Richard W. Olshavsky

Task Complexity and Contingent Processing in Brand Choice

Further evidence is presented that brand choice strategy is contingent upon task complexity. When three brands were presented, subjects used a compensatory strategy. When more than three brands were presented, subjects first eliminated unacceptable alternatives using a noncompensatory strategy and then evaluated the remaining alternatives using a compensatory process.

Task complexity and contingent processing in decision making: A replication and extension

Abstract The hypothesis that choice strategy is contingent upon task complexity was subjected to further testing using protocol analysis in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design laboratory study involving 40 subjects. As the number of alternatives increased, subjects switched from a one-stage, compensatory strategy to a multistage strategy involving first a noncompensatory screening stage followed by a compensatory evaluation of remaining alternatives. As the number of attributes per alternative increased, subjects differentially weighted the available information to simplify further the choice task. And as the complexity of the attributes increased, subjects tended to adopt a choice strategy with a screening strategy consisting of two separate stages. These findings were corroborated by separate analysis of quantitative measures of extent of processing and by separate analysis of latency measures. This study provides further support for the contingent processing hypothesis and for the attribute complexity hypothesis, and it increases our confidence in the use of protocol analysis as a viable process tracing technique.

A desires congruency model of consumer satisfaction

The disconfirmation of expectations model has been increasingly criticized in recent years and, as a result, standards other than expectations have been suggested. The present research proposes consumer desires, based on means-end theory, as the comparison standard. Results of an experiment show that the extent to which performance is congruent with desires is a powerful antecedent to satisfaction, while the effect of disconfirmation of expectations is nonsignificant.

The False Consensus Effect in Estimates of Smoking Prevalence Underlying Mechanisms

The current study investigated four possible causal mechanisms underlying the false consensus effect in the context of cigarette smoking. Little support was found for attributional or conformity-based mechanisms. However, support for both a selective exposure and a motivational explanation was found.

An Exploratory Study of the Innovation Evaluation Process

Abstract In their search for the keys to successful product innovation, product managers and researchers typically focus on trying to identify the most effective organizational processes, strategies, and structures. Surprisingly, little or no effort is directed toward understanding the process that consumers use for evaluating an innovation. By gaining insight into this evaluation process, a firm can present an innovative product in a more effective manner and thus increase the likelihood that consumers will respond favorably to the innovation. Richard W. Olshavsky and Richard A. Spreng provide insight into this process by describing the results of an experiment in which subjects were asked to evaluate several innovative concepts. From their observations, they develop a model of the detailed information-processing steps that these consumers employed in order to evaluate the new products. Consistent with previous research, they found that judgment was the predominant evaluation strategy, particularly for the most innovative concepts. Various subjects also used a categorization strategy, though none used categorization for more than four of the nine concepts that were evaluated. Contrary to expectations, none of the evaluations relied solely on the manufacturers reputation or the recommendation of a friend. In a simplified model of the evaluation process, when presented with an innovative concept, consumers first attempt to categorize the product. In other words, an innovation may be rejected simply because consumers somehow link it to an existing category that has a negative connotation. If consumers cannot categorize the product, they then employ a judgment process based on some evaluative criteria. Based on the data collected in this study, this simplified model is extended to include four other cognitive processes that strongly influence the evaluation process: forming evaluative criteria, forming expectations about the innovative concept, assessing satisfaction with an old product, and comparing the new and old products. When faced with a highly innovative concept, consumers may find it difficult to form their own evaluative criteria and expectations concerning that innovation. Consequently, managers may have an opportunity to shape the judgment process by educating consumers about the appropriate evaluative criteria or by clearly communicating the products attributes, benefits, and appropriate use.

Cognitive Maps of Retail Locations: An Investigation of Some Basic Issues

Basic issues in the conceptualization and measurement of cognitive maps are discussed and explored with the aid of an empirical study. Results indicate several advantages for using cognitive measures to describe the physical separation of retail locations.

The dual role of informational social influence: Implications for marketing management

Abstract Evidence is presented from a laboratory study to support the seeking of both recommendations and attribute-value information from information sources during purchase decisions. Emphasis on recommendation information is associated with a broader view of consumer decision making including the subcontracting of brand choice to others and a hybrid decision making strategy under conditions of high perceived risk and high time cost in search. The shift in choice strategy is accompanied by a decrease in the extent of attribute-value information search, a finding which is the opposite of that expected on the basis of previous research and theory in the area. Managerial implications of these choice strategies and associated information use are discussed.

Smoking Intentions in Adolescents Direct Experience and Predictability

The current study examined the role of level of direct experience in the Ajzen and Fishbein model of behavioral intention prediction. Previous research has demonstrated an increase in attitude-behavior consistency for subjects with greater direct experience with the attitude object. The present findings show that the weight of the attitude component in predicting behavioral intentions increased under levels of greater direct experience. This suggests that direct experience increases attitude-behavior consistency because attitudes based on direct experience are more accessible and thus are used more in judgments of intentions and behavior. This contradicts the Fishbein and Ajzen (1980) proposal that attitude-behavior consistency increases with direct experience simply because those attitudes are more stable. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Predictors of adolescents' intentions to smoke: Age, sex, race, and regional differences

The present study investigated the predictors of smoking intentions among subgroups of adolescent nonsmokers, examining age, sex, ethnic, and regional differences. Both proximal factors specific to smoking and more general, distal factors were successful predictors of intentions to smoke. The similarities in prediction outweighed the differences between demographic subgroups. There were three demographic differences: (1) peer and family smoking levels were more important in predicting intentions for girls than boys; (2) smoking initiation was more of a way of adopting deviant or problem behavior for midwestern than for southwestern subjects; (3) familial smoking models were more related to the intentions of midwestern than southwestern subjects. The theoretical significance of these results and their practical implications for smoking prevention are discussed.

A Selective Review of Travel-Mode Choice Models

Major advances in travel-mode choice modeling are reviewed. These include a shift from aggregate to disaggregate models and a shift from physical and economic variables to cognitive and behavioral variables. Developments in mode-choice studies are assessed, and possible directions for future development are suggested.