The effects of expertise on the processing of alignable versus nonalignable attributes

Nam, MyungWoo; Wang, Jing; Lee, Angela

doi:10.1037/e621092012-087

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…Until recently, however, a surprising omission from structural alignment research is the role of consumer characteristics (i.e., motivation and individual difference) in processing different types of product attributes (for exceptions, see Lee & Lee, 2016; Malkoc et al, 2005; Nam et al, 2009). In previous studies on the moderating effect of consumer characteristics and individual differences on information processing, it is revealed that psychological factors such as need for cognition and analytic versus holistic thinking style are important in determining advertising effectiveness (Kulkarni et al, 2020; Yang et al, 2019).…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most recently, Lee and Lee (2016) asserted that independent consumers are more likely to focus on nonalignable attributes whereas interdependent consumers pay more attention to alignable attributes in decision making and preference construction. Consistently, consumers do not deal with product attributes in a similar way because every consumer has a different ability and motivation to process information, and they tend to focus on different aspects of the identical attributes (Gilbert et al, 1988; Nam et al, 2009; Sun et al, 2012). Therefore, it is necessary to identify how the role of consumer factors in the effect of alignable versus nonalignable attribute strategies on consumer judgment and decision making.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of attribute alignability on brand evaluation in a competitive context: The moderating role of regulatory mode

Lee

Suh

Noh

2021

J of Consumer Behaviour

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Based on structural alignment and regulatory mode theories, this research examined how different regulatory modes (assessment and locomotion) affect attitude and purchase intention for a target brand when it is presented in nonalignable/alignable comparison contexts. According to the structural alignment theory, alignable attributes are comparable aspects across product alternatives (e.g., Popcorn A has calories equal to 20 peanuts while Popcorn B has calories equal to 10 peanuts) while nonalignable attributes are aspects that do not correspond to aspects in other options (e.g., Popcorn A has fiber while Popcorn B tastes a bit sweet). Study 1 employed locomotion mode and attribute alignability (alignable vs. nonalignable) as between‐subjects variables. Study 2 employed a single‐factor (regulatory mode: assessment vs. locomotion) design. Data were collected from Amazon's Mechanical Turk participant pool. Findings indicated that the match between regulatory mode and structural alignment of brand attributes affects consumer evaluation and behavioral intention. In Study 1, high locomotors evaluated the target product more favorably and tended to purchase the target brand more in a nonalignable comparison context but not in an alignable one. In Study 2, assessors preferred an alignable‐better brand more than locomotors did, whereas locomotors tended to prefer a nonalignable‐better brand more than assessors did. Implications are discussed related to the effects of regulatory mode and attribute alignability on consumer preference and brand strategies.

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