Social Psychological Models of Impression Formation among Consumers

Three different perspectives on the formation of product impressions among consumers were compared: the adding model of impression formation, the averaging model of impression formation, and attribution theory. These three models lead to mutually exclusive predictions regarding the results of information processing and impression formation among consumers. One hundred thirty-four subjects participated in three studies which compared the accuracy of predictions derived from the three perspectives. The Ss viewed advertisements, which varied in product information, for an inexpensive ballpoint pen and reported their impressions of the product. Results indicate that the attribution perspective generally provided the most accurate predictions, although both attribution principles and averaging principles might operate in some situations.