William O. Bearden

Situational and Extended Attitude Models as Predictors of Marijuana Intentions and Reported Behavior

Summary The relative abilities of Fishbeins extended model and Rokeachs situational attitude model to predict and explain marijuana intentions and reported behavior were assessed for 251 male and female university students within the same situational context. Usefulness of model components was assessed in terms of reductions in explained variance when predictor variables are omitted from regression extimations. A split-half cross-validation procedure was used to examine each conceptual frameworks ability to predict and explain behavior. Support was found for both conceptual frameworks as predictors of marijuana consumption.

Dogmatism as a mediating influence on the perception of risk in consumer choice decisions.

The risk perceived by individual consumers when faced with an unfamiliar purchase situation was examined across three groups of females for three product categories. Group membership was determined on the basis of high, medium, and low scores on the Trodahl-Powell dogmatism instrument. Ss were 155 housewives of a medium size midwestern city in the United States surveyed as part of a two-tiered sampling process. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance procedure supported the hypothesis that consumers of a less dogmatic nature perceive lower levels of risk inherent within unfamiliar purchase situations than more dogmatic individuals. The implication for management is that the likelihood of obtaining successful new product introductions may be substantially enhanced through the process of risk reduction across dogmatic consumer segments by use of direct testimonial promotional themes stressing product acceptance in support of more traditional and informative advertising messages. The feasibility of this approach is based upon the premise that the behavior of dogmatic individuals is more frequently affected by pressures from peers and significant others than the behavior of individuals low in dogmatism which is generally based on more factual and relevant information.

The Effect of Attitudes and Previous Behavior on Consumer Choice

Summary The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of both previous behavior and attitudes as independent variables to predict and explain brand choice behavior for a group of male beer drinkers. A longitudinal design was employed to assess behavior and attitudes toward four brands across multiple time periods for a group of 115 consumers. The average multiple correlation across the four brands with the use of a single-dimension attitude measure and previous behavior as predictors of current behavior was .71. The contribution of previous behavior to the overall variance explained in current behavior for the Ss was quite substantial in comparison to the contributions to explained variance made by both the attitudinal construct alone and the joint interaction of both explanatory variables. However, attitudinal variables corresponding to the underlying cognitive structure of consumers along product dimensions offer the potential for a more complete explanation and description of brand choice decisio...

Previous Jury Service as a Moderating Influence on Jurors' Beliefs and Attitudes

To ascertain the effect that prior jury service had on beliefs and over-ail attitude towards service, 166 randomly selected registered voters who had been summoned for jury service were administered questionnaires on the first day of their service. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine interrelationships between juror beliefs concerning service and over-all attitudes for both those who had and those who had not served previously. Results indicate that those with previous service differed significantly in their perceptions of service from those without prior service. The need for court administrators to develop alternative strategies for both groups is demonstrated.

Exposing organizational buyers to consumer magazine advertisements

Abstract The feasibility of using consumer magazines in support of more traditional industrial media in marketing programs designed to create awareness and goodwill among industrial buyers and purchasing influentials is examined. Specifically, magazines delivering at least 10 percent of those individuals influencing organizational purchases of

Profiling the Shopping Behavior of Elderly Consumers

1000 or more are compared with trade publications. Exposure patterns are examined in total and by segments based on company size. Consumer magazines are found more cost efficient than industry-trade publications and should be considered for exposing purchasing influentials to institutional advertisement containing general appeals designed to build firm awareness among industrial buyers and influentials in different industries.