The effect of preference modality on self-control
Klesse,Anne-Kathrin Levav,J. Goukens,C.
Klesse,Anne-Kathrin
Levav,J.
Goukens,C.
Abstract
The marketplace affords consumers various modalities to express their preferences (e.g., by pressing a button on a vending machine or making an oral request at a restaurant). In this paper, we compare speaking to manual preference expression modalities (button pressing, writing, and taking) and study their effect on self-control dilemmas. Based on studies of the Stroop task and on neuroscientific evidence, we predict that speaking is less likely than motor movement to evoke self-control. Our prediction relies on the observation that different expression modalities activate different regions of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and, hence, may influence the extent to which emotions rather than cognitions determine an individual’s decision. In six studies conducted both in the lab and the field, we show that speaking prompts more indulgent choice than manual modalities (studies 1a,b-4), but not when individuals speak in a foreign language (study 5).
Description
Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
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Keywords
preference expression modalities, speech, motor movements, self-control, indulgence
Citation
Klesse, A-K, Levav, J & Goukens, C 2015, 'The effect of preference modality on self-control', Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 535-550. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucv043