Effects of perceptual and conceptual similarities on consumers' evaluations of copycat brand names

Copycats often choose brand names that mimic perceptual, conceptual, or both elements of leading brand names. Yet little is known about how perceptual and conceptual similarities of a copycat interact to affect consumers' evaluations, especially in logographic language systems (e.g., Chinese). Three laboratory experiments demonstrate that perceptual similarity alone leads to negative evaluations of copycat brand names; this negative effect, however, can be mitigated when conceptual similarity is added. The underlying mechanism for this effect can be traced to consumers' persuasion knowledge. Perceptual (vs. conceptual) similarity activates consumers' persuasion knowledge about the insincere motives of the copycat brand, which in turn shapes their brand evaluations. However, this effect can become less prominent when conceptual similarity is added because it alleviates use of persuasion knowledge, or when a consumer is in a happy mood because it neutralizes persuasion knowledge. These findings shed light on how different types of copycat strategies interact to affect copycat brand name evaluations and offer important implications for marketing practice. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reevaluating the two-representation model of numerical magnitude processing

One debate in mathematical cognition centers on the single-representation model versus the two-representation model. Using an improved number Stroop paradigm (i.e., systematically manipulating physical size distance), in the present study we tested the predictions of the two models for number magnitude processing. The results supported the single-representation model and, more importantly, explained how a design problem (failure to manipulate physical size distance) and an analytical problem (failure to consider the interaction between congruity and task-irrelevant numerical distance) might have contributed to the evidence used to support the two-representation model. This study, therefore, can help settle the debate between the single-representation and two-representation models.     

The role of planning in different mathematical skills

Despite the fact that planning has been found to be a significant predictor of reading (particularly of reading comprehension), much less is known about its contribution to mathematics. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of two levels of planning (operation planning and action planning) in three mathematical skills (calculation fluency, math problem-solving, and math reasoning). Eighty Grade 2 children from Shanghai, China were assessed on measures of nonverbal cognitive ability (nonverbal matrices), working memory (digit span backwards and N-back), operation planning (matching numbers, planned codes, and planned search), action planning (crack the code), and mathematics (calculation fluency, math problem-solving, and math reasoning). The results of regression analyses showed that both levels of planning accounted for unique variance in mathematics over and above the effects of nonverbal cognitive ability and working memory. The effects of action planning were particularly strong in math problem-solving. These findings suggest that measures of planning could be used along with measures of working memory to detect children at-risk for mathematics disabilities and that intervention programmes targeting planning could be developed to boost children's mathematics performance.     

应严肃处理官员争烧头炷香

《新华每日电讯》2月28日头版刊登题为《有官员10多万烧炷香,查查他是谁》的报道说:“在南岳衡山,每年春节前后和一些‘神灵’的‘生日’到来之际,前往烧香的领导干部的专车络绎不绝,新年的‘第一炷香’竟然炒到10多万元。一些党员领导干部加入到烧香行列,竟毫无顾忌地‘烧头香’,甚至一掷万金地捐香火钱,这一现象令人担忧,必须引起有关部门的高度警觉。”今年元旦、春节北     

广告不应包含迷信内容

中国青年报2月22日报道,今年春节期间,南京的大卖场内“旺旺”大礼包特别好销。营业员说,这是因为“旺旺”集团的广告做得有创意。给孩子们留下印象最深的,是“旺旺”集团的电视广告《唐先生篇》:唐先生一家,最近两年没收到陈先生送的“旺旺”大礼包,因而个人事业和家庭生活从直线上升、旺上加旺,变成了直线下滑、倒霉透顶。为了改变家道中落的现状,唐先生10来岁的儿子,今年春节用省下的零用钱,买来了“旺旺”大礼包送给父亲,唐先     

Subliminal smells can guide social preferences

It is widely accepted that unconscious processes can modulate judgments and behavior, but do such influences affect one's daily interactions with other people? Given that olfactory information has relatively direct access to cortical and subcortical emotional circuits, we tested whether the affective content of subliminal odors alters social preferences. Participants rated the likeability of neutral faces after smelling pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant odors delivered below detection thresholds. Odor affect significantly shifted likeability ratings only for those participants lacking conscious awareness of the smells, as verified by chance-level trial-by-trial performance on an odor-detection task. Across participants, the magnitude of this priming effect decreased as sensitivity for odor detection increased. In contrast, heart rate responses tracked odor valence independently of odor awareness. These results indicate that social preferences are subject to influences from odors that escape awareness, whereas the availability of conscious odor information may disrupt such effects.     

医药收费政策调整对医院经济的影响及对策

通过分析医疗服务项目价格调整和药品价格调整对医院经济的影响,指出了新医疗收费政策在降低患者看病费用负担方面起到了一定作用,是值得肯定的。并探讨了在新收费政策下,医院该如何通过对医院管理和经营策略的调整来应对调价带来的不利影响,提高医院的经济效益。     

心理辅导三大理论之人性观之剖析

人性观是对人的基本看法和哲学假设,在心理咨询和资料中,人性观是一切方法和技术的理论基础.在回答什么是人性和人性观的基础上,总结出人性观所应回答的基本问题,依据精神分析、行为主义和人本主义三大辅导流派对人性观基本问题所作的回答,剖析了三大流派的人性观.     

医药收费政策调整对医院经济的影响及对策

通过分析医疗服务项目价格调整和药品价格调整对医院经济的影响,指出了新医疗收费政策在降低患者看病费用负担方面起到了一定作用,是值得肯定的.并探讨了在新收费政策下,医院该如何通过对医院管理和经营策略的调整来应对调价带来的不利影响,提高医院的经济效益.