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A study of Japanese consumers' cognitive hierarchies in formal and informal gift‐giving situations
Author(s) -
Lotz Sherry L.,
Shim Soyeon,
Gehrt Kenneth C.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
psychology and marketing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.035
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1520-6793
pISSN - 0742-6046
DOI - 10.1002/mar.10059
Subject(s) - situational ethics , cognition , psychology , context (archaeology) , metropolitan area , social psychology , multilevel model , computer science , geography , archaeology , neuroscience , machine learning
In recent years, academicians have shown an increasing interest in Asian gift‐giving behavior. Yet studies investigating Asians' cognitive hierarchical structures in the gift‐giving context have been limited. Additionally, the literature suggests that Asian consumers' cognitive structures are particularly affected by situational contingencies. Thus, this study examines Japanese consumers' cognitive hierarchies, in a gift‐giving context, in formal and informal situations utilizing a most‐abstract to least‐abstract cognitive hierarchical framework. Data were collected through a mail survey of Japanese consumers in the greater Tokyo area and six other major metropolitan cities. As hypothesized, structural‐equation modeling results revealed that the Japanese consumer's cognitive hierarchical flow from most‐ to least‐abstract cognitions remained intact regardless of the situation. In contrast, as expected, differing situations were found to influence intercognitive dimensional relationships. Implications of these findings are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.