Emotional Drivers Research Articles

Sensory drivers of product-elicited emotions are moderated by liking: Insights from consumer segmentation

The important role of emotions in consumers’ food-related decisions motivate ongoing research in this domain, and in the present research attention was directed to an area that remains under-investigated: identifying sensory drivers of product-elicited emotions. Assuming that product-elicited emotions depend on the value individuals attach to the sensory characteristics of products, liking was expected to moderate the sensory drivers of emotions. This motivated an exploration of differences in the emotional associations of consumer groups with different preference patterns, as well as the sensory drivers of product-elicited emotions. Across four studies (123–192 consumers per study), using different product categories, emotion questionnaire variants and consumer populations, support for three hypotheses was established: i) consumers with different preference patterns did not largely differ in how they described the sensory characteristics of products, but they differed in their emotional associations, and differences between segments with different liking patterns were larger for emotional product associations than for sensory product perceptions (H1), ii) differences in the emotional associations depended on the size of the difference in liking between the two groups, although some differences in the emotional associations of samples with similar liking scores were also established (H2), and iii) many of the sensory drivers of emotions differed between consumer segments with different preference patterns (H3). The latter has not previously been demonstrated in this level of detail and supports the growing recognition of segmentation analysis in product-focused consumer research.

The effects of peripheral service quality on spectators’ emotions and behavioural intentions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of peripheral service quality on football match spectators’ emotions and behavioural intention.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from a survey of 342 spectators of professional league football in Malaysia and analysed using the partial least squares technique.FindingsThe results illustrated the significant role of both pleasant and unpleasant emotions in forming spectators’ behavioural intentions. Furthermore, they demonstrated that the drivers of pleasant and unpleasant emotions are different. While entertainment, electronic devices and stadium announcers have positive effects on pleasant emotion, facilities and electronic devices have negative effects on unpleasant emotion. Entertainment, electronic devices and stadium announcers have indirect effects on behavioural intentions through pleasant emotions. Unpleasant emotions mediated the effects of facilities and electronic devices on behavioural intentions.Originality/valueThe findings of this study suggest that football marketers must understand the crucial role of peripheral service quality and spectators’ emotions. Through stimulating pleasant emotions in spectators and preventing unpleasant emotions from arising, football marketers can ensure that these spectators will attend football stadiums.

What do we know about the sensory drivers of emotions in foods and beverages?

In the past decade, while interest in emotions has markedly grown, the relationships between sensory properties and emotions, and particularly the role played by product liking/disliking, remain underexplored. In this review we provide a concise summary of recent research on the emotions elicited by unbranded foods and beverages, as well as simpler taste and odour stimuli. Scientific advances and research limitations will be discussed, while taking account of heterogeneity in results due to the different methodologies used in the field and the role of individual differences. Food scientists will benefit from this state-of-affairs review to drive advances in applied research regarding the sensory drivers of emotions, much in the same way past research has contributed to an understanding of the sensory drivers of liking.

Disgust as an emotional driver of vaccine attitudes and uptake? A mediation analysis.

Research on the drivers of vaccine acceptance has expanded but most interventions fall short of coverage targets. We explored whether vaccine uptake is driven directly or indirectly by disgust with attitudes towards vaccines acting as a possible mediator. An online cross-sectional study of 1007 adults of the USA via Amazon's Mechanical Turk was conducted in January 2017. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: (1) items assessing attitudes towards vaccines and vaccine uptake, (2) revised Disgust Scale (DS-R) to measure Disgust Sensitivity, (3) Perceived Vulnerability to Disease scale (PVD) to measure Germ Aversion and Perceived Susceptibility, and (4) socio-demographic information. Using mediation analysis, we assess the direct, the indirect (through Vaccine Attitudes) and the total effect of Disgust Sensitivity, Germ Aversion and Perceived Susceptibility on 2016 self-reported flu vaccine uptake. Mediation analysis showed the effect of Disgust Sensitivity and Germ Aversion on vaccine uptake to be twofold: a direct positive effect on vaccine uptake and an indirect negative effect through Vaccine Attitudes. In contrast, Perceived Susceptibility was found to have only a direct positive effect on vaccine uptake. Nonetheless, these effects were attenuated and small compared to economic, logistic and psychological determinants of vaccine uptake.

What are the drivers of cross-generational physical activity? Exploring the experiences of children and parents

Little is known about what drives engagement in physical activity involving children and parents together. To date, when this phenomenon has been studied, the focus has been upon parent support for child physical activity, ignoring the child perspective. This article explores child and parent drivers of cross-generational physical activity. A qualitative, hermeneutic methodology was employed. Primary school children and parents took part in semi-structured focus groups, family unit interviews, and individual interviews. Data was transcribed and analysed thematically. Engagement in cross-generational physical activity was driven by much more than physical health benefits. Emotional and relational drivers of cross-generational physical activity were identified, highlighting the mostly positive impacts it had upon both family and child–parent relationships by providing connecting and bonding experiences. Children identified it as a unique physical activity partnership, which provided a safe context for practising their sporting skills. Parents reported that cross-generational physical activity facilitated parenting by providing opportunities for them to teach and nurture important life skills, while also providing their child with support for physical activity. Holidays were identified as a time when the focus of physical activity for families was more often cross-generational. Cross-generational physical activity is a complex, bi-directional physical activity partnership that takes place within a child–parent relationship, within a family. Its drivers are manifold, extending well beyond the dose of physical activity it provides, to strengthening relationships and skill development. Future research should include the child’s voice to provide a more holistic view of this phenomenon.

Online information and support needs of young people with cancer: a participatory action research study.

PurposeThe Internet is a fully integrated part of young people’s life and it is pivotal that online resources are developed to maximize the potential of the Internet to support those living with and beyond cancer. We sought to understand how young people with a cancer diagnosis use the Internet and to what extent information and support needs are met by existing online resources.Patients and methodsThis was a participatory action research study involving 21 young people participating in workshops and individual interviews. Participants aged 13–24 years were diagnosed with a range of cancers. Young people were on treatment or had completed treatment; some had experienced relapse. Workshops consisted of participatory methods including focus group discussions, interactive activities, and individual thought, encompassing online resources used; when, how and what they were searching for, whether resources were helpful and how they could be improved.ResultsYoung people reported using communication platforms, entertainment sites, social media, medical websites, charity websites, and search engines to find information and support. Different online use and needs were described throughout their cancer timeline and online use was generally driven by negative emotions. Seven factors influenced access and engagement: 1) where young people were on their cancer timeline; 2) external influencing factors, such as family and environments; 3) emotional drivers; 4) what young people search for online; 5) resources, websites, and digital platforms used by young people; 6) availability, accessibility, and assessment of online information and resources; 7) emotional responses to using online resources.ConclusionThe way young people access and engage with online resources is complex with multiple influencing factors including powerful emotional drivers and responses to Internet searching. There is a need to develop resources that support the holistic needs of young people and this should be done in collaboration with young people.

Using temporal dominance of emotions at home. Impact of coffee advertisements on consumers’ behavior and methodological perspectives

During the last decade, Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) has been used successfully to describe food products dynamically in a large set of studies (Schlich, 2017). Recently, Temporal Dominance of Emotions (TDE; Jager et al., 2014) was proposed as an extension of TDS, replacing sensory attributes with emotions. Until now, TDE methodology has been applied only to evaluate food products with uncontrolled underlying stimuli and intrinsic complexity.The present paper reports a new application of TDE in which perceived emotions are evaluated during video advertisements. By working on such a controlled stimulus, the objective of this study is to provide insights about the way the subjects dynamically relate their emotions during the viewing using a TDE-like protocol. Indeed, the dominance curves can be directly related to the scenes from the video signal.Two hundred and eighty-two naïve French subjects watched 3 video advertisements for coffees at home. They had to indicate the emotion they felt (among 9) at each moment of the advertisement and then score their brand image improvement (BII) and purchase intent (PI) of the product.On average, 3 distinct emotions were selected for a given subject during one viewing, meaning that a sequential selection of emotional attributes was possible for untrained subjects. Based on their temporal emotional profiles, the 3 advertisements were discriminated and TDE curves highlighted specific profiles closely related to BII and PI. Different emotional profiles were observed between consumers and non-consumers for one of the advertisement. Emotional drivers of BII and PI were also identified. Finally, this innovative TDE application on a video signal suggests methodological perspectives for sensory scientists interested in TDS-like protocols.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Brand Relationships, Emotions, and the Self

Introduction to the Special Issue: Brand Relationships, Emotions, and the Self

감성적 근대와 새로운 주체성의 동인

감성적 근대와 새로운 주체성의 동인

Influences of Product Temperature on Emotional Responses to, and Sensory Attributes of, Coffee and Green Tea Beverages

Coffee and green tea are popular beverages consumed at both hot and cold temperatures. When people consume hot beverages concurrently with other activities, they may experience at different temperatures over the period of consumption. However, there has been limited research investigating the effects of product temperatures on emotional responses and sensory attributes of beverages. This study aimed to determine whether emotional responses to, and sensory attributes of, brewed coffee and green tea vary as a function of sample temperature. Using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) method, 157 participants (79 for coffee and 78 for green tea) were asked to evaluate either coffee or green tea samples served at cold (5°C), ambient (25°C), and hot (65°C) temperatures with respect to emotional responses and sensory attributes. The results showed that sample temperature could have significant influences on emotional responses to, and sensory attributes of, coffee and green tea samples. More specifically, 6 and 18 sensory attributes of coffee and green tea samples, respectively, significantly differed with sample temperature. Beverage samples evaluated at 65°C were characterized, regardless of activation/arousal level, by positive emotional responses terms and favorable sensory attributes. While beverages evaluated at 25°C were associated more with negative emotional responses with low activation/arousal, those evaluated at 5°C were more frequently characterized as having negative emotional responses with high activation/arousal. Sensory and emotional drivers of liking for both coffee and green tea differed both with sample temperature and gender. While both emotional responses and sensory attributes were identified as drivers of liking among females, only emotional responses were identified as drivers of liking among males. In conclusion, this study provides empirical evidence that both emotional responses to, and sensory attributes of, coffee and green tea beverages can vary with sample temperatures. To provide a better understanding of product characteristics, emotional responses to, and sensory attributes of, coffee or green tea beverages should be tested over a wider range of product temperatures.

P29: AUCKLAND DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY AND ALLERGY SERVICE FOR ADULTS PATIENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY

This audit captures experiences of adult immunology patients who received support from a dietitian using a ‘whole person’ approach that widens its focus beyond supposed dietary triggers of hypersensitivity. During consultations, attempts were made to explore underlying emotional drivers of hypersensitivity, and help patients build a better relationship with food. A confidential survey was sent to 59 adult patients who had consulted with the dietitian between June 2014 and June 2015. Twenty people (34%) responded, male to female 20:80. They mainly presented with food allergies, intolerances and irritable bowel syndrome, and also inadequate nutrient intake, overweight or immune deficiency. Seventy-five percent of participants reported an improvement in their medical conditions, 55% with improvement in symptoms and 10% being cured of them. Ninety percent felt satisfied or very satisfied with the nutrition advice they received. Seventy-five percent reported improved nutritional balance although one person said it got worse. They wanted to lose weight. Seventy-five percent of the participants felt very satisfied or satisfied with their experience of the whole person approach although 10% felt dissatisfied. Appreciation was expressed for feeling empathically listened to and understood, for receiving a new model from which to understand food-related problems (including the role of unresolved feelings and stress), for having space to cry, for being treated with compassion, respect and dignity, and for feeling empowered to get well. The team approach was enjoyed. Three (15%) participants, who were less psychologically minded, wanted to focus upon dietary manipulation. Some participants confessed it was difficult facing into internal distress and external stressors. Building a trusting relationship with the patient was helpful for addressing sensitive issues. The audit demonstrated that a dietitian working relationally with a whole person approach was effective for improving food-related sensitivity without encouraging dependence upon overly-restrictive diets in individuals open to exploring their emotional world.

Different worlds: The cadences of context, exploring the emotional terrain of school principals’ practice in schools in challenging circumstances

The centrality of emotions in the personal and professional practice of school leaders is by now well established in scholarship. Much of the investigation that has been carried out over the years provides a strong basis and rationale for the data presented in this paper. This study sought to explore the extent to which the socio-economic context of the school impacts the emotional timbre of the interactions of school principals and to seek to establish how this group of leaders manage the emotional drivers of their different socio-economic contexts. This paper specifically focuses on principals' perspectives on the impact children’s social worlds and their associated lives have on how leadership practice is shaped, from the point of view of the playing out of emotions in school. Qualitative research using multiple, in-depth interviews and shadowing as research tools, was utilised to focus on the emotional experiences of the principals in the study. This approach enabled the research to come as close as possible to understanding the meaning principals make of their lived experiences from their subjective point of view. Most of the data presented here will explore the perspectives of leaders working in schools in some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities in Ireland.

Emotional drivers of sustainability: Anger, contempt/disgust, and shame

Emotions are part and parcel of people who take action for environmental sustainability. However, little is known about how emotions experience by top executives might affect corporate environmental strategy. In this study, we take a phenomenon-driven approach to understand how micro-level cognitive psychology– specifically, basic emotions–are associated with macro-level outcomes of environmental strategy. Our premise is that basic emotions can provide cues about corporate commitment to environmental sustainability and subsequent outcomes. Our results suggest that the basic emotions of anger, contempt/disgust, and shame play an important role in sustainability management. Our study represents a first step in the field of emotion and environmental strategy, and we suggest fruitful future avenues for research.

How do companies decide? Emotional triggers and drivers of investment in natural gas and biogas vehicles

Management research recognizes that companies’ investment decisions are driven not only by objective techno-economic models but also by emotion. Alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) investments offer an appealing context in which to study this interaction in energy source decisions, as they are influenced by a diverse set of analytical and emotional elements ranging from fuel costs to environmental values. This study examines companies’ vehicle investment decision making in Finland and focuses on the interaction between objective facts and subjective feelings along with the process of choosing the vehicles’ energy source.This article is based on an interventionist case study. Switching path analysis technique (SPAT) was used to investigate companies’ switches from conventional fuels to natural gas or biogas. This article contributes to the discussion of AFV adoption by unveiling companies’ decision-making triggers, investment criteria and the use of information sources in the decision-making processes. The findings regarding the decision-making dynamics between these factors are transferable to other energy investments. However, the content of the triggers and drivers varies across contexts and may change over time, because vehicles as investment objects have different meanings for different organizational actors depending on their organizational role, investment use context, and personal preferences.

Trial of a Novel Intervention to Improve Multiple Food Hygiene Behaviors in Nepal

In this study, we report on the results of a trial of an intervention to improve five food hygiene behaviors among mothers of young children in rural Nepal. This novel intervention targeted five behaviors; cleanliness of serving utensils, handwashing with soap before feeding, proper storage of cooked food, and thorough reheating and water treatment. Based on formative research and a creative process using the Behavior-Centered Design approach, an innovative intervention package was designed and delivered over a period of 3 months. The intervention activities included local rallies, games, rewards, storytelling, drama, competitions linking with emotional drivers of behavior, and “kitchen makeovers” to disrupt behavior settings. The effect of the package on behavior was evaluated via a cluster-randomized before–after study in four villages with four villages serving as controls. The primary outcome was the difference in the mean cluster level proportions of mothers directly observed practicing all five food hygiene behaviors. The five targeted food hygiene behaviors were rare at baseline (composite performance of all five behaviors in intervention 1% [standard deviation (SD) = 2%] and in control groups 2% [SD = 2%]). Six weeks after the intervention, the target behaviors were more common in the intervention than in the control group (43% [SD = 14%] versus 2% [SD = 2%], P = 0.02) during follow-up. The intervention appeared to be equally effective in improving all five behaviors in all intervention clusters. This study shows that a theory-driven, systematic approach employing emotional motivators and modifying behavior settings was capable of substantially improving multiple food hygiene behaviors in Nepal.

Exploring User Behaviours when Providing Electronic Consent on Health Social Networks: A ‘Just Tick Agree’ Approach

In an online world, the distinction between public and private is becoming increasingly blurred with rising concerns about the privacy and security of personal health information. The aim of this study is to explore electronic consent (eConsent) on a Health Social Network (HSN) to improve both the form and accessibility of contractual information presented to HSN users. Participants registered on a HSN and their interaction/behaviours were observed when agreeing to the site’s Terms and Conditions (T&C’s) and Privacy Policy (PP) documents. Focus group discussions were used to help us understand how and why certain events occurred. Several themes emerged from this data - ‘Just Tick Agree’ phenomenon, perceived societal benefits for the public good, data privacy concerns and emotional drivers towards eConsent. By achieving a deeper understanding of the eConsent process to a HSN, contributions are presented for both theory and practice. We argue that the complex language used for T&C’s and PP statements when simplified would increase user knowledge, awareness and understanding. Furthermore, HSN user behaviours (i.e. ‘Just Tick Agree’) must change when registering on HSNs and, developers of HSNs should enable user choice on registration by changing how users control their personal health-related data.

The Key Qualities of a Strong Customer Engagement in the Customer-Brand Relationship Context

A strong customer-brand engagement has become the basis in achieving sustained competitiveness and survival. To excel at engaging customers, marketing practitioners heightened the critical need of having a clear definition and understanding of the key qualities of a strong customer engagement. Due to a lack of empirical research, the nature of customer engagement has remained rather vague. Thus, the aim of this study is to bridge this gap by determining the qualities of engaged customers with respect to cognitive, emotional, behavioural and overall engagement. A sample of 600 mobile phone users were surveyed, but only 539 responses were usable. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis. The findings show that customer engagement towards the brand is relatively moderate. Comparing the engagement dimensions, customers are engaged most by behavioural drivers, followed by emotional and cognitive drivers. Moreover, customer behavioural and emotional engagements outperform the overall engagement. This paper is an important contribution to marketing literature, particularly on customer-brand engagement and provides useful managerial insights for marketing practitioners. However, having in mind only one brand and limited choice of the sample, there is a need for replication using other brands with a more extensive sample.

Características de la expresión emocional en los escolares primarios y su manejo desde la perspectiva del personal docente-educativo

The research aimed to characterize the emotional expression of primary school children, events linked to its manifestation and its management from the perspective of the teaching staff. For this descriptive exploratory study, a non-probabilistic sample of 53 teachers from various primary schools was conformed. The study was carried out by using the analysis of documents, interviews and observation, and implementing the content analysis for interpretation. Teachers identified a predominance of pleasant emotions in school, mainly joy. The main unpleasant emotions were anxiety and anger. In the school context, the unpleasant emotions were associated with the activities and the academic demands; in the family, with conflict and little family support, fundamentally. The principal drivers of pleasant emotions in school are the group acceptance, teacher professionalism and recreation; the latter is also present in the family, together with the support, dedication and harmonious coexistence. The professor says not to possess the necessary theoretical and methodological training to direct the emotional education of their students, although they recognize its importance. It is very important to provide a more solid training that allows them to know, understand and regulate their emotions as well as enhance the emotional development of their students, creating an emotional environment which facilitates the process of learning.

Harnessing the power of emotional drivers to promote behaviour change.

Harnessing the power of emotional drivers to promote behaviour change.

Multiple behaviour change intervention for diarrhoea control in Lusaka, Zambia: a cluster randomised trial.

Effective prevention and control of diarrhoea requires caregivers to comply with a suite of proven measures, including exclusive breastfeeding, handwashing with soap, correct use of oral rehydration salts, and zinc administration. We aimed to assess the effect of a novel behaviour change intervention using emotional drivers on caregiver practice of these behaviours. We did a cluster randomised controlled trial in Lusaka Province, Zambia. A random sample of 16 health centres (clusters) were selected from a sampling frame of 81 health centres in three of four districts in Lusaka Province using a computerised random number generator. Each cluster was randomly assigned 1:1 to either the intervention-clinic events, community events, and radio messaging-or to a standard care control arm, both for 6 months. Primary outcomes were exclusive breastfeeding (self-report), handwashing with soap (observation), oral rehydration salt solution preparation (demonstration), and zinc use in diarrhoea treatment (self-report). We measured outcome behaviours at baseline before start of intervention and 4-6 weeks post-intervention through repeat cross-sectional surveys with mothers of an infant younger than 6 months and primary caregivers of a child younger than 5 years with recent diarrhoea. We compared outcomes on an intention-to-treat population between intervention and control groups adjusted for baseline behaviour. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02081521. Between Jan 20 and Feb 3, 2014, we recruited 306 mothers of an infant aged 0-5 months (156 intervention, 150 standard care) and 343 primary caregiver of a child aged 0-59 months with recent diarrhoea (176 intervention, 167 standard care) at baseline. Between Oct 20 to Nov 7, 2014, we recruited 401 mothers of an infant 0-5 months (234 intervention, 167 standard care) and 410 primary caregivers of a child 0-59 months with recent diarrhoea (257 intervention, 163 standard care) at endline. Intervention was associated with increased prevalence of self-reported exclusive breastfeeding of infants aged 0-5 months (adjusted difference 10·5%, 95% CI 0·9-19·9). Other primary outcomes were not affected by intervention. Cluster intervention exposure ranged from 11-81%, measured by participant self-report with verification questions. Comparison of control and intervention clusters with coverage greater than 35% provided strong evidence of an intervention effect on oral rehydration salt solution preparation and breastfeeding outcomes. The intervention may have improved exclusive breastfeeding (assessed by self-reporting), but intervention effects were diluted in clusters with low exposure. Complex caregiver practices can improve through interventions built around human motives, but these must be implemented more intensely. Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) and Comic Relief.