process is based on learning, and there is figure‐ground segregation. While flavors are multimodal representations bound together by learning, there is no functional need for flavor objects in the mouth. Rather, food identification occurs prior to ingestion using the eye and nose, with the latter retrieving multimodal flavor objects via sniffing (e.g., sweet smelling caramel). While there are differences in object perception between vision, audition, and orthonasal olfaction, the commonalities suggest that the brain has adopted the same basic solution when faced with extracting meaning from complex stimulus arrays.     

How Brands Acquire Cultural Meaning

This article endeavors to advance research on the cultural resonance of brands by building bridges between branding scholarship in the consumer psychology tradition and interpretive research regarding brands and their meaning makers. We adopt a cognitivist conceptualization of cultural meaning and focus on the application of interpretive insights to well‐established constructs in the consumer psychology of brands: brand associations, product category associations, social identity, and self‐identity. This integrative exercise highlights the value of cultural models in explaining the processes whereby brands acquire meaning, and suggests several themes that are under‐valued when considering this process problem through a psychological lens: the motivational underpinnings of myths and other cultural meaning models, the relative value of shared cultural and brand meanings versus idiosyncratic meanings, the power and primacy of category‐level meaning making over brand‐level meaning making, the complex processes whereby brands gain and lose legitimacy, and the influence of lay theories about brands and branding on how consumers co‐create meaning for brands.     

Uncovering the links between brand choice and personal values among young British and Spanish girls

This paper presents empirical research which demonstrates how snacks brands can satisfy certain personal values for female 11–12 year‐old British and Spanish consumers. The qualitative research design uses a means‐end approach, based on a laddering technique, to uncover the links between brand choice and personal values. After reviewing the means‐end model and other relevant theory, the research methodology and design are presented in detail. The findings reveal significant scope for positioning snacks brands using the values of well being and fun and enjoyment (UK and Spain), while the value of friendship and belonging emerges as an extra dimension for the British respondents. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications.     

Am I My Genes? Perceived Genetic Etiology,Intrapersonal Processes,and Health

With the increasing popularity and affordability of DNA sequencing through direct‐to‐consumer DNA sequencing services, it has become apparent that researchers need to understand how the results of sequencing one's DNA affects consumers psychologically and behaviorally. In this paper, the authors discuss several intrapersonal processes that may impact how learning about our own genetic predispositions affects us. In particular, this paper sets out to identify the interplay between three relevant perspectives: genetic essentialist biases, perceived identity, and need for certainty. These interrelated perspectives and the empirical research that supports relevant underlying predictions provide a useful basis from which researchers can further identify testable hypotheses on these intrapersonal perceived genetics effects. Such research has potential far‐reaching implications, not the least of which are in the health domain.