What to diffuse in a gender‐specific store? The effect of male and female perfumes on customer value and behaviour

Sensory marketing can be an efficient way to involve consumers in the store environment. Diffusing a pleasant ambient scent that matches with the store setting is often used to create pleasant shopping experiences. The aim of this study is to extend scent marketing research: (i) by examining the effect of pleasant ambient scent on the different dimensions of customer value; and (ii) by exploring whether product‐scent incongruity can have a positive effect on consumer evaluations. A field experiment with 182 participants showed that a pleasant gender‐incongruent ambient perfume positively influences different dimensions of customer value as compared to the absence of a perfume. Moreover, a gender‐incongruent perfume also leads to a more positive evaluation of the play, product excellence, and social dimension of customer value as compared to a gender‐congruent perfume. A pleasant gender‐congruent ambient perfume, on the other hand, only has a positive effect on the aesthetic dimension of customer value as compared to the absence of a perfume. The observed ambient scent effects do not differ between men and women. These results are in contrast with existing literature. However, an explanation for this undocumented effect can be found in the mate attraction theory. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Digital LED Pixels: Instructions for use and a characterization of their properties

This article details how to control light emitting diodes (LEDs) using an ordinary desktop computer. By combining digitally addressable LEDs with an off-the-shelf microcontroller (Arduino), multiple LEDs can be controlled independently and with a high degree of temporal, chromatic, and luminance precision. The proposed solution is safe (can be powered by a 5-V battery), tested (has been used in published research), inexpensive (～ $60 + $2 per LED), highly interoperable (can be controlled by any type of computer/operating system via a USB or Bluetooth connection), requires no prior knowledge of electrical engineering (components simply require plugging together), and uses widely available components for which established help forums already exist. Matlab code is provided, including a ‘minimal working example’ of use suitable for use by beginners. Properties of the recommended LEDs are also characterized, including their response time, luminance profile, and color gamut. Based on these, it is shown that the LEDs are highly stable in terms of both luminance and chromaticity, and do not suffer from issues of warm-up, chromatic shift, and slow response times associated with traditional CRT and LCD monitor technology.     

The Relationship between Traumatic Life Events and Hoarding Symptoms: A Multi-Method Approach

Hoarding Disorder is characterized by difficulties with discarding and frequently excessively acquiring possessions, resulting in substantial clutter. Previous research has implicated trauma in the development of hoarding, but no study to date has examined the relationship between trauma and hoarding using hypothetical hoarding paradigms. This study investigated the association between traumatic events and both self-report and hypothetical indices of hoarding symptoms. We predicted that frequency of trauma would be associated with greater hoarding symptoms (across self-report and hypothetical indices). Undergraduate students (N = 80) completed self-report measures of hoarding symptoms and trauma, and hypothetical measures of acquiring and saving tendencies. As expected, more frequent trauma, and physical/sexual trauma in particular, was associated with greater acquiring tendencies. However, frequency of trauma was not significantly correlated with saving tendencies or self-reported hoarding symptoms. Future research should replicate these findings using longitudinal designs to confirm whether trauma actually serves as a risk factor for hoarding. Replication in a clinical sample is needed to better understand the implications of these results for intervention.     

Applications of Psychological Safety to Developmental Science: Reflections and Recommendations for Next Steps

This commentary reviews and synthesizes the work of this special issue on psychological safety. At its core, psychological safety stems from a combination of individual attributes and contextual conditions that combine to produce moments in which individuals perceive their own agency and show willingness to take risks, grow, and change. This commentary reflects upon the contributions of the articles in this special issue, describes why bringing a developmental perspective to the study of psychological safety may be particularly valuable, and suggests challenges and opportunities for future work on psychological safety.     

Measurement invariance of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students: A study across secondary school pupils and university students

School engagement is a multidimensional construct characterized by vigour, dedication, and absorption towards academic work that is related to school achievement. This study aimed to examine the measurement invariance of a school engagement measure – the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Students (UWES-S) – across secondary school pupils and university students. Two samples of secondary school pupils (n = 251) and university students (n = 229) were used. The results supported the original three-factor structure (vigour, dedication and absorption) of the UWES-S instead of a two- or a one-factor structure in both samples. Evidence for the metric and scalar invariance of the measure across secondary school pupils and university students was also found. The university sample had higher scores in vigour and absorption but not in dedication. These findings demonstrate that the UWES-S can be used for developmental studies where school engagement and its relation with other variables needs to be compared across distinct educational levels.     

Sibling Teenage Pregnancy and Clinic-Referred Girls’ Condom Use: The Protective Role of Maternal Monitoring

Younger sisters of teenage parents have elevated rates of engaging in unprotected sex. This may result from changes in parenting behavior after a sibling becomes pregnant or impregnates a partner, and be particularly pronounced for girls seeking mental health treatment. The current study examines condom use over time in 211 African-American girls recruited from outpatient psychiatric clinics. Findings indicate that having a sibling with a teenage pregnancy history predicts less consistent condom use 2 years later. After accounting for earlier condom use and mental health problems, maternal monitoring moderates condom use such that for girls with a sibling with a pregnancy history, more vigilant maternal monitoring is associated with increased condom use, while for girls with no sibling pregnancy history, maternal monitoring is unrelated to adolescents’ condom use 2 years later. Findings suggest that targeted interventions to increase maternal monitoring of high-risk teens may be beneficial for girls with a sibling history of teenage pregnancy.     

Book reviews

E1 Evangelio de San Bernabé: un evangelio islámico español. Luis F. Bernabé Pons, 1995 Alicante, University Press 260 pp., hb. n.p. ISBN 84 7908 223 2

Muhammad and Jesus. William. E. Phipps, 1996 300 pp., pb. £14.95, ISBN 0 334 02630 X

Arabic Grammar and Qur'anic Exegesis in Early Islam.. C. H. M. Versteegh, 1993 Leiden, E. J. Brill xi + 230 pp., hb. ISBN 9004098453.

Religious Truth for Our Time. William Montgomery Watt, 1995 Oxford, Oneworld 109 pp., pb. £5.95, ISBN 1 85168 102 7

Dialogue of Life: a Christian among Allah's poor. Bob McCahill, 1996 Maryknoll, New York, Orbis Books 109 pp., pb. $13, ISBN 1 57075 066 1

Questioning the Secular State: the worldwide resurgence of religion in politics. David Westerlund (Ed.), 1996 London, Hurst & Company xii + 428 pp., pb. £14.95, ISBN 1 85065 241 4

Religion and Globalization. Peter Beyer, 1994 London, Sage Publications vi + 250 pp., pb. $21.95

A Critique of the Origins of Islamic Economic Thought. Yassine Essid, 1995 Leiden, E. J. Brill 257 pp., hb. n.p., ISBN 90 04 10079 2

Muslims in the Margin: political responses to the presence of Islam in Western Europe. W. A. R. Shadid & P. S. van Koningsveld, 1996 Kampen, KOK Pharos 288 pp., hb. F169.90, ISBN 90 390 0520 6

Muslim Eurasia: conflicting legacies. Yaacov Ro'i (Ed.), 1995 London, Frank Cass xii + 330 pp., hb. and pb., $47.50, ISBN 0714646156