The Effects of Expertise on the Processing of Alignable Versus Nonalignable Features

Three experiments were conducted to examine the effects of expertise on the processing of alignable versus nonalignable features. Participants chose that a nonalignable feature was what differentiates one brand from the other. A greater number of experts indicated that a nonalignable attribute was the most distinguishing feature between two competing brands than novices (study 1). Experts’ brand evaluation (study 1 and 3) and their evaluation of product features (study 2) showed that their initial attention was directed toward nonalignable features. The results also showed that nonalignable features became more important among experts, suggesting that they elaborated on nonalignable features more when assessing competing brands compared to novices.

Citation:

Myungwoo Nam, Jing (Alice) Wang, and Angela Y. Lee (2009) ,"The Effects of Expertise on the Processing of Alignable Versus Nonalignable Features", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 36, eds. Ann L. McGill and Sharon Shavitt, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 1033-1033.