Social Psychology Of Consumer Behavior (frontiers Of Social Psychology)

Frontiers of Social Psychology Series Editors Arie W. Kruglanski University of Maryland at College Park Joseph P. Forgas University of New South Wales Frontiers of Social Psychology is a new series of domain-specific handbooks. The purpose of each volume is to provide readers with a cutting-edge overview of the most recent theoretical, methodological, and practical developments in a substantive area of social psychology, in greater depth than is possible in general social psychology handbooks. The editors and contributors are all internationally renowned scholars whose work is at the cutting-edge of research. Scholarly, yet accessible, the volumes in the Frontiers series are an essential resource for senior undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers, and practitioners, and are suitable as texts in advanced courses in specific subareas of social psychology. Published Titles Negotiation Theory and Research, Thompson Close Relationships, Noller and Feeney Evolution and Social Psychology, Schaller, Simpson, and Kenrick Social Psychology and the Unconscious, Bargh Affect in Social Thinking and Behavior, Forgas The Science of Social Influence, Pratkanis Social Communication, Fiedler The Self, Sedikides and Spencer Personality and Social Behavior, Rhodewalt Attitudes and Attitude Change, Crano and Prislin Social Cognition, Strack and Förster Social Psychology of Consumer Behavior, Wänke Forthcoming Titles Exploration in Political Psychology, Krosnick and Chiang Social Motivation, Dunning Intergroup Conflicts and Their Resolution, Bar-Tal For continually updated information about published and forthcoming titles in the Frontiers of Social Psychology series, please visit http://www.psypress.com/frontiers Psychology Press New York London Psychology Press Taylor & Francis Group 270 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 Psychology Press Taylor & Francis Group 27 Church Road Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA © 2009 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Psychology Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-84169-498-6 (Hardcover) Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Social psychology of consumer behavior / editor, Michaela Wanke. p. cm. -- (Frontiers of social psychology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-84169-498-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Consumer behavior. 2. Consumer behavior--Psychological aspects. 3. Consumers--Psychology. 4. Social psychology. I. Wänke, Michaela. HF5415.32.S596 2009 658.8’342--dc22 Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the Psychology Press Web site at http://www.psypress.com 2008048444 For my students, in particular, Sabine, Malte, Florian, Jochim, Jakub, Stefan, Alice, and Leonie. v Contents Section I  Introduction: A Tale of Two Disciplines 1 What’s Social about Consumer Behavior? 3 Michaela Wänke 2 Social Psychology and Consumer Psychology: An Unexplored Interface 19 Robert S. Wyer, Jr., and Rashmi Adaval Section II The Construal of Consumer Judgments and Decisions 3 Psychological Distance and Consumer Behavior: A Construal Level Theory P