Conspicuous consumption in a recession: Toning it down or turning it up?

The 2008 recession reportedly led to the demise of conspicuous consumption with wealthy consumers abandoning luxury goods that prominently display their brands for more subdued designs. Utilizing data collected before and in the midst of the recession from designer handbag manufacturers, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, we find products introduced during the recession actually display the brand far more prominently than those products withdrawn. Data from Hermès and luxury ads in Vogue magazine also indicate manufacturers did not tone things down. Our results suggest conspicuous consumption endures in recessions; consumers who do not exit the luxury goods market are still interested in logo‐laden products.     

Changes in alcohol intake in response to transdiagnostic cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine how alcohol intake changes during and after transdiagnostic cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders (CBT-E). Additionally, the paper considers the relationship between alcohol consumption, eating disorder diagnosis and current major depressive episode at the time of first assessment.

Method

One hundred and forty nine outpatients with an eating disorder (body mass index over 17.5) were divided into high or low alcohol intake groups (HIG and LIG) according to their intake at pre-treatment assessment. Their alcohol intake and eating disorder psychopathology were examined over the course of treatment and follow-up.

Results

There was no difference between the groups on response of the eating disorder to treatment. The HIG significantly reduced their alcohol intake following treatment whilst the intake of the LIG remained stable over the course of treatment and follow-up. There were no group differences in major depression and overall severity of eating disorder at baseline.

Conclusions

The response to CBT-E was not influenced by baseline level of alcohol use. The mean alcohol intake of the heavy drinking subjects decreased without being specifically addressed by the treatment.     

Metabolic costs of aggressive behaviour in the Siamese fighting fish,Betta splendens

Aggressive conflicts between males are often resolved by means of multiple ritualized agonistic displays without damaging escalation. Apparently, in such cases by using those displays opponents exchange important motivational and physical information on which they base a decision to stay or leave the interaction. In the Siamese fighting fish, the time spent spreading the dorsal fin and erecting the gill coverts predicts who will be the winner or loser of the interaction. Two experiments were carried out to study whether display performance might be costly. First, oxygen consumption was measured during mirror‐image stimulation. This experiment showed that oxygen consumption was positively correlated with gill cover erection and dorsal fin spread. In the second experiment, a fight between two opponents was simulated and the oxygen consumption of the expected winner and loser was compared. Metabolic rates were not different between winners and losers before and during the fight, but winners showed higher oxygen consumption in the night after the fight. These results are in accordance with costs of display performance and with long‐lasting physiological consequences of winning or losing a fight. Aggr. Behav. 32:1–7, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Unpacking the Unethical Gift: Gift Experience and Unethicality Assessment

This research investigates how contextual factors affect unethicality assessment of products. The research is conducted in the context of gifts and compares interpersonal gifts (IGs) and self-gifts (SGs) by examining individuals’ reactions in front of unethical gifts. Five experiments investigate how individuals assess product unethicality differently, depending on the source of the gift, being the Self or a gifter. This research employs attribution theory to explain the differences between IGs and SGs and identify psychological distance as a boundary condition for the effect.     

萌：感知与后效

萌是对一系列由视觉感知的婴儿外貌或行为特征的概括性描述。本文在厘清萌与可爱关系的基础上, 对萌的维度做了进一步区分, 即除了幼萌以外, 萌还可能包含趣萌、听觉萌、嗅觉萌等其他维度。目前关于人们对萌的感知是否存在个体差异这一问题仍然存在争论, 而萌之载体的多样性则已经得到广泛认同。通过对一系列实证研究的回顾, 本文认为萌的后果主要体现在认知(如诱发脆弱性、天真等推断)、情感(如积极情绪、同情和柔情)和行为(如注意和关怀)三个方面。未来研究可进一步探讨萌的维度及其与道德的关系问题。     

绿色消费的困境：身份建构抑或环境关心?

绿色消费具有道德属性, 消费者既有可能是为了建构道德身份, 实现自我保护或自我提升(自我导向), 也有可能是源于内在的道德信念, 实现对环境的关心(环境导向)。基于身份建构的绿色消费会导致行为不稳定、甚至撒谎和盗窃等, 其心理机制是道德自我调节; 基于环境关心的绿色消费则与之相反, 它植根于更广泛的道德联想网络, 与节俭、自我控制等紧密相关, 道德认同机制在其中发挥作用。那么, 究竟是身份建构还是环境关心呢?在阐述调节因素基础上, 我们构建了基于个体生活方式的绿色消费模型, 从个体差异的视角回答了该问题。未来研究需要从理论和实践上进一步展开。     

谁更愿意购买绿色产品？认识绿色消费者

绿色消费虽然备受关注但消费者积极性却不高,这可能和个体差异性有关。为了考察绿色消费的积极性,本研究从个体差异的视角出发,引入购买时间距离这一变量,以揭示面对绿色产品的矛盾性消费者究竟更愿现在购买还是将来,决策模式是否会存在个体差异。研究发现,时间距离调节绿色消费观与产品购买意愿的关系,而产品价值感知部分中介了该调节作用。具体来说,绿色消费者不会受到时间框定的影响,而非绿色消费者则表现出时间框定效应即更倾向于在将来而不是现在购买绿色产品;这是因为绿色消费观以自上而下的方式影响绿色消费者动机加工,使绿色产品的价值感知较为稳定,而非绿色消费者的价值感知则根据购买时间距离的不同而变化。研究结果说明在生态文明建设日益紧迫的当下培育个体绿色消费观具有重要的意义。     

定制化信息对家庭节能行为决策过程影响的追踪研究

在移动互联网和大数据时代, 通过定制化信息推动家庭能源消费行为变革是一个亟待解决的前沿科学课题。本研究通过对固定样本组被试进行长期的行为观察、深度访谈、焦点小组、个案研究和单被试设计, 基于扎根理论技术考察定制化信息的即期和远期作用, 探索定制化信息影响节能行为决策过程的路径和机制。整合横断设计和纵向设计两者特点, 本研究拟采用聚合交叉设计对6个实验组被试进行18个月的追踪实验, 运用方差分析检验同一实验组被试不同时期的节能心理和行为决策差异, 比较不同实验组被试在特定时点截面的横向(静态)差异; 运用多层线性模型检验不同实验组节能行为及其决策过程变动趋势之间的(动态)差异, 分析特定维度定制化信息框架的边际效应。在此基础上, 设计并论证定制化信息的优化路径、实施策略和组合应用构想。本研究拟构建定制化信息对节能行为决策过程作用机制的理论模型(信息呈现−心理机制−节能行为决策模型), 为探究定制化信息影响节能行为决策过程的作用机制黑箱提供理论支持和实验证据。     

Individualism/Collectivism and Cultures of Happiness: A Theoretical Conjecture on the Relationship between Consumption, Culture and Subjective Well-Being at the National Level

This theory paper seeks to explain an empirical puzzle presented by past research on the relationship between consumption and subjective well-being (SWB). Research has shown that people in rich countries are, on average, significantly higher in SWB than people in poor countries, which is consistent with a strong link between one's overall level of consumption and one's SWB. However, when individuals within the same country are compared, income has little relationship to SWB above the level at which basic needs can be met, suggesting that higher levels of consumption may not be linked to higher levels of SWB. This link between consumption and SWB when nations are compared to each other, but not when individuals within a given nation are compared to each other, presents a puzzle. As a solution, I propose that economic development leads to higher levels of national average SWB not by increasing consumption (again, with the caveat that this statement excludes situations where basic needs are not being met), but by creating more individualistic cultures which encourage their members to pursue personal happiness over honor and meeting social obligations. Whether or not this is seen as a socially positive development depends in a circular fashion on the cultural values of the person making the judgement.     

移动支付对大学生冲动性消费行为的影响——来自ERP的实验证据

为寻找移动支付影响冲动性消费的电生理证据,实验采用两难选择的虚拟购物任务,通过2(支付方式)×2(产品类型)被试内实验设计,结合ERP技术比较移动支付和现金支付下的冲动消费及相关电生理指标。实验数据显示:(1)移动支付下参与者的购买意愿高于现金条件;(2)对享乐品的购买,移动支付下的购买意愿、购买率高于现金支付,而对实用品两种支付下无差异;(3)决策阶段头皮左侧发现,移动支付下享乐品的LPP波幅正于实用品,而现金支付下二者LPP波幅无差异;(4)N2波幅上存在Buy/No Buy效应。结果表明:移动支付促进了享乐品的冲动性消费,决策阶段左侧脑区的LPP波幅可作为其电生理指标,N2波幅表征买与不买。