Imagining is Better Than Seeing: How Perceptual Difficulty Increases Indulgence

• In Event: 6.9 How Biases and Sensory Stimuli Affect Food Enjoyment

Short Abstract

Perceptual difficulty of product stimuli for vices leads consumers to focus on elaborated imagery (vs. discursive) processing of the vices, which in turn increases consumption intentions for the vices. Product type, type of product information, visual cognitive load, and individual differences in curiosity moderate this effect.

Authors

• Aekyoung Kim, University of Sydney, Australia

• Saerom Lee, University of Texas at San Antonio, USA

• Margaret Meloy, Pennsylvania State University, USA