The effects of connecting versus separating mindsets on persuasion and product customization

Abstract

Past work on connecting vs. separating mindsets has looked at how these mindsets activate a tendency to make connections or parse out information. I extend the existing literature to demonstrate how these tendencies affect information processing and highlight some of the downstream implications of these tendencies. I suggest that these tendencies to connect or separate lead people to differ in the number of aspects or dimensions that become salient when they look at a stimulus configuration. These differences in the number of accessible dimensions then influence judgments and decisions in two very different consumption situations–persuasion and product customization. In the persuasion domain, I show through a series of studies that when people look at an ad, they tend to think about the endorser and the message in different ways. Those with a connecting mindset are more inclined to use multiple dimensions to think of how the two are related. However, those with a separating mindset use fewer, more obvious dimensions to connect them. These differences in the number of dimensions considered as a basis for connecting the elements later affects perceptions of fit and how persuasive the ad is. Another series of studies in the customization domain shows that when people have an assortment of ingredients to choose from while customizing their product, those with a connecting mindset are more likely to think of ways in which the different ingredients are related. This leads to the activation of more dimensions, which then affects the number of possible combinations they generate. In contrast, those with a separating mindset are less likely to focus on how the options are related. Consequently, fewer dimensions are activated and fewer possible combinations are generated. This difference in the number of possible combinations that are generated affects the perceived richness of the assortment and consumers’ willingness to pay for the combination they eventually choose.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology