Inferential and Perceptual Influences of Affective Expectations on Judgments of Experienced Affect

Two experiments investigated novel predictions about inferential and perceptual processes in the domain of affective expectations and experiences with a product. Inferential processes occur when individuals have a naive theory on which to base their inferences, whereas perceptual processes occur without this theory. Both processes yielded an “ironic” effect such that instilling a negative affective expectation resulted in more positive judgments of affect than instilling a positive one. As predicted, this effect occurred when individuals attended to their experienced affect, a condition more readily met in inferential processes. Implications for consumer affect, attitudes, and intentions are discussed.

Citation:

Ian Handley, Dolores Albarracin, and Rick Brown (2007) ,"Inferential and Perceptual Influences of Affective Expectations on Judgments of Experienced Affect", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 34, eds. Gavan Fitzsimons and Vicki Morwitz, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 464-470.