Browsing by Author "Price, Simani Mohapatra"

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    The effect of rumination on beliefs about adjustment to future negative life events
    Price, Simani Mohapatra (Virginia Tech, 1993)
    Do people become more optimistic about future adjustment to negative life events after rumination? Past research using a "top of the head" paradigm indicates that people estimate they would adjust more poorly for severe events and better for mild negative events than their peers. Selective focus (i.e., differential accessibility of information about assets and liabilities for coping) has been provided as an explanation for this effect, which is counter to research on "optimistic bias". Martin and Tesser's (1989) rumination model was applied to beliefs about one's comparative adjustment to negative life events. One hundred twenty undergraduate subjects were asked to imagine experiencing a Severe (HIV+) or Mild (Herpes) negative event at some future time, then to designate items on a reaction time task as either an Asset or Liability in coping with the event. The reaction time task and subsequent comparative adjustment ratings were made either immediately, after a delay that allowed for rumination, or after a delay without an opportunity for rumination. A thought-listing analysis of the audiotaped ruminations revealed that, as predicted, subjects became more optimistic over time. They initially discussed liabilities in coping with the Severe event but gradually considered assets. Comparative adjustment ratings for the Severe event were not significantly different than for the Mild event, even in the Rumination Absent condition. It was suggested that temporarily making assets for coping accessible through the reaction time task had the same effect on comparative adjustment ratings as did problem-solving through rumination. The reaction time data provided convergent evidence regarding selective focus and complimented a thought-listing paradigm used in previous studies.
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    The persuasive impact of autobiographical memories ads: schema-triggered affect or episodic self-referencing?
    Price, Simani Mohapatra (Virginia Tech, 1996)
    Marketers frequently use autobiographical memories ads to induce persuasion. However, the few existing studies of autobiographical memories ads have produced inconsistent results regarding their persuasive impact. Moreover, there is little empirical support for the presumed process by which autobiographical memories ads work (i.e., episodic self-referencing). Similar to previous studies, the current study found scant evidence of episodic self-referencing. This study recharacterized self-referencing using the more general term "self-focus". In addition, this study suggested that a schema-based process can better explain the persuasive process in autobiographical memories ads rather than priming a specific episode from one's life. To test these competing explanations (episodic self-referencing vs. schema-based), an experiment was conducted that exposed participants to a Florida vacation package ad either for a spring (schema-consistent) or a Thanksgiving (schema-inconsistent) break. The ad either made no explicit reference to the self (product-focus-ad) or made a reference to a past break experience (self- focus-ad). There were three different versions of the self-focus-ad. Participants in the Self-focus-ad condition simply viewed the ad. Participants in the Self-focus-ad Pre-essay condition wrote an essay on a past break experience prior to viewing the ad. Participants in the Self-focus-ad Post-essay wrote the essay after viewing the ad. The presentation order of two primary dependent measures (product evaluation and cognitive response) was also manipulated. Participants provided product evaluation ratings on the Florida college vacation package. The cognitive response measure was a thought listing task on the advertised product. A computer presented all stimuli and recorded participants' responses. In general, the results support a schema-based process rather than episodic self-referencing in explaining the persuasive impact of autobiographical memories ads when the product evaluation measure preceded the cognitive response measure. A consistent schema-match produced a higher product evaluation than an inconsistent schema-match. Additionally, increasing self-focus after viewing the ad forced participants to contrast their past experience with the ad, resulting in a lower product evaluation. The results suggest that the persuasive mechanism underlying autobiographical memories ads can be better characterized by self-focus and self-relevance rather than by self-referencing of a past event. Implications for persuasion and advertising are discussed.