Maria L. Cronley

The Role of Selective Information Processing in Price-Quality Inference

This research investigates the effects of the amount of information presented, information organization, and concern about closure on selective information processing and on the degree to which consumers use price as a basis for inferring quality. Consumers are found to be less likely to neglect belief-inconsistent information and their quality inferences less influenced by price when concern about closure is low (vs. high) and information is presented randomly (vs. ordered) or a small amount of information is presented. Results provide a picture of a resource-constrained consumer decision maker who processes belief-inconsistent information only when there is motivation and opportunity.

Comparative Advertising: Effects of Structural Alignability on Target Brand Evaluations

Structural alignability refers to the readiness with which the attributes of one brand can be mapped on to those of another brand. Across three experiments, we show that as alignability in comparative advertising decreases, advertising-induced target brand evaluations also decrease. This effect is explained by the extent to which assumptions about attribute comparisons are needed. We further show that the effect of alignability on evaluation is moderated by the need for cognitive closure, an individual difference variable that influences preferences for easy comparison and less ambiguity. Although prior research has treated alignability as a dichotomous variable (present or absent), the research presented here suggests that there are different types of (non)alignability comparisons.

Consideration Set Overvaluation: When Impossibly Favorable Ratings of a Set of Brands Are Observed

Consumers often focus on the characteristics of one brand and consider insufficiently the characteristics of other brands. Singular evaluation processes often result in judgments of a focal brand that are more extreme than warranted. This research investigates the extent to which this extremity effect generalizes to a consideration set consisting of multiple brands. Three experiments show that a set of favorably regarded brands is perceived as more favorable than would be possible if the salience manipulation had no effect. In Experiment 1, participants overestimated the likelihood that the best brand in the market was included in the presented set. In Experiment 2, the average rank assigned to the brands in the presented set was inflated. Extreme judgments were observed regardless of whether the focal set of brands was offered by a specialty store with a high-quality reputation or by a general merchandise store with a low-quality reputation. In Experiment 3, extreme intentions to buy now from the focal store were reduced when a comparative (vs. singular) judgment task was performed, but only when the need for cognitive closure was low as opposed to high. The results suggest that singular evaluation processes lead to consideration set overvaluation regardless of which particular favorably regarded brands happen to be included in the set.

Funding Implications of Social Enterprise: The Role of Mission Consistency, Entrepreneurial Competence, and Attitude Toward Social Enterprise on Donor Behavior

Social entrepreneurship covers a broad domain, including social enterprise, defined as the use of for-profit strategies by nonprofit organizations. Driven by multiple factors, nonprofit organizations have increasingly turned to social enterprise in the hopes of funding their social missions. However, only limited research has fully delineated how the use of social enterprises affects overall funding and the conditions under which social enterprises are relatively more effective. This mixed-method, three-study project provides evidence that the introduction of a social enterprise negatively affects individual donations but that some of the negative effects can be mitigated when the social enterprise is perceived as mission consistent and competent. In addition, the results show that donor attitudes toward social enterprises moderate the effects. The results of these studies have important implications for marketing, social entrepreneurship, and public policy.

Down the Garden Path: The Role of Conditional Inference Processes in Self-Persuasion

Three experiments investigated the effects of conditional inference processes on belief system structure and persuasion. Experiment 1 applied functional measurement procedures to show that Wyers (1974) subjective probability model of cognitive organization generalizes to belief systems using realistic product stimuli. Experiment 2 demonstrated that belief systems about products become more internally consistent when beliefs within these systems are reported repeatedly (the Socratic effect), especially when brand familiarity is low. Experiment 3 investigated the effects of horizontal versus vertical argument structures in advertising on persuasion. The results show that a persuasion-induced change in 1 belief can alter other related but unmentioned beliefs, and that resistance to persuasion is greater for horizontal than for vertical argument structures. Theoretical and applied implications of these results are discussed.

Then and Now: Examining How Consumer Communication and Attitudes of Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising Have Changed in the Last Decade

This study examines changes over a 10-year period in consumer reports of communication with health care providers about direct-to-consumer advertised (DTCA) medications. Two rounds of survey data were collected in 2003 and 2012 using repeated cross-sectional procedures to examine consumer willingness to discuss DTCA medications, content and tone of those conversations, and attitudes about the advertisements. In total, 472 surveys were analyzed. Generally, we found physician–patient conversations, attitudes, and behaviors regarding DTCA have changed. Consumers in 2012 reported talking significantly less about the names of the advertised drug, comparing the advertised drug with their current medication, and sharing general information than consumers in 2003. Attitudes toward the advertisements were significantly more negative in 2012 compared to 2003. Of those who specifically asked for a prescription, the proportion of patients who received the prescription was significantly lower in 2012, despite research suggesting increased rates of prescriptions. These results are interpreted in light of previous research about the lack of research examining the actual communication between physicians and patients on this topic. Limitations of the study are provided along with directions for future research about DTCA and physician–patient communication.