How aesthetic features convey the concept of brand premiumness

Under what circumstances do visual aesthetic properties convey the concept of premiumness? Is symmetry tied to the perception of premiumness due to symmetry’s evolutionary association to quality, an association not present with other aesthetic features like curvature? Usually, symmetry is preferred over asymmetry, and curvature is preferred over angularity. However, preference itself may not be enough to evoke premiumness. With this in mind, we predicted that symmetry (vs. asymmetry) and high (vs. low) quality would both increase the perception of premiumness of a product while curvature (curved vs. angular) would only do so when it aligned with quality. We conducted two preliminary exploratory experiments followed by four pre-registered experiments in which we manipulated quality, symmetry, and curvature of product packaging and measured preference and premiumness perception. We later conducted four additional experiments using a different product category to assess the generalizability of our results. Our results suggest that even though both symmetry and curvature have an effect on preference, only symmetry has an effect on premiumness perception. Importantly, our results also indicate that the extent to which aesthetic features convey brand premiumness is product specific. We suggest a theoretical model on when visual aesthetic properties convey the concept of premiumness. Overall, our study informs how subtle aesthetic elements play a role in value perception, something which firms can capitalize on.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

We examined the relationship between cognitive style, empathy, and willingness to help. In Study 1 (N = 186), we measured preference for visuospatial or verbal cognitive style using the ZenQ ( Zenhausern, 1978 ), and empathy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index ( Davis, 1983 ). In Study 2 (N = 76), we experimentally elicited verbal or visual cognitive processing via priming and measured empathy in response to a vignette about a woman injured in a car accident. In both studies, we measured willingness to help by assessing participants’ willingness to assist the injured woman. Results showed that visuospatial cognitive processing increased empathy and willingness to help. Empathic concern mediated the relationship between cognitive style and willingness to help. Results highlight the importance of mental imagery in increasing empathy and helping.

Shelter preference in the Marmorkrebs (marbled crayfish)

For many animals, shelters are valuable source to hide from predators. To know acquisition of adequate shelter is important to understand social interactions of animals. Preferences for types of shelter used by the Marmorkrebs (marbled crayfish) were analysed behaviourally. Individual crayfish were presented with a choice between two PVC pipes with four different internal diameters (XL, L, M and S). The time spent in each shelter and the number of times crayfish entered each shelter were measured. Preference ranks of crayfish were XL = L = or > M > S. Our experiments strongly suggested that crayfish chose shelters based first on the diameter of the entrance, and then based on the length of the shelter. Crayfish recognised adequate shelters by visual cues under light conditions and utilised tactile cues from their antennae under dark conditions.

Gut T1R3 sweet taste receptors do not mediate sucrose-conditioned flavor preferences in mice

Most mammals prefer the sweet taste of sugars, which is mediated by the heterodimeric T1R2+T1R3 taste receptor. Sugar appetite is also enhanced by the post-oral reinforcing actions of the nutrient in the gut. Here, we examined the contribution of gut T1R3 (either alone or as part of the T1R3+T1R3 receptor) to post-oral sugar reinforcement using a flavor-conditioning paradigm. We trained mice to associate consumption of a flavored solution (CS+) with intragastric (IG) infusions of a sweetener, and a different flavored solution (CS-) with IG infusions of water (23 h/day); then, we measured preference in a CS+ vs. CS- choice test. In experiment 1, we predicted that if activation of gut T1R3 mediates sugar reinforcement, then IG infusions of a nutritive (sucrose) or nonnutritive (sucralose) ligand for this receptor should condition a preference for the CS+ in B6 wild-type (WT) mice. While the mice that received IG sucrose infusions developed a strong preference for the CS+, those that received IG sucralose infusions developed a weak avoidance of the CS+. In experiment 2, we used T1R3 knockout (KO) mice to examine the necessity of gut T1R2+T1R3 receptors for conditioned flavor preferences. If intact gut T1R3 (or T1R2+T1R3) receptors are necessary for flavor-sugar conditioning, then T1R3 KO mice should not develop a sugar-conditioned flavor preference. We found that T1R3 KO mice, like WT mice, acquired a strong preference for the CS+ paired with IG sucrose infusions. The KO mice were also like WT mice in avoiding a CS+ flavor paired with IG sucralose infusions These findings provide clear evidence that gut T1R3 receptors are not necessary for sugar-conditioned flavor preferences or sucralose-induced flavor avoidance in mice.

Comparing Students in Architecture and Medicine: Findings from Two New Measures of Cognitive Style

59 students in architecture and 50 medical students were compared using two questionnaire-defined measures of cognitive style. The Inquiry Mode Questionnaire (InQ) measured cognitive style according to five major dimensions: synthesist, idealist, analyst, realist and pragmatist. Your Style of Learning and Thinking (SOLAT)—Form C, now published as the Human Information Processing Survey (HIP Survey), measured preference for one of three main styles: a visuospatial, nonlinear, holistic, right-brain style; a verbal, analytic, sequential, left-brain style; and an integrated style involving an integration of the right and left styles. Significant differences were found for the two groups on the two questionnaires. Students in architecture favored the idealist style on the InQ and right-brain style on the SOLAT. Medical students favored the realist style on the InQ and the left-brain style on the SOLAT. Association between the InQ synthesist-idealist combined scores and the SOLAT inferred right-brain style and between the InQ analyst-realist style and the SOLAT left-brain style were observed.

Dietary Selectivity in Relation to Availability and Quality of Food for Goslings of Cackling Geese

Food selection by and diet of Cackling Goose (Branta canadensis minima) goslings were studied in relation to the quality and availability of food during brood rearing, 1977-1979. Arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris) was the most important food in the diet of goslings before wing-molt of adults and sometimes during molt. Carex mackenziei was the most common sedge in the diet but was less important than arrowgrass. Leaves of other species were relatively unimportant during premolt. Arrowgrass declined, while Carex seeds and crowberries (Empetrum nigrum) increased, in the diet as brood rearing progressed. Arrowgrass was highly preferred, whereas other sedges and grasses (except C. mackenziei) were avoided in areas for which both availability and consumption were measured. Preference for arrowgrass was related to its higher protein and energy content and lower cell-wall content compared to other forage species. Thus, geese benefitted nutritionally from selecting their preferred diet. Seeds and berries contained high levels of lipids and carbohydrates relative to green leaves. Less arrowgrass was consumed in a year when brood densities were higher than in the other 2 years of the study. Arrowgrass availability declined as brood rearing progressed in another year. Thus, Cackling Geese may have been reducing the availability of their most nutritious food, at least at high brood densities. Food quality in breeding areas may be influencing population dynamics of geese despite the high overall availability of green plants.