How Do Consumers Allocate Their Limited Resources to the Food Product? A Framework for the Contagion Effect

Abstract

Across three experiments conducted for this research, it is evident that limited cognitive resources do play a role in the influence of product contagion effects. This research examines how cognitive resource limitations affect consumer evaluations of the product contagion. Results indicate that consumers have the ability to process a product context and to transfer stronger negative contagion effects when they expend less cognitive effort on fewer products or when they are under low cognitive load conditions. In addition, we also use good gestalt to explore the negative contagion effects. Consumers could expend fewer cognitive resources and lower their evaluations when products are arranged in a high degree of closure. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.