A multidimensional association approach to sequential consumer judgments

Abstract

This article shows that consumer contexts can activate multidimensional associations that determine when accessible constructs influence judgment. Four experiments showed that exposure to consumer products (e.g., Ferrari) can activate constructs (e.g., expensive) that influence judgments of targets along that dimension, but only when an additional associated construct (e.g., foreign) matches features of the target (e.g., when the target is foreign). The effects were observed across multiple domains and held when exposure to the products was only incidental. The effects were moderated by the salience of the associated construct in the judgment target.