The effects of specificity of information, knowledge and involvement on product inferences

Ann M Davis, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how inferences play a role in consumers' understanding of product claims. Graeff and Olson (1994) suggest that inferences occur in consumers' interpretation of all product information. Past research has focused on missing information (e.g., Huber & McCann, 1982; Kardes, 1988b) and conclusion drawing (Hovland & Mandell, 1952) paradigms; however this study encompasses both situations and tests the idea that consumers make inferences in all situations. A (2 x 2 x 3) between-subjects design, manipulating involvement and claim specificity and measuring product knowledge, was used to study inferences from product claims that are either specific or vague. Omission detection was used as the framework of the study. Two types of product claims were tested: nutritional and environmental. The results indicate that for environmental products there was no difference in product attitude in high and low involved consumers after seeing specific product claims. However, the high involvement group had a more positive product attitude after seeing the vague claim than the low involvement group after seeing the vague claim. The high knowledge group had significantly more positive attitude toward the product when shown a specific claim supporting the hypothesis. No difference was found, however, between the knowledge groups' product attitude after seeing the vague claim. Results from the nutritional data show few significant findings. Only further analysis of the attitude toward the claim produced significant results. These tests indicated that consumers with relatively higher levels of knowledge had a significantly more positive attitude toward nutritional claims. Specific claims themselves are evaluated significantly more positively than vague claims by all consumers regardless of their level of knowledge. The strongest factor in both parts of the study is the knowledge variable. In the case of environmental claims, high and low knowledge consumers viewed the vague and specific claims differently; higher knowledge subjects regard specific claims as more positive. The results of the nutritional claims were more broad based; higher knowledge groups viewed either type of nutritional claim positively. It is proposed that current theories be evaluated and additional variables perhaps be added to account for differences not discovered here. Further, it is clear that the issue of claim specificity is product specific and must be evaluated accordingly.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Feinberg, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Marketing|Social psychology|Cognitive therapy

COinS