Yuwei Jiang

Babyfaces, Trait Inferences, and Company Evaluations in a Public Relations Crisis

We investigate the effects of babyfaceness on the trustworthiness and judgments of a companys chief executive officer in a public relations crisis. Experiment 1 demonstrates boundary conditions for the babyfaceness-honesty trait inference and its influence on company evaluations. Experiment 2 shows that trait inferences of honesty are drawn spontaneously but are corrected in the presence of situational evidence (a severe crisis) if cognitive resources are available. We demonstrate that these babyface-trait associations underlie evaluations by reversing the babyface effect on judgments in (a) experiment 3, where a priming task creates associations counter to the typical babyface-unintentional harm stereotype, and (b) experiment 4, which creates a situation where innocence is a liability. (c) 2008 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

Show Me the Honey! Effects of Social Exclusion on Financial Risk-Taking

This research examines the effects of social exclusion on a critical aspect of consumer behavior, financial decision-making. Specifically, four lab experiments and one field survey uncover how feeling isolated or ostracized causes consumers to pursue riskier but potentially more profitable financial opportunities. These daring proclivities do not appear driven by impaired affect or self-esteem. Rather, interpersonal rejection exacerbates financial risk-taking by heightening the instrumentality of money (as a substitute for popularity) to obtain benefits in life. Invariably, the quest for wealth that ensues tends to adopt a riskier but potentially more lucrative road. The article concludes by discussing the implications of its findings for behavioral research as well as for societal and individual welfare.

Condom embarrassment: coping and consequences for condom use in three countries

Abstract This studyinvestigates embarrassment related to condom purchase, carrying, storage, use, and disposal in three countries. We identifythe consequences of purchase embarrassment for condom use and explore strategies that individuals use to cope with purchase-related embarrassment. Surveys were distributed in Shanghai, China and Seoul, Republic of Korea based on a surveydeveloped and previouslydistributed in Vancouver, Canada. Despite different levels of development and differences in attitudes and policies toward sexualityin these countries, we find remarkablysimilar results. In all three countries, condom-related embarrassment extends beyond condom use to pre- and post-use situations. The embarrassment associated with purchasing condoms exceeds that of using condoms, and purchase-related condom embarrassment significantlyand negativelyimpacts the frequencyof condom use. Individuals use multiple coping strategies to combat purchase-related embarrassment until this embarrassment decreases with age and experience, and coping strategies are no longer needed to enable condom purchase. In short, embarrassment associated with condoms goes beyond embarrassment about condom use. Purchase-related embarrassment and the strategies individuals use to cope with this embarrassment must be considered in order to promote consistent condom use and improve sexual and reproductive health worldwide.

Imagining Yourself in the Scene: The Interactive Effects of Goal-Driven Self-Imagery and Visual Perspectives on Consumer Behavior

Consumers often imagine themselves in a scene and engage in such self-imagery while processing information. The goals that they have when they engage in such imagery (e.g., a goal to construct a story of the experience vs. a goal to acquire information) can influence how the mental images they generate affect judgments. When pictures from very different perspectives are provided, those trying to imagine themselves in the scene in order to create a story of the experience have to shift visual perspectives in order to imagine the entire experience. This shift in visual perspective can increase processing difficulty and decrease evaluations of the product or service being described. When individuals are simply imagining themselves acquiring information about the product or service, however, presenting information from different perspectives has a positive impact on evaluations. Four experiments confirmed these effects and the assumptions underlying their conceptualization.