Claire-Lise Ackermann

The contribution of implicit cognition to the Theory of Reasoned Action Model: a study of food preferences

Abstract Attitudes are at the heart of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), but problems in defining and measuring attitudes have contributed to typically low ability to predict behaviour. This article investigates the impact of potential disjuncture between evaluations that an individual externally verbalises (explicit attitudes), and evaluations that are internally held and may exist outside of conscious awareness (implicit attitudes), on the predictive ability of TRA. We study consumers’ attitudes towards eating healthy food and subsequent behaviour in a context of socially consensual behaviour. An Implicit Association Test (IAT) is used to measure implicit attitudes, and these scores are contrasted with self-reported explicit attitude scores. Ninety one participants took part in the study. We found, surprisingly, that implicit attitude has no significant effect on behavioural intention. However, a disjuncture between an individual’s implicit and explicit attitudes, reflecting internal psychological conflict, affected behaviour.

Consumer innovativeness, perceived innovation and attitude towards “neo-retro”-product design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine if “neo-retro”-product design, which is based on the reinterpretation of forms from the past, can paradoxically convey design newness and looks at how such products are perceived by innovators. Design/methodology/approach – An experiment was conducted with two groups of respondents, with a total sample of 194 respondents. These were, respectively, submitted to two different product designs for highly technical headphones; one with a neo-retro-design and the other with a typical modern design. The approach enabled the testing and validation of different hypotheses regarding retro and innovation. Findings – The results suggest that a neo-retro-product design conveys newness and does not mislead the consumer when it comes to evaluating a products technological input. Furthermore, they support the idea that consumer innovativeness has a positive effect on the attitude towards neo-retro-product design. Research limitations/implications – Future research should...

Implicit attitudes and their measurement: Theoretical foundations and use in consumer behavior research

Implicit attitude automatically influences our judgments without our being aware of it. This article aims to introduce the concept of implicit attitude and its main measurement tool, the Implicit Association Test, and their significance in the study of consumer behavior.

De l’attitude implicite et de sa mesure : fondements et pratiques en comportement du consommateur:

L’attitude implicite influence automatiquement nos jugements sans que nous en ayons conscience. Cet article se propose de présenter le concept d’attitude implicite et son principal outil de mesure, le Test d’Association Implicite, ainsi que leur intérêt pour l’étude des comportements de consommation.

Design du produit et processus de persuasion hiérarchisé : application à trois produits électro-ménagers

Résumé Le design d’un produit peut être appréhendé comme étant un vecteur de communication générant des réponses affectives et cognitives. Cette recherche s’appuie sur les modèles de persuasion publicitaire de MacKenzie et al. (1986). Elle propose que le processus de persuasion induit par le design d’un produit opère selon une voie hiérarchisée directe, par transfert d’affect, et indirecte, à travers les croyances à l’égard du produit. Les résultats indiquent l’existence de la voie directe et de la voie indirecte, aussi bien pour les croyances fonctionnelles que pour les croyances symboliques. Ils mettent en évidence l’effet des choix stylistiques sur les réponses affectives, cognitives et comportementales des consommateurs.

Product design and hierarchized persuasion process: An application to three household electrical products

Product design can be considered a communication tool that results in cognitive and affective responses. This research builds on MacKenzie et al.’s advertising persuasion models to determine whether the persuasion process induced by product design operates according to a hierarchy of effects, both directly through an affect transfer process and indirectly through product cognitions. The findings provide evidence of the existence of direct and indirect routes for both functional and symbolic beliefs. They highlight the effect of stylistic choices on consumers’ affective, cognitive and behavioural responses.