THE INFLUENCE OF POSITIVELY EVALUATIVE ATTRIBUTES ON PURCHASING DECISIONS

This experiment evaluated the effect of positively evaluative attributes on purchasing decisions by manipulating the Type of Repetition from a study phase to a test phase. Behavioral data and hemodynamic responses were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in 38 participants during a study task, where brand-name products and product specific attributes were processed, and during a test phase, where participants chose to purchase either new or previously processed products that were presented with either the same attribute, a different attribute, or no attribute. Results at test showed that repeating the association produced the highest accuracy in selecting the previously processed product and the highest hemodynamic activation. In contrast, presenting a different attribute at test produced the lowest accuracy and least hemodynamic activation, much like baseline. This hemodynamic difference between the same and different conditions was especially prevalent in the left hemisphere during the later time windows. These findings suggest that repeating the association biases purchase intention and produces hemodynamic repetition enhancement. In contrast, changing the association leads to interference and reduced selection of the processed product.