Lecture 8 - Self-enhancement

Question 1

Why do people do the right thing?

Answer 1

Because it is the right thing, but they do it more if they think someone is watching

Question 2

Types of self-enhancement

Answer 2

• conspicuous consumption
• conspicuous compassion
  -conspicuous donation behavior
• conspicuous conservation

Question 3

Conspicuous consumption

Answer 3

When people buy fancy or expensive things to show off and impress others

Question 4

Conspicuous compassion

Answer 4

Showing of how caring or charitable a person is

Question 5

Conspicuous donation behavior

Answer 5

Universities donations get public they will get more donations through that

Question 6

Conspicuous conservation

Answer 6

Showing off efforts to save or protect the environment

Question 7

Example conspicuous conservation

Answer 7

Driving an electric car and not choosing the one that exactly looks like a normal one but spending way more money on one where you can actually see that it is electric

Question 8

Why self enhancement

Answer 8

1. People manage their self-presentation
   -> maximize social rewards
   -> avoid social punishments
   -> same as utilitarian social influence
2. Conform to social norms
   -> affiliate oneself with right products or brands and not with the wrong ones
   -> to avoid punishment

Question 9

Prerequisites for self enhancement

Answer 9

• knowledge of the norms of one’s reference group
• ability to self-present accordingly

Question 10

Example prerequisites for self-enhancement

Answer 10

It is desirable and a social norm to hang out in exclusive night clubs
To get in you need to know about the norms which are that you need taste, look good and be affluent. Then you self-present accordingly to the norms to get in

Question 11

Attitude/behavior gap

Answer 11

You ask people they for example really like organic products but when you check they don’t actually buy them. If you have an attitude towards someone and you don’t act that way there is a gap and this gap makes it difficult for charge the person more for organic products because they don’t actually want to buy it

Question 12

Motives for self enhancement

Answer 12

• Social distinction
• social identification
• self-monitoring ability
• attention to social comparison information (ATSCI)

Question 13

Social distinction

Answer 13

To stand out

Question 14

Social identification

Answer 14

To fit in

Question 15

Self-monitoring ability

Answer 15

How good you are at self-presentation
Related to social distinction (standing out)

Question 16

Attention to social comparison information (ATSCI)

Answer 16

How much you care about self-presentation
Related to social identification (fitting in)

Question 17

Measuring Self-Monitoring

Answer 17

• in social situations I have the ability to alter my behavior if I feel something else is called for
• I have trouble changing my behavior to suit different people and situations
• I have found that I can adjust my behavior to meet the requirements of any situation I find myself in

Question 18

Measuring Attention to social comparison information

Answer 18

1. At parties, I usually try to behave in a manner that makes me fit in
2. When I am uncertain of how to act in a social situation, I look to the behavior of others
3. I try to pay attention to the reactions of others to my behavior in order to avoid being out of place
4. it is my feeling that if everyone else in a group behaves in a certain manner, this must be the proper way to behave

Question 19

Study 1 Green Consumer Behavior - Being good or seeming good

Answer 19

Hypothesis: people self-enhance by conforming to social norms. Norm: green is good. People who do conspicuous consumption (show off products) will chose environmentally friendly products more than people who anticipate inconspicuous consumption
Experiment with coffee cups
Public group: green cup for eco and gray for regular
Private group: natural white mugs for both
-> H1 is supported
-> visibility changes behavior

Question 20

Study Green Consumer Behavior - Being good or seeming good
Experiment 2

Answer 20

H2: positive influence of conspicuous on Green Consumer Behavior is more likely among people who have high self-monitoring ability.
H3: positive influence of conspicuousness on Green Consumer Behavior is more likely among people who have a high Attention to social comparison information (ATSCI).
Web based study within subjects vignette experiment
- inconspicuous vignette: buy normal or organic coffee (served in white mug) that classmates won’t see
- Conspicuous vignette: buy normal or organic coffee (served either in white or green mug) that classmates will see
-> H1 supported
-> H2 rejected because people do not choose organic coffee to Stand out
-> h3 is supported because people choose organic coffee to fit in

Question 21

Implications of study of green consumer behavior

Answer 21

• good if we want to close the attitude/behavior gap
  -> visibility is additional motivation to buy green
  -> not stronger for people who want to stand out but fit in

Question 22

Recommendations of study of green consumer behavior

Answer 22

• make green consumption visible
• make green consumption the default (automatically selected option)