Papers by Mario Pandelaere
Current psychology letters, 2003
Recently, Beauvois & Dubois (2000; see also Dubois & Beauvois, 2001) have published a comprehensi... more Recently, Beauvois & Dubois (2000; see also Dubois & Beauvois, 2001) have published a comprehensive synthesis of their contributions concerning the role of traits in lay personology. A central issue concerns the nature of the evaluative "good-bad" component of the meaning of traits. A main merit of Beauvois and Dubois' contributions is that they have completed the traditional "individual" approach of this problem with a typically "social" approach. The Individual Approach This approach (e.g., Peeters, 1999a) deals with traits as intrinsic properties of the perceived target person. They differ from physical properties such as hair colour only in that they cannot be directly observed. However, their presence in a target person is inferred from the target's behaviour (abbreviated: TB). The trait is conceived as a covert but real disposition underlying the overt TB. This connection of the trait with the TB constitutes the nonevaluative or descriptive component of the trait meaning. For instance the descriptive meaning of "honest" refers to TBs such as "(S)he does not cheat". The evaluative meaning of the trait consists of positive (versus negative) affect that is attached to the trait's descriptive meaning and it reflects the (positive versus negative) desirability of the target's TB for the perceiver. One problem is that the evaluative meaning of traits such as honest is assumed to be a fixed semantic feature of the trait, while individual perceivers' desires can be idiosyncratic. In this way the honesty of a customs officer can be very negative for a smuggler. This problem has been met by assuming that evaluative trait meanings reflect the adaptive value of the trait for humans in general. Peeters (1983; see also: Beauvois, Dubois & Peeters, 1999) has demonstrated that this adaptive value can be Approach-Avoidance Values of Target-Directed Behaviours Elicited by Target-Tr...
Journal of Research in Personality, 2019
Materialism is the focus of much research due to its negative consequences for individuals and so... more Materialism is the focus of much research due to its negative consequences for individuals and societies. While recent research indicates that the strength of materialistic value orientations changes with age during adulthood, little is known about the processes that cause these age-related changes. We propose that changes in materialism, as people grow older, are rooted in changes in self-uncertainty. We find evidence for this idea in two studies and across different measures of self-uncertainty. In addition, we show that the changes in materialism cannot be explained by (age-related) differences in socio-demographic variables. Finally, our results indicate that changes in self-uncertainty provide a better account for changes in materialism than age-related changes in self-esteem.
Consumers prefer quantitative to qualitative information, yet the same quantitative information c... more Consumers prefer quantitative to qualitative information, yet the same quantitative information can appear as different numbers (e.g., 7-year warranty = 84-month warranty). The current paper demonstrates that consumers focus more on the number of units (7 versus 84) than on the type of units (year versus month), which implies a unit effect. The same attribute difference expressed as a higher number of units induces a perception of being larger (Study 1). When consumers receive the same information on different scales, the unit effect disappears (Study 2). Because differences in quality for the various options appear inflated due to the use of a scale with more units, consumers may switch away from a lower quality option when the quality ratings employ many units (Study 3). Finally, the unit effect implies that consumers are more sensitive to proportional differences and ratios of attribute levels when the attribute expression relies on many units rather than a few units (Study 4).
Media Psychology, 2015
Can't see the forest for the trees? The effect of media multitasking on cognitive processing styl... more Can't see the forest for the trees? The effect of media multitasking on cognitive processing style Media psychology
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2006
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2005
The authors thank Tom Meyvis and Sabrina Bruyneel for comments on an earlier version of this manu... more The authors thank Tom Meyvis and Sabrina Bruyneel for comments on an earlier version of this manuscript and the marketing groups of the K.U.Leuven, Erasmus University and Tilburg University for their useful comments on the corresponding presentation. The authors also thank Ineke Thiry and Alan McCormack for their help with the data collection. Financial support by the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO), the competitive research fund of the KULeuven, and Censydiam are gratefully acknowledged.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2005
Thinking & Reasoning, 2003
This paper reports four experiments investigating whether model construction of linear reasoning ... more This paper reports four experiments investigating whether model construction of linear reasoning problems is open to strategic decisions. A reversed choice/nochoice paradigm was used in which reasoners first had to apply two model construction strategies (acronym and rehearsal strategy) to two problem sets. Next, they could choose freely among the two strategies to apply to a new problem set. Experiment 1 showed that reasoners selected the strategy that they experienced as the most accurate one in the no-choice phase. Moreover, in Experiment 2, it was found that reasoners adapted their strategy choice to changing problem features, to use the most suitable strategy for premise encoding. Experiments 3 and 4 generalised these findings to more complex linear reasoning problems with a mixed sentence frame and a semi-continuous presentation of the premises, and to two-model problems. On the basis of these results, we argue that strategic decisions influence model construction in linear reasoning.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2007
Using a priming procedure, the authors study the influence of associating low-fat snack products ... more Using a priming procedure, the authors study the influence of associating low-fat snack products with contextual health references (e.g., words, such as diet and fiber) on the consumption of these products. Health primes increase consumption of low-fat potato chips (Study 1) and lead consumers to report that they are closer to their ideal weight (Study 2). These results indicate that associating low-fat products with health references may contribute to rather than solve the obesity problem, and they have useful implications for public policy and society.
Journal of Personality, 2012
Objective: We tested whether and why observers dislike individuals who convey self-superiority th... more Objective: We tested whether and why observers dislike individuals who convey self-superiority through blatant social comparison (the hubris hypothesis). Method: Participants read self-superiority claims ("I am better than others", Experiments 1-7), noncomparative positive claims ("I am good;" Experiments 1-2, 4), self-equality claims ("I am as good as others;" Experiments 3-4, 6), temporally comparative self-superiority claims ("I am better than I used to be;" Experiment 5), other-superiority claims ("S/he is better than others;" Experiment 6), and self-superiority claims accompanied by persistent disclaimers (Experiment 7). They judged the claim and the claimant (Experiments 1-7) and made inferences about the claimant's self-view and view of others (Experiments 4-7) as well as the claimant's probable view of them (Experiment 7). Results: Self-superiority claims elicited unfavorable evaluations relative to all other claims. Evaluation unfavorability was accounted for by the perception that the claimant implied a negative view of others (Experiments 4-6) and particularly of the observer (Experiment 7). Supporting the hubris hypothesis, participants disliked individuals who communicated selfsuperiority beliefs in an explicitly comparative manner. Conclusions: Self-superiority beliefs may provoke undesirable interpersonal consequences when they are explicitly communicated to others, but not when they are disguised as noncomparative positive self-claims or self-improvement claims.
Journal of Economic Psychology, 2013
ABSTRACT Previous research has demonstrated that people’s concern about their position relative t... more ABSTRACT Previous research has demonstrated that people’s concern about their position relative to a reference group (i.e., positional concern) is stronger in some domains than in others. Our survey data reveals that people care more about their relative position in domains where they have to engage in social comparison to evaluate outcomes. People thus tend to have strong positional concerns in domains with a high level of need for comparison. Moreover, we demonstrate that making social comparisons not directly elicit positional concerns, but trigger a competitive mindset making people want to be better off than others in society.
Journal of Consumer Research, 2011
Quantitative information can appear in different units (e.g., 7-year warranty = 84-month warranty... more Quantitative information can appear in different units (e.g., 7-year warranty = 84-month warranty). This article demonstrates that attribute differences appear larger on scales with a higher number of units; expressing quality information on such an expanded scale makes consumers switch to a higher-quality option. Testifying to its practical importance, expressing the energy content of snacks in kilojoules rather than kilocalories increases the choice of a healthy snack. The unit effect occurs because consumers focus on the number rather than the type of units in which information is expressed (numerosity effect). Therefore, reminding consumers of alternative units in which information can be expressed eliminates the unit effect. Finally, the unit effect moderates relative thinking: consumers are more sensitive to relative attribute differences when the attribute is expressed on expanded scales. The relation with anchoring and implications for temporal discounting and loyalty progra...
Journal of Consumer Research, 2013
Previous research on numerosity effects has shown that people often infer higher quantity from la... more Previous research on numerosity effects has shown that people often infer higher quantity from larger numbers (i.e. specified in smaller units). We argue that consumers have default units for many attribute levels. In three studies, we demonstrate that products described in default units generate more positive product evaluations, irrespective of the nominal value of the attribute (Study 1). This default unit effect is eliminated by a misattribution paradigm in which participants attribute the metacognitive feelings generated by default units to an irrelevant source (Study 2). Further, the default unit effect is eliminated for participants with an abstract mindset (Study 3).
Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2013
This article investigates if and how the valence of color cues affects moral acceptability of (un... more This article investigates if and how the valence of color cues affects moral acceptability of (un)desirable consumer behaviors. Study 1 uses colors with definite differences in terms of valence, namely, red and green. Study 2 applies an evaluative conditioning paradigm to endow initially neutral colors with negative versus positive valences. We find an ironic color effect: undesirable behaviors become more acceptable when presented with negatively valenced colors. In general, respondents find (un)desirable behaviors more acceptable when a background color is of the same valence rather than neutral or opposite in valence. Implications for promotion and prevention campaigns are discussed.
Journal of Business Research, 2013
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2008
In this questionnaire study it was tested to what extent identification with a merged basketball ... more In this questionnaire study it was tested to what extent identification with a merged basketball club could be predicted on the basis of six concepts derived from a social identity perspective on mergers. Respondents were 160 fans and 91 youth players of a Belgian first division basketball club that had merged the previous season. A direct multiple regression analysis indicated that, both for fans and youth players identification with the pre-merger club was the best predictor of identification with the new merger club, followed by the perceived success of the merger. Two other concepts emerged as significant, though modest, predictors of post-merger identification for fans and youth players: the perceived necessity of the merger and their satisfaction with the merger process. For the fans, the perceived continuity/representation of the in-group in the merger group was also a significant predictor. Together, the hypothesized predictors accounted for 70% of the total variance in their post-merger identification. This high percentage underlines the relevance of a social-psychological perspective on how sport fans' react to mergers. For youth players, 61% of the total variance in their post-merger identification was explained, which
International Journal of Research in Marketing, 2010
The present paper shows that the frequency of people's compliance with a request can be substanti... more The present paper shows that the frequency of people's compliance with a request can be substantially increased if the requester first gets them to agree with a series of statements unrelated to the request but selected to induce agreement. We label this effect the 'mere-agreement effect' and present a two-step similarity-based mechanism to explain it. Across five studies, we show that induced mere agreement subtly causes respondents to view the presenter of the statements as similar to themselves, which in turn increases the frequency compliance with a request from that same person. We support the similarity explanation by showing that the effect of agreement on compliance is suppressed when agreement is induced to indicate dissimilarity with the interviewer, when the request is made by some other person, and when the artificially high level of agreement is made salient. We also validate the practical relevance of the mere-agreement persuasion technique in a field study. We discuss how the mere-agreement effect can be broadly used as a tool to increase cooperation and be readily implemented in marketing interactions.
International Journal of Market Research, 2013
The nature of luxury is constantly changing and this makes it difficult to formulate a universal ... more The nature of luxury is constantly changing and this makes it difficult to formulate a universal definition of luxury brands. The current paper aims to enrich the understanding of luxury brand meaning from a consumer perspective. In particular, this paper investigates consumers' perceptions of luxury brands based on the extent to which they associate various attributes to luxury brands. A large-scale survey in the Flemish part of Belgium reveals three facets of luxury brand meaning: an expressive facet that refers to the exclusivity of luxury brands, an impressive-functional facet that refers to premium quality and an impressiveemotional facet that refers to extraordinary aesthetic aspects. In addition, the current study distinguishes three consumer segments (i.e. impressive, expressive and mixed segment) that differ from each other for the importance they attach to these facets of luxury brand meaning. The impressive segment associates luxury brand meaning with both impressive-...
vol: OR 0801, Feb 14, 2008
Respondents in four studies were more willing to comply with a help request if they previously ag... more Respondents in four studies were more willing to comply with a help request if they previously agreed with the person asking for help. In all four studies, the topic of agreement was unrelated to the issue for which help was requested. Mere agreeing increased subsequent compliance in a real life telephone survey (Study 1). Agreeing respondents perceived the person presenting the statements as more similar to them than disagreeing of neutral respondents (Study 2). Increased similarity following agreement mediated the ...
Uploads
Papers by Mario Pandelaere