Cognitive appraisals of consumption situations leading to consumer emotions and action tendencies: A new approach to consumer responses.

Abstract

Four contributions of this research are (1) redefining customer satisfaction to include specific emotions for a deeper and finer grained approach, (2) specifying the antecedents to specific emotions in order to better explain complex consumer emotional reactions, (3) testing a model for co-existence of different target specific emotions, and (4) testing predictions for specific action tendencies for consumer emotions. This research builds on a cognitive approach to emotions and can be cogently summarized as follows: A distinct set of appraisals of different antecedent conditions should lead to discrete emotions and for each emotion there is a more or less clearly differentiated coping response. Two studies were conducted to look at which appraisal conditions elicit discrete emotions and coping responses in a consumer service context. Appraisal conditions were manipulated via scenarios in both the studies. Study 1 involves application of the emotion approach to a marketing context (automobile repair). In this 2 x 3 experiment, the factors manipulated were two levels of motive inconsistency (high and low) and agency (self, other and circumstances). Data were collected from 200 students at the University of Michigan. Study 2 applies the emotion approach to a realistic service marketing setting (the movie going experience). The additional set of hypotheses investigated in study 2 addresses target specific emotions and coping with emotional reactions. The factors manipulated in this (2 x 2 x 2) study were motive consistency (positive and negative), pleasantness (pleasant and unpleasant) and causal agency (self and other). The dependent variable measures include manipulation checks, intensity of 25 emotions directed at four targets, and various action tendencies. Data were collected from 202 students from the University of Michigan. By using the approach to emotions recently proposed in psychology by Ellsworth, Roseman, Lazarus, and others in consumer marketing contexts, we were able to predict the specific emotions elicited and consumer responses to appraisals, given a set of antecedent conditions. Data analyzed from study 1 and study 2 show strong support for hypotheses.