Yuanyuan (Jamie) Li, Shan Lin, Han Gong, Xiang Wang, Chris Janiszewski
{"title":"Time is shrinking in the eye of AI: AI agents influence intertemporal choice","authors":"Yuanyuan (Jamie) Li, Shan Lin, Han Gong, Xiang Wang, Chris Janiszewski","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.1455","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.1455","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Agents help consumers make decisions. While agents have traditionally been human (e.g., sales associate, real estate agent, financial advisor), artificial intelligence (AI) agents are becoming more prevalent. We find that the type of agent, AI versus human, has an influence on intertemporal judgment. Specifically, when an agent is identified as AI, the concept of fast processing becomes more accessible, which makes time delays seem subjectively longer and encourages impatient behavior. These results have implications for how to conceptualize the influence of AI agents on judgment, the impact of time perception on intertemporal choices, and the sources of impatient behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"59-77"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145969691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"On seeing the self as a scarce resource: How time and money scarcity differentially shape consumers' self-value and preferences","authors":"Jane So, Sylvia Seo Eun Chang, Nidhi Agrawal","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.1460","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.1460","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Despite the growing interest in studying the psychology of scarcity and its effect on consumers, little research has investigated whether the effect of resource scarcity depends on the type of scarce resource. Across six studies, we identify the distinct psychological and decision-making consequences of two types of resource scarcity: time and money. We hypothesize that time and money scarcity can differentially influence consumer preferences by altering self-perceptions. Time (vs. money) scarcity leads to perceiving the self as a scarce resource, and these self-perceptions result in time- (vs. money-) scarce consumers drawing more favorable assessments of self-value and preferring options that reflect their heightened self-value. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the differential effect of time versus money scarcity only holds for consumption choices reflecting self-value. We also identify an important moderating condition: the source of the experience of scarcity, specifically whether it was self-chosen or not.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"18-35"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145969976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Iman Paul, Smaraki Mohanty, Monica Wadhwa, Jeffrey Parker
{"title":"Swipe right: When and why conservatives are more accepting of AI recommendations","authors":"Iman Paul, Smaraki Mohanty, Monica Wadhwa, Jeffrey Parker","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.1461","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.1461","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Six studies (<i>N</i> = 1548) and a single ad study on Facebook examine the influence of political ideology on the likelihood of accepting AI-generated recommendations in categories such as movie streaming, music streaming, and recipe websites. Contrary to conventional wisdom and prior empirical findings that conservatives are less accepting of technology, the current research finds that conservatives are more likely than liberals to accept AI-generated recommendations. This occurs because conservatives have a higher resistance to change in general, which leads them to have a greater preference for consistency in consumption contexts. Consequently, given the widely held belief that AI-generated recommendations are primarily based on one's own past preferences and behaviors, such recommendations are found to be more appealing to conservatives than liberals. However, this effect is attenuated when consumers recognize or infer that the AI lacks knowledge of their past preferences and behaviors. These findings contribute to the literature on the predictive power of political ideology for a litany of consumption-relevant behaviors while also adding nuance to our understanding of the relationship between political ideology and acceptance of new technology.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"3-17"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jcpy.1461","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145969882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lijun (Shirley) Zhang, Thomas Allard, David J. Hardisty, Xin (Shane) Wang
{"title":"The charity capacity curse","authors":"Lijun (Shirley) Zhang, Thomas Allard, David J. Hardisty, Xin (Shane) Wang","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.70000","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Can displays of charity capacity cues paradoxically harm charities' fundraising efforts? Six pre-registered studies provide evidence of a <i>charity capacity curse</i> whereby donors penalize charities for displaying capacity cues, such as human resources capacity, organizational capacity, and financial capacity cues. This curse occurs because donors perceive higher-capacity charities as needing less help. As donors typically donate based on need, they donate less to charities with superior capacity signals. This effect is attenuated when: (1) higher-capacity charities' needs are made salient, and (2) donors reflect on how their decision impacts end-beneficiaries. This research contributes to the literature on effective altruism and charity perceptions while offering managerial insights for charities seeking to optimize their fundraising communications.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"36-58"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jcpy.70000","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145993981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Changing beliefs or changing behavior? Understanding the belief-to-behavior process and intervening to curb the impact of misinformation","authors":"Hogeun Lee, Dolores Albarracín","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.70014","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A common assumption among scientists, journalists, and policymakers is that combating misinformation reliably changes behavior. However, the empirical evidence reveals that the belief–behavior association is often modest, variable, and context-dependent, raising critical questions about when and how to pursue belief versus behavior change. In this paper, we discuss the mechanisms by which beliefs influence behavior and the conditions under which addressing beliefs can change behavior. Specifically, we review the belief-to-behavior inference model, which proposes that beliefs influence behavior when (a) the belief is linked to a behavioral goal, (b) the inferential path from belief to behavior is relatively short, and (c) the belief–behavior association is preserved in memory. Our framework aligns intervention decisions with the cognitive architecture of belief–behavior correspondence and the intervention's goals, whether maximizing belief accuracy or behavioral impact. We also reviewed individual and social-structural interventions that are best suited for changing beliefs versus behavior, conceptually integrating interdisciplinary work on behavior change with the psychology of belief change.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"114-132"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jcpy.70014","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145987002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding the belief–behavior gap: Insights from attitudes research","authors":"Zakary L. Tormala, Derek D. Rucker","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.70011","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Belief change does not always lead to behavior change. This belief–behavior gap has received considerable atention, particularly in the context of misinformation. We expand upon ideas in the literature by offering additional insight derived from research on attitudes. Specifically, we propose that lessons from attitudes research can be applied to the belief–behavior relationship to further understand when belief change will and will not promote behavior change. We discuss the role of attitudes in determining how beliefs shape behavior, the value of measuring and targeting attitudes in research on behavior change, and factors that can influence the <i>attitude–behavior</i> relationship as a means to gain insight into the <i>belief–behavior</i> relationship. As part of our review, we also offer recommendations as to how belief-targeting interventions might be improved to increase their impact on downstream behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"133-140"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145983752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Moving beyond the belief–behavior correlation question: Decision contexts facilitate beliefs' effects on behavior","authors":"Clayton R. Critcher, Jeff Galak","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.70013","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Specific beliefs do not correlate with seemingly relevant behaviors for many reasons. Such correlations may be low even when beliefs perfectly cause behavior (e.g., because multiple beliefs compete for influence, because beliefs have various behavioral outlets). A belief may be a necessary precursor to, but not a guarantee of, a behavior. And most critically, belief–behavior correlations may depend on the context in which behavioral decisions are made. The present article complements Lee and Albarracín's focus on how beliefs can serve as logical premises from which behavioral intentions are deduced (belief-to-behavior inferences) by considering how specific contexts do or do not encourage the recruitment and potential application of beliefs. Behavioral decisions can be made entirely unprompted, because the context affords a behavioral opportunity, or because a prompt requires a decision be made. These distinctions can describe naturalistic decision making and research methodologies, suggesting details of the latter can encourage misleading conclusions about a belief's behavioral relevance. Although these considerations transcend the more specific interest in correcting misinformation, a specific concern with addressing political misinformation is discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"141-150"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jcpy.70013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145969599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xingning (Fiona) Qu, Linying (Sophie) Fan, Fengyan Cai
{"title":"Neighbors as strangers or friends? How consumer's self-construal affects the weight of neighbor information in residence decisions","authors":"Xingning (Fiona) Qu, Linying (Sophie) Fan, Fengyan Cai","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.70004","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although everyone must make decisions about where to live, we know little about how consumers perceive social interactions with neighbors and incorporate information about neighbors into their residence decisions. This article explores the impact of consumers' self-construal on the importance they attribute to neighbor information when choosing a residence. Across seven preregistered studies, including lab experiments and online surveys, the findings consistently show that independent consumers, compared with interdependent ones, place greater importance on information about potential neighbors. This tendency stems from independent consumers' stronger desire for social closeness with neighbors, prompting them to place more weight on information that will help them find neighbors with whom they could become friends.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"78-93"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145983798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Anthropomorphizing personal goals as dependent persons empowers consumer goal pursuit","authors":"Ria Mishra, Ritu Mehta, Sara Kim","doi":"10.1002/jcpy.70008","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jcpy.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Psychological empowerment plays a crucial role in motivating individuals to pursue their goals. This research explores a unique method to empower consumers in their goal pursuit: anthropomorphizing goals as dependent persons in need of care. Through three studies, including an incentive-compatible study and a field study conducted at a hypermarket, we demonstrate that viewing personal goals as dependent persons who require care and nurturance (e.g., presenting a goal as a dependent person in a health app) can significantly enhance goal pursuit (e.g., choosing healthy snacks) by boosting psychological empowerment. We find that this motivational boost does not occur when a goal is simply anthropomorphized as any person (Study 1), when it is depicted as a dependent object (Study 1), or when it is anthropomorphized as an independent person (Study 2). This research contributes to a deeper understanding of motivation in goal pursuit and offers practical implications for marketers. Specifically, by using marketing communications to frame goals as entities that require care, marketers can help individuals foster a more engaging and empowering relationship with their aspirations.</p>","PeriodicalId":48365,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Psychology","volume":"36 1","pages":"104-113"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145986989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}