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Earlier research has emphasized the emotional nature of frisson (pleasurable aesthetic chills) and has suggested that the personality trait Openness to Experience may predict more frisson episodes. The present study tested these notions by administering a measure of Openness and inducing actual instances of frisson using musical stimuli. One hundred college students completed the NEO-PI-R, which assesses the five factors of personality (Openness, Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness), and then listened to five musical selections that were likely to elicit frisson. Frisson was assessed via a combined self-report and physiological (galvanic skin response) measure. As predicted, frequency of frisson was positively correlated with overall Openness to Experience, as well as five of its six subfacets: Fantasy, Aesthetics, Feelings, Ideas, and Values. Examination of the more specific relationships suggests the possibility that cognitive attentiveness to music may be more closely related to frisson than had been emphasized in past research.

Previous research has focused primarily on affect generated from counterfactual thinking after decisions have heen made. The current study, in contrast, examined how predecision mental simulations (prefactuals) and feelings of anticipated regret are affected hy different marketing strategies. A preliminary investigation found that consumers frequently produce upward prefactuals (e.g., if I huy it today and find it for less next week, I'll regret my purchase) when considering a major purchase. It was hypothesized that providing price guarantees would reduce upward prefactual generation and reduce anticipated regret. The primary investigation supported these predictions. When price guarantees were availahle, prefactuals were more downward in direction and negative affect was reduced. Also, price guarantees increased long-term satisfaction and happiness even when they were not exercised. Implications for mental simulation, marketing, and judgment and decision making are discussed.

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Limited research has examined the effects of using disclaimers on person perception, and none has examined disclaimer effectiveness. Four studies test whether disclaimers effectively ward off negative judgments regarding the specific disclaimed traits. Study 1 finds that using an arrogance disclaimer ("I don't mean to sound arrogant, but . . .") increased judgments of the speaker's arrogance but only when followed by an arrogant comment. Studies 2 and 3 yield similar findings using laziness and selfishness disclaimers. Studies 2, 3, and 4 examine five possible underlying mechanisms regarding why disclaimers can backfire. The most support was obtained for the notion that disclaimers increase an audience's expectations that the speaker will say something consistent with the unwanted trait, which then increases perceptions of that trait in the speaker. We discuss some possible moderating variables as well as some implications of these findings for general impression formation models.