The Effects of Linguistic Devices on Consumer Information Processing and Persuasion: A Language Complexity × Processing Mode Framework

Purpose Farmers’ markets have grown rapidly in recent years and at the same time consumers increasingly desire to eat healthfully and sustainably. This research aims to analyze the way consumers process information regarding local food claims such as sustainability and organics when shopping for local foods at farmers’ markets. Design/methodology/approach This research uses ethnographic methods that included interviews with 36 participants, more than 100 hours of participant observation and prolonged engagement over a two and half-year period. Findings The findings indicate that there are two dominant types of consumers at the farmers’ market, hedonistic and utilitarian consumers. Hedonistic consumers rely on heuristic cues such as aesthetics, their relationship with the farmer and other peripheral sources of information when making purchase decisions. Utilitarian consumers, by contrast, carefully analyze marketing messages using central route cues and tend to be more conscious of their purchase choices. Practical implications This study will help farmers more effectively position their marketing messages and help consumers be aware how they process information in this space. Originality/value Unlike previous studies of consumer behavior at farmers’ markets that primarily use survey methods, this study uses observational and ethnographic methods to capture in situ interactions in this complex buying context. Further, while much work has been done on broad concepts of local food and organic preferences, this study provides a more in-depth look at consumer information processing in the farmers’ market space that reflects a mixture of organic and non-organic food.

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Theory and Method in Consumer Information Processing

Handbook of Research Methods in Consumer Psychology ◽

10.4324/9781351137713-6 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 107-131

Author(s):

Robert S. Wyer

Keyword(s):

Information Processing ◽

Consumer Information

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Sexual Consumption in the Time of AIDS: A Study of Prostitute Patronage in Thailand

Journal of Public Policy & Marketing ◽

10.1177/074391569801700205 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 197-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Russell W. Belk ◽

Per Østergaard ◽

Ronald Groves

Keyword(s):

Public Policy ◽

Information Processing ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Risk Taking ◽

Sex Roles ◽

Hiv And Aids ◽

Consumer Information ◽

Short Term ◽

Limited Effectiveness ◽

Risk Taking Behaviors

On the basis of short-term, qualitative fieldwork, the authors provide a culturally embedded portrait of AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and risk-taking behaviors in prostitute patronage by students and tourists in the most heavily HIV-infected region of Thailand. The authors find that the mix of cultural values, rituals, sex roles, and emotions in this Thai context challenge the underlying assumptions of belief-based Western models of behavior. This may help explain the limited effectiveness of prior research and prevention efforts in stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS. Although the findings are preliminary, they pose provocative challenges to consumer information processing models and existing public policy efforts in this milieu of sex and death.

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Recognition of Facial Expressions by Urban Internet-Addicted Left-Behind Children in China

Psychological Reports ◽

10.1177/0033294117697083 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 120 (3) ◽

pp. 391-407 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ying Ge ◽

Xiaofang Zhong ◽

Wenbo Luo

Keyword(s):

Information Processing ◽

Facial Expression ◽

Facial Expression Recognition ◽

Negative Emotion ◽

Expression Recognition ◽

Recognition Judgment ◽

Opposite Pattern ◽

Processing Mode ◽

Left Behind ◽

Recognition Of Facial Expressions

Internet addition affects facial expression recognition of individuals. However, evidences of facial expression recognition from different types of addicts are insufficient. The present study addressed the question by adopting eye-movement analytical method and focusing on the difference in facial expression recognition between internet-addicted and non-internet-addicted urban left-behind children in China. Sixty 14-year-old Chinese participants performed tasks requiring absolute recognition judgment and relative recognition judgment. The results show that the information processing mode adopted by the internet-addicted involved earlier gaze acceleration, longer fixation durations, lower fixation counts, and uniform extraction of pictorial information. The information processing mode of the non-addicted showed the opposite pattern. Moreover, recognition and processing of negative emotion pictures were relatively complex, and it was especially difficult for urban internet-addicted left-behind children to process negative emotion pictures in fine judgment and processing stage of recognition on differences as demonstrated by longer fixation duration and inadequate fixation counts.

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