Published papers

Science is facing a reproducibility crisis, and there is a concern about the reproducibility of the research findings, especially in psychology. The research findings in leading journals of consumer research have been found to be unreproducible. Questionable research practices (QRPs) such as p-hacking and HARKing may be involved in this reproducibility crisis. It has been pointed out that QRPs have been employed in consumer research. In this paper, we discuss the problem of reproducibility and its related issues from the perspective of consumer research. First, we indicate that an implicit research practice in consumer research encompasses QRPs. Next, we discuss how the reproducibility crisis has been perceived in consumer research. Finally, we propose the research practices required for consumer research to deal with QRPs. Focusing on the pre-registration, we introduce credible research practices, such as open data, and accurate and transparent reporting of statistics and experimental materials.

Humanness perception, which attributes fundamental and unique human characteristics to other objects or people, has significant consequences for people’s interactions. Notably, the failure to perceive humanness in older adults can lead to prejudice. This study investigates the effect of a target’s age on humanness perception in terms of two dimensions: agency (the ability to act and do) and experience (the ability to feel and sense). We also examined brain activity using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in order to understand the underlying neural mechanisms. Healthy university students viewed the facial images of older and younger individuals and judged the humanness of each individual in terms of agency and experience while inside the MRI scanner. The results indicated that older adults were rated higher on experience, and no difference was found in ratings for agency between younger and older face images. Analysis of brain imaging data indicated that positive functional connectivity between the ventral and dorsal regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was greater when judging the humanness of younger faces than older faces. We also found that the negative functional connectivity between the left inferior frontal gyrus and postcentral gyrus was greater when judging the humanness of older faces as compared to that of younger faces. Although the current study did not show distinct brain activities related to humanness perception, it suggests the possibility that different brain connectivities are related to humanness perception regarding targets belonging to different age groups.

Purpose This research examined the role of post-conflict marketing in supporting businesses within conflict-affected regions, aligning with the objectives of UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 to foster peaceful societies amid increasing global conflicts. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from the theories of social egalitarianism and consumer discrimination, the study explored the moderating influence of conflict stakeholder on consumer willingness to pay (WTP). Understanding such stakeholder roles underscores post-conflict marketing's potential for economic growth and stability. Two experiments assessed the WTP, WTP a premium price and expected attractiveness of strategic products and services developed by key stakeholders (ex-guerrilla, ex-paramilitaries, ex-militaries, victims and other citizens) in the Colombian post-conflict context among both local (Colombian) and foreign (Japanese) consumers. Findings Results revealed that products associated with victims consistently received higher ratings. A notable contrast emerged as Japanese consumers favoured products of victims over those of regular citizens while rating offerings from ex-paramilitary and retired military stakeholders similarly, unlike their Colombian counterparts. Research limitations/implications The study acknowledges limitations regarding participants' geographic location and experimental design, providing insights for future research and potential refinements. Practical implications The findings offer insights into the impact of consumer attitudes on post-conflict stakeholder entrepreneurship in foreign and local markets, thus contributing relevant knowledge to support market success. Originality/value This is the first study assessing the role of various post-conflict stakeholders in influencing consumer evaluations of products and services. Consequently, these findings contribute to the foundational understanding of post-conflict marketing and offer a benchmark for business development in conflict-affected areas.

ABSTRACT Overconsumption is a leading factor behind the rising incidence of obesity worldwide. As consumers struggle to understand the true caloric and nutritional value of the foods they consume in an increasingly cluttered marketplace, food manufacturers are being tasked with finding more effective ways of communicating nutritional facts. We thus examined the impact of sonic logos (sogos) on the perception of food satiability and purchase intention. Study 1 demonstrates that consumers perceive foods that are presented with high‐frequency (vs. low‐frequency) sogos as lighter (vs. heavier) and subsequently less (vs. more) filling (while ruling out the role of hunger and time since the last food intake). Study 2 reveals that when consumers regard health (vs. satiety) as important, high (vs. low) frequency sogos induce higher purchase intention due to the perceived congruency between the sogo frequency and consumption goal. Our findings add to the literature on food and multisensory marketing by demonstrating that low‐frequency sogos can connote food satiability through the underlying mechanism of the shared semantic meaning of heaviness between a low‐frequency sound and satiable foods. These insights can assist brands in strategically designing their sound signatures to promote food satiability.