Search Results (70)

This research aims to investigate, using the C-A-B theory, the buying decision-making processes of Gen Z consumers in the United States when exposed to fast fashion brand advertising messages including greenwashing elements. Responses of 345 valid participants from the Amazon Mturk platform were analyzed through Mplus 8.11 and SPSS 29. Two-step, structural equation modeling was implemented to test the hypothesis. Additionally, 5000 bootstrapping iterations were used to examine the indirect effects. Study findings indicated that Gen Z consumers responded positively and negatively to fast fashion brands’ product promotional messages. Despite feeling skeptical and betrayed over the greenwashing assertion, they intend to purchase the goods. A contributing factor to this unforeseen purchasing intention may be their indifference towards environmental concerns. Moreover, when greenwashing assertions are infused with product advantages through strategic ingenuity and aligned with the specific demands of certain generations, the perception of positive emotional reaction supersedes the negative, hence facilitating the purchase of the green product. Furthermore, there is evidence of optimism biases, a cognitive bias where they exaggerate their capacity to identify instances of greenwashing, prioritize more on their certain needs, and underestimate the associated environmental risk for others. This clarifies the paradoxical buying patterns of Gen Z consumers. Although Gen Z is the youngest demographic, their tastes for fast fashion apparel may alter as they develop and their lifestyles adapt, influenced by both positive and negative emotional reactions to fast fashion brands. Consequently, the fast fashion business must retain this customer by utilizing sustainability messaging instead of misleading greenwashing assertions in the future. Full article

Parental support and acceptance are strong protective factors for better mental health outcomes among transgender and gender diverse youth. Psychological inflexibility, specifically in the role of parenting, or “parenting inflexibility”, refers to an over-reliance on avoidance strategies at the expense of parenting values. Parenting inflexibility may be related to parental support, making it a useful target of intervention for parents of transgender youth. The aim of the present study was to develop a brief clinically useful measure of parenting inflexibility based on a synthesis of existing measures and to evaluate the psychometric properties across two study populations. Study 1 used exploratory factor analysis to examine this measure among parents in the general population recruited using MTurk. Study 2 used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the measure among parents of transgender youth recruited from a clinic. The final measure, the Impact of Parenting Avoidance (IPA) scale, is a one-factor 7-item measure of parenting inflexibility that is easy to administer and interpret in a pediatric health setting. The resulting measure demonstrated acceptable reliability, and it was significantly correlated with important outcome variables, such as negative parenting practices and lower perceived parental support among transgender and gender diverse youth. Full article

Companies use emoticons in the content of their brand fan pages as a means to enhance their relationships with consumers. Few studies have been conducted on how emoticons work on Facebook brand fan pages. In addition, previous research on emoticons does not provide any obvious mechanism for emoticons’ effects, and their findings also have certain limitations as a result that reveal mixed results. This study was designed to clarify the mechanism for emoticons’ effects. Two studies were conducted in total. In Study 1, we conducted a one-way ANOVA on 82 subjects recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and PROCESS macro model 4 for the mediation analysis. We confirmed that emoticons lowered the perceived functional value of brand fan pages and increased the perceived hedonic value. In addition, we found that the influence of emoticons on consumer attitudes toward brand fan page was only mediated by the hedonic value. In Study 2A, which examined the influence of product type and brand status, we conducted a 2 (emoticons) × 2 (product type) × 2 (brand status) ANOVA on 233 subjects recruited through Amazon MTurk, and contrast analysis and PROCESS macro model 6 were used for the interaction effect analysis and mediation analysis. We found that the positive effect of emoticons only occurred in utilitarian products with high brand status and hedonic products with low brand status. Study 2B, conducted using an Instagram version, yielded results identical to those of Study 2A. Finally, this study’s theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Full article

In recent years, the fashion industry has undergone a significant transformation driven by digital innovations, particularly with the emergence of the digital retail theater (DRT). A DRT integrates augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and 3D modeling to create immersive shopping experiences that bridge the physical and digital worlds. This study specifically focuses on apparel DRTs and investigates the key factors influencing U.S. consumers’ intention to adopt this technology. Drawing on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and perceived risk theory, we developed and tested an integrative research model. Primary data were collected through a structured online survey administered via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). A total of 400 valid responses were obtained from U.S. consumers. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis to examine the hypothesized relationships. The results indicate that effort expectancy (ease of use), facilitating conditions (technical infrastructure), physical risk (concerns about potential harm), and time/convenience loss risk significantly influence consumers’ intention to adopt apparel DRTs. Surprisingly, performance expectancy and social influence were not significant predictors of DRT adoption. These findings provide valuable insights for apparel retailers, emphasizing the importance of user-friendly designs, robust technical infrastructure, and minimizing perceived risks to foster DRT adoption. Full article

Emerging as a pivotal trend on social media, food review vlogs not only narrate culinary experiences but also boost local cuisine and economic growth. This study delves into how such vlogs and vlogger traits affect viewer attitudes and restaurant visit intentions, guided by the stimulus–organism–response paradigm. Hypotheses were quantitatively assessed through an online survey with 347 participants from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk), analyzed using SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 for structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicated that informativeness, entertainment, and vividness influence viewers’ engagement with food review vlogs, while attractiveness and homophily are major predictors of parasocial relationships. Content engagement and parasocial relationships exerted positive influences on attitudes and visiting intentions toward the reviewed restaurants. The findings contribute to the empirical understanding of foodservice communication by identifying key characteristics of food review vlogs and vloggers that drive viewer engagement and behavioral intentions. Building on an established theoretical foundation, this study underscores the practical significance of the S–O–R model in digital marketing, offering actionable insights to empower content creators and marketers in driving audience engagement and shaping consumer behavior. Full article

The nature of the online shopping environment can cause uncertainty; thus, consumers use the product experiences and evaluations of others to make purchase decisions. In this study, we investigated whether online product ratings affect consumers’ consumption-related emotions. We also examined whether the effects of these ratings vary depending on culture and self-congruity. We conducted a PROCESS macro model 12 analysis on 394 subjects (200 American and 194 Chinese) recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and Wenjuanxing to examine interaction effects and mediation effects. The results showed that American consumers focus on the pleasure of consumption when making purchase decisions, whereas Chinese consumers emphasize the pain associated with cost. Specifically, American consumers experience more consumption-based pleasure and have positive purchase intentions when online product ratings are high, regardless of self-congruity. In contrast, Chinese consumers have less adverse reactions to cost and more positive purchase intentions regardless of online product ratings when self-congruity is high; however, when self-congruity is low, this only occurs if online product ratings are high. Our study provided a mechanism for understanding the culturally dependent effects of online product ratings and offered insights into whether consumers’ perceptions of spending pain can be alleviated to drive purchases. Based on these results, we elucidated this study’s academic implications. We also provided practical implications for companies implementing effective online marketing strategies. Full article

This study investigates the impact of candidates disseminating fake news on voter behavior and electoral outcomes in highly competitive, partisan races. While the effects of fake news on electoral outcomes have been studied, research has yet to examine the impact of candidates’ strategic use of fake news in elections where it may have the greatest impact—close races. This research explores whether the use of fake news influences voter support, particularly among independent voters, in tightly contested elections. Through a conjoint survey experiment involving participants from Amazon MTurk, this study analyzes how variables such as race competitiveness, perceived risk of alienating independents, and the presence of partisan labels affect voter responses to candidates who spread misinformation. The findings indicate that while the competitiveness of a race does not significantly enhance support for candidates sharing fake news, the presence of partisan labels does. These results suggest that voter behavior in response to fake news is more closely tied to partisan identity than to strategic electoral considerations. This study highlights the complex dynamics of misinformation in electoral contexts and its implications for democratic processes. Full article

Introduction: Congruent with most guideline publishers, the Canadian Urological Association (CUA) recommends shared decision-making (SDM) on PSA screening (PSAS) for prostate cancer (PCa) following a discussion of its benefits and harms. However, there are limited data on how the general male population feels about these topics. Methods: A survey was completed by 906 male-identifying participants (age > 18) recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), which is a crowdsourcing platform providing minimal compensation. Participants answered questions regarding demographics (15), personal/family history (9), PCa/PSA knowledge (41), and opinions regarding PSAS (45). Results: The median age was 38.2 (SD = 12.0), with 22% reporting a family history of PCa and 20% reporting personally undergoing PSAS. Although most participants had heard of PCa (85%) and that they could be screened for it (81%), they generally did not feel knowledgeable about PCa or PSAS guidelines. Most want to talk to their clinician about PCa and PSAS (74%) and are supportive of SDM (48%) or patient-centered decision-making (25%). In general, participants thought PSAS was still worthwhile, even if it led to additional testing or side effects. Similarly, participants thought higher-risk patients should be screened earlier (p < 0.001). A number of misconceptions were evident in the responses. Conclusions: Men approaching the age of PSAS do not feel knowledgeable about PCa or PSAS and want their clinician to discuss these topics with them. The majority believe in PSAS and would like to undergo this screening following SDM. Clinicians also have a role in correcting common misconceptions about PCa. Full article

This study explores the trust dynamics in financial forecasting by comparing how individuals perceive the credibility of AI and human experts during significant structural market changes. We specifically examine the impact of two types of structural breaks on trust: Additive Outliers, which represent a single yet significant anomaly, and Level Shifts, which indicate a sustained change in data patterns. Grounded in theoretical frameworks such as attribution theory, algorithm aversion, and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this research investigates psychological responses to AI and human advice under uncertainty. This experiment involved 157 participants, recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), who were asked to forecast stock prices under different structural break scenarios. Participants were randomly assigned to either the AI or human expert treatment group, and the experiment was conducted online. Through this controlled experiment, we find that, while initial trust levels in AI and human experts are comparable, the credibility of advice is more severely compromised following a structural break in the Level Shift condition, compared to the Additive Outlier condition. Moreover, the decline in trust is more pronounced for human experts than for AI. These findings highlight the psychological factors influencing decision making under uncertainty and offer insights into the behavioral responses to AI and human expert systems during structural market changes. Full article

This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of negative emotions elicited by COVID-19 on the revenge consumption of international travel through both rational and irrational buying intentions. The theory of planned behavior and heuristic cues were used to explain revenge consumption in terms of rational and irrational buying intentions, respectively. A survey was conducted using MTURK from 31 May 2023 to 2 June 2023 among adults who experienced COVID-19. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses, and the Hayes PROCESS macro was used to test the mediation effect. The results revealed that negative emotions due to COVID-19 affected irrational buying intentions, but not rational buying intentions, and that both irrational and rational buying intentions significantly affected revenge consumption intentions for international travel. In addition, irrational buying intentions affected rational buying intentions. These results indicate that when making an international travel decision due to negative emotions caused by COVID-19, an irrational decision process was employed, whereas later, at the travel reservation and planning stage, individuals consumed and planned travel based on rational intentions. The significance of this study lies in the fact that it illuminates the phenomenon of revenge consumption following disasters such as pandemics. Full article

This study examined whether an individual’s self-efficacy has a moderating role in the relationship between the different types of recycling/reuse knowledge they may have and their recycling/reuse intention, and the positive relationship between recycling/reuse intention and recycling/reuse behavior. A total of 725 undergraduate and graduate university students were recruited to complete an online survey via MTurk, with the survey covering topics such as recycling/reuse knowledge, intention, behavior, and self-efficacy. Five hypotheses were tested via structural equation modeling. The results showed that even with low self-efficacy, acquiring “effectiveness” recycling/reuse knowledge can enhance recycling/reuse intention and behavior. Conversely, the respondents with high self-efficacy were shown to have positive recycling/reuse intentions and behaviors due to their “social” recycling/reuse knowledge. In general, recycling/reuse intention and behavior were positively related. These significant findings imply that educators, environmental agencies, and brand managers must develop efficient education and/or advertising strategies to provide appropriate action-related recycling/reuse knowledge (including both effectiveness and social knowledge) to university students with either low or high self-efficacy in order to enhance recycling/reuse intention and, ultimately, behavior. Full article

While high-speed rail (HSR) has achieved success in major cities in Europe and Asia, it is a new phenomenon in the US, and few studies on HSR in the US are available, especially from the users’ perspective. This study aims to fill the research gap by investigating the mode choice behavior in the Los Angeles and San Francisco corridor where HSR may soon become a feasible option. The impact of COVID-19 was also examined with regard to how people view modes of domestic travel and how their view may change. The geographic locations of travelers and the possible HSR characteristics in the US were also explored. Survey data of US travelers was collected on MTurk, which was analyzed using logistics regression and Two-Way MANOVA. The results indicated that convenience in transport, travel frequency, gender, mobility issues, income, and total travel time were determinants in the choice between HSR and air service, while travel frequency and total travel time were important in the choice between HSR and car transport. Most US travelers changed their views following COVID-19 in terms of domestic travel and exhibited a higher intention to travel by train and HSR. Geographic patterns were identified, such as people in the southern US were the most knowledgeable of HSR and had the greatest intention to use HSR, while people in the northeast exhibited the lowest intention. The findings indicate potential interest in HSR among US travelers, and offer much-needed empirical evidence for the potential success of HSR in the US. Full article

Consumers often rely on evaluations such as online reviews shared by other consumers when making purchasing decisions. Online reviews have emerged as a crucial marketing tool that offers a distinct advantage over traditional methods by fostering trust among consumers. Previous studies have identified group similarity between consumers and reviewers as a key variable with a potential impact on consumer responses and purchase intention. However, the results remain inconclusive. In this study, we identify self-construal and group similarity as key factors in the influence of online review ratings on consumers’ purchase intentions. We further investigate the role of consumers’ self-construal in shaping consumers’ perceptions of online reviews in terms of belongingness and diagnosticity. To test the hypothesis, we conducted a 2 (online review rating) × 2 (group similarity) × 2 (self-construal) ANOVA on 276 subjects collected through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), and contrast analysis and PROCESS macro model 12 were used for the interaction effect analysis and moderated mediation analysis. Our findings reveal that consumers with an interdependent self-construal are sensitive to both review ratings and group similarity with regards to their purchase intentions. They demonstrate a positive purchase intention when both group similarity and online review ratings are high. However, their purchase intention is not influenced by review ratings when group similarity is low. Conversely, consumers with an independent self-construal exhibit a more positive purchase intention when the online review rating is high, irrespective of group similarity. Additionally, our study highlights the mediating roles of perceived diagnosticity and belongingness in the relationship between online review ratings, group similarity, self-construal, and purchase intentions. Results show significant indirect effects for perceived diagnosticity and belongingness, meaning that the impact of online review ratings on purchase intention is mediated by these two variables. The outcomes of our research offer theoretical and practical implications concerning online reviews and suggest new avenues for future research in the area of online consumer behavior. Full article

The present study evaluated the empirical distinction between the PERMA-Profiler and the Workplace PERMA-Profiler, which measure flourishing using the same items with different contexts (i.e., general vs. workplace orientations). Both scales were administered online via MTurk (N = 601), and single-group measurement and structural invariances were assessed. Partial metric and scalar invariances were supported, indicating that the PERMA constructs were measured equivalently across scales (except for the relationships factor). Structural properties (covariances, means) were not invariant, indicating distinct utility for each scale in their respective contexts. The results suggest that simple adaptations to items to change their context, but not content, may retain the original scale’s psychometric properties and function with discrimination. Full article

This study seeks to explore the impact of the sustainable features of running shoes on consumers’ inclination to pay a premium price. This research delves into the mediating effect of perceived sustainability and the moderating roles of environmental consciousness and animal conservation in the association between the sustainability features of running shoes and consumers’ willingness to pay a premium. Data were gathered through an online survey distributed on Amazon MTurk. This study employed a one-way ANOVA to assess the influence of sustainability features on consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for running shoes. Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS model 4, and moderation analysis was performed using PROCESS model 1 in SPSS 28.0. The findings revealed the significant impact of sustainability features on consumers’ willingness to pay a premium. Perceived sustainability was identified as a partial mediator in the relationship between sustainability features and the willingness to pay a premium. Furthermore, environmental consciousness and animal conservation were identified as moderators influencing the relationship between sustainability features and consumers’ willingness to pay a premium. Full article