Moderating Effects of Self-Regulatory Focus on Persuasiveness of Source–Content Incongruity
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Lin, Bo-Chi
Abstract
Consumers often make a purchase decision on the basis of extrinsic information, which consists of the endorser’s (information source’s) image and his or her recommendation (information content) of a product. This study differentiates both these information components between two characteristics: affect-based versus cognition-based. Consumers naturally connect the information source’s characteristics to those of the information contents; that is, a spokesperson with affect-based (cognition-based) personality should convey affective (cognitive) messages. However, these characteristics of the source and content may seem inconsistent in some cases.his study proposes that consumers’ self-regulatory focus influences the persuasiveness of such a source–content incongruity. In line with prior research on self-regulatory focus theory and incongruity effects, the results find that while asking others for opinions to make a decision, compared with an information source–content congruity, promotion-focused consumers are more persuaded by the recommendations in an incongruity scenario. In contrast, a source–content congruity is more persuasive for prevention-focused consumers. This study provides literature reviews, theory developments, experiment design, and the analyses and results. Theoretical implications, managerial implications, limitations, and further research directions are also discussed.
Subjects
self-regulatory focus
incongruity
persuasion
affect
cognition
recommendation
Type
thesis
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
ntu-98-F92741075-1.pdf
Size
23.32 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):03dda98c7215f267f889ff5ed21bfb0c