Choice Bracketing and Construal Level Theory: The Effects of Problem Representation and Mental Representation on Sequential Risk-Taking

AbstractSeveral studies in consumer behavior have focused on consumers’ shopping orientation in terms of hedonic and utilitarian shopping. The present research advances a different perspective examining hedonic and utilitarian shopping orientations with the theoretical lenses of construal-level theory. Results from two studies indicate that hedonism relates to higher and utilitarianism to lower construal levels (Study 1). Consequently, individuals tend to prefer desirability-related options when shopping hedonically, and feasibility-related options when shopping in a utilitarian way (Study 2). The findings further show a moderating effect of construal level on the relationship between shopping orientation and choice, consistent with construal-level theory.

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COVID-19, camping and construal level theory

Current Issues in Tourism ◽

10.1080/13683500.2021.1895730 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Christopher A. Craig ◽

Siyao Ma ◽

Ismail Karabas

Keyword(s):

Construal Level Theory ◽

Construal Level

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Relative Importance of Determinants Towards Users’ Privacy Disclosure on Social Network Sites by Privacy Invasion Experience Based on Construal Level Theory

2020 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM) ◽

10.1109/ieem45057.2020.9309833 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

L. T. Huang ◽

J. D. Leu

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Social Network Sites ◽

Construal Level Theory ◽

Construal Level ◽

Relative Importance ◽

Privacy Invasion

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Influence of Psychological Distance on People’s Willingness to Help Accident Victims: Discrepancies Between Implicit and Explicit Inferences

SAGE Open ◽

10.1177/21582440211033251 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 215824402110332

Author(s):

Yuri Taniguchi ◽

Tomoko Ikegami

Keyword(s):

Causal Attribution ◽

Psychological Distance ◽

Construal Level Theory ◽

Situational Factors ◽

Construal Level ◽

Cognitive Elaboration ◽

Willingness To Help ◽

Helping Behaviors ◽

Implicit And Explicit

Drawing on construal-level theory, this study explored how a sense of psychological distance from an accident influences people’s willingness to help victims. We conducted a scenario experiment with a sample of 81 Japanese undergraduates. Participants were presented with a short scenario describing an accident that happened on either a distant or a nearby mountain. The results show that the greater the distance perceived by participants from the accident, the more likely they were to infer negative traits about the victim at an implicit level. However, the more they inferred negative traits at an implicit level, the more likely they were to attribute the cause of the accident to external situational factors, at an explicit level. Finally, explicit external causal attribution aroused greater sympathy for the victim, resulting in an increased willingness to help. This discrepancy between implicit and explicit inferences was discussed in terms of cognitive elaboration, in which people engage in helping behaviors when they feel responsible for the fate of the victim.

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Regulatory focus and construal level theory on low-income consumer indebtedness: Evidence from an emerging market

International Journal of Emerging Markets ◽

10.1108/ijoem-08-2020-0870 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Patrícia de Oliveira Campos ◽

Marconi Freitas da Costa

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Low Income ◽

Regulatory Focus ◽

Task Complexity ◽

Emerging Market ◽

Psychological Distance ◽

Construal Level Theory ◽

Construal Level ◽

Content Type ◽

Low Income Consumers

PurposeThis study aims to further analyse the decision-making process of low-income consumer from an emerging market by verifying the influence of regulatory focus and construal level theory on indebtedness.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental study was carried out with a design 2 (regulatory focus: promotion vs prevention) × 2 (psychological distance: high vs low) between subjects, with 140 low-income consumers.FindingsOur study points out that the propensity towards indebtedness of low-income consumer is higher in a distal psychological distance. We found that promotion and prevention groups have the same propensity to indebtedness. Moreover, we highlight that low-income consumers are prone to propensity to indebtedness due to taking decisions focused on the present with an abstract mindset.Social implicationsFinancial awareness advertisements should focus on providing more concrete strategies in order to reduce decision-making complexity and provide ways to reduce competing situations that could deplete self-regulation resources. Also, public policy should organize educational programs to increase the low-income consumer's ability to deal with personal finances and reduce this task complexity. Finally, educational financial programs should also incorporate psychology professionals to teach mindfulness techniques applied to financial planning.Originality/valueThis study is the first to consider regulatory focus and construal level to explain low-income indebtedness. This paper provides a deeper analysis of the low-income consumers' decision process. Also, it supports and guides future academic and decision-making efforts.

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