The effect of self-control on impulsive consumption with the moderators of family socioeconomic status and peer feedback

Abstract

To better understand the relationship between self-control and impulsive consumption in different conditions of family SES and peer feedback among Chinese college students, we conducted longitudinal and experimental studies. In Study 1, a total of 326 participants completed the Chinese Consumer Impulsive Purchase Tendency Scale, the Chinese Self-Control Scale and two types of family SES indicators. The results indicated that trait self-control negatively predicts impulsive consumption tendency, with this effect being stronger in high family SES conditions compared to low family SES conditions. In Study 2, we recruited 148 participants who completed the Stroop task, the simulation method of peer feedback, the Impulsive Consumption Tendency Scale and the Impulsive Consumption Behaviour Scale. The findings revealed that the interaction of state self-control and peer feedback has an impact on impulsive consumption. Specifically, when receiving rational peer feedback, participants with high-state self-control (i.e., in non–ego-depletion condition) exhibited a weaker impulsive consumption tendency than those with low-state self-control (i.e., in ego-depletion condition). Therefore, our study demonstrates the relationship between self-control and impulsive consumption, as well as the moderative effects of family SES and peer feedback.