Influencing consumer resistance through priming: the role of mindsets and motivational orientation
Harman, Brian
(2016)
Influencing consumer resistance through priming: the role of mindsets and motivational orientation.
PhD thesis, Dublin City University.
Counterarguing (bolstering) mindsets increase (decrease) consumer resistance to persuasive appeals (Xu & Wyer, 2012). To date, research has neither replicated these mindsets nor examined their boundary conditions. Six experiments were conducted to (a) address these issues and (b) to contribute to the scarce literature of consumer resistance mindsets. This research extends the work of Xu and Wyer (2012) in a number of ways. First, it examined whether approach (avoidance) motivation moderates the perceptual, behavioural and cognitive effects of bolstering (counterarguing) mindsets. Second, it tested the hypothesis that bolstering (counterarguing) mindsets attenuate (accentuate) an individual’s ability to detect deceptive marketing tactics (Study 2 and Study 3). Third, it investigated whether an individual’s chronic persuasion knowledge moderates the effect of a bolstering mindset (Study 3). Finally, the research tested the hypothesis that bolstering (counterarguing) mindsets may be activated via episodic recall (Studies, 3, 4 and 6). Study 1 failed to replicate the counterarguing mindset. However, the study does tender methodological contributions to the mindset priming literature. Study 2 and Study 3 successfully replicated the effects of a bolstering mindset and provide evidence that both strong approach motivation (Study 2) and weak approach motivation (Study 3) can increase an individual's willingness to pay. The bolstering mindset is also found to increase non-monetary, behavioural intentions (i.e. petition signing) and can favourably influence perceptual responses (i.e. product attractiveness). The research also demonstrates that bolstering (counterarguing) mindsets can inhibit the generation of incongruent thoughts and regulate the activation of Persuasion Knowledge. Importantly, both mindsets are found to strongly influence an individual’s willingness to pay which has important implications for both consumers and marketers. The research also suggests that the counterarguing mindset may be activated via episodic recall. While the observed mindset priming effects are weak they are generally consistent with the results reported by Xu and Wyer (2012).