A reinforcement model for attraction to a retail mall
Abstract
Three studies were conducted to test if learning theory could be used as a way to understand an individual's attraction to a retail mall. The premise of this program of studies was based on Byrne's (1971) use of learning theory to develop a reinforcement model of interpersonal attraction. Consumers' feelings toward the stores in a mall were used to model attraction to a mall. Byrne's measure of attraction to another person was adapted and validated for use as a measure of attraction to a retail mall in Study One. Study Two and Study Three were designed to test the stimulus response relationship between the number of liked stores located in a mall and the mean attraction response to a mall. Using the reinforcement model of interpersonal attraction as a model for this research, the goal of Study Two was to test if the relationship between the number of liked stores in a mall and attraction to a mall could be effectively described by a linear function. Study Three tested the relative power of the number and the proportion of liked stores in a mall to predict attraction to a mall. The results were compared to Byrne's (1962; Byrne and Nelson, 1965), and discussed in terms of the stimulus-response relationship between the stores in a mall and attraction to a mall. The three studies introduce an alternative approach to understanding how consumers' personal preferences influence attraction to a mall and have implications for retail mall competition.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Feinberg, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Marketing
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