Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-05-21T17:01:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Jocimara de Lima Mauer_.pdf: 5542023 bytes, checksum: 0944fdd378962e4404523b084c57d948 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-21T17:01:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jocimara de Lima Mauer_.pdf: 5542023 bytes, checksum: 0944fdd378962e4404523b084c57d948 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-30 / Nenhuma / Pesquisas anteriores mostram que no processo de tomada de decisão, frequentemente consumidores são pressionados pelo tempo. Ainda, as pesquisas mostram que após a tomada de decisão pode ocorrer dissonância cognitiva motivado pela rejeição de uma ou mais opções atraentes. Esta pesquisa estende esses achados e propõe que o comportamento altruísta influencia (modera) positivamente a relação entre pressão do tempo e dissonância cognitiva nas decisões de consumo. O estudo um indica que quanto maior a pressão do tempo no processo de tomada de decisão, maior será a dissonância cognitiva. O estudo dois demostra que em cenários sem pressão do tempo os consumidores apresentam maior comportamento altruísta e menor dissonância cognitiva após a tomada de decisão. Por fim, a relação entre pressão do tempo e dissonância cognitiva é moderada pelo baixo comportamento altruísta quando levado em consideração a utilidade do produto. Enquanto que, o alto comportamento altruísta modera a relação entre pressão do tempo e dissonância cognitiva, considerando a relevância da decisão tomada. / Previous research has shown that in the decision-making process, consumers are often pressured by time. Furthermore, research has shown that after decision making, cognitive dissonance can occur because of the rejection of one or more attractive options. This research extends these findings and proposes that altruistic behavior influences (moderately) positively the relationship between time pressure and cognitive dissonance in consumption decisions. The one study indicate that the greater the time pressure in the decision-making process, the greater the cognitive dissonance. Study Two demonstrates that in scenarios without time pressure the consumers present greater altruistic behavior and less cognitive dissonance after the decision making. Finally, the relation between time pressure and cognitive dissonance is moderated by the low altruistic behavior when one considers the usefulness of the product. While, high altruistic behavior moderates the relation between time pressure and cognitive dissonance, considering the relevance of the decision-making.

This thesis aims to present and explore a mathematical model of attitude change within society. Building on the foundations set up by Lave and March [2] and Eriksson and Strimling [1] we propose a model which includes the possibility of having an overt as well as covert opinion by any individual on a given issue. We lay out the verbal and mathematical specifications for our model, interpret them in the framework of discrete-time dynamical systems and simulate the behavior using Matlab programming. Finally, we propose three conjectures based on the results of our simulations and proceed to subject two of them to further analytical treatment.

As the corporate world, communities, and individuals become more globalized and demands on natural resources increase, a new emphasis on environmental leadership including a new pragmatic environmental ethos is needed to meet certain basic human needs of future generations. The research problem addressed in this study was the lack of knowledge concerning how environmental cognitive dissonance influences consumption practices related to inefficient resource utilization and ecosystem degradation. The purpose of this study was to provide an understanding of the breadth and depth of environmental cognitive dissonance among visitors to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The research questions addressed the development, manifestation, and mitigation of environmental cognitive dissonance. This qualitative case study was designed for a purposeful sample of 12 participants visiting the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Data were collected via structured interviews, field observations, and questionnaires, and then were analyzed using a data spiral and cross case analysis. The dominant findings indicated that (a) awareness of personal values, culture, and perceptions of the environment were responsible for basic attitudes regarding the environment and consumption; (b) wasteful habits, excessive consumption, and market influences were juxtaposed with nostalgic/episodic memories and deep thoughts about personal consumptive habits; and (c) an interactive multisensory experience in a pristine and wild environment changed perceptions and values regarding ecosystems and ecosystem preservation. The results of this study could help stewards of natural resources develop a new understanding of consumptive behavior and a new consumer ethos of stewardship and environmental leadership, one that inspires healthy and sustainable ecosystems.

Depuis plusieurs années des stratégies de marketing social sont déployées par les gouvernements et les associations de consommation pour promouvoir des comportements de consommation durable. Ces actions de marketing social sont généralement basées une approche rationnelle du comportement humain. Deux caractéristiques émergent de cette approche. Selon une première caractéristique, le consommateur choisit délibérément des produits en fonction des informations qu'il détient. Il évalue le poids de ces informations en termes de coût/bénéfice pour prendre sa décision. Il suffit de fournir des informations adéquates et en nombre suffisant pour influencer la prise de décision. En dépit de cette idée, des recherches récentes suggèrent que le comportement peut découler automatiquement de la simple perception de la situation (Dijksterhuis & Bargh, 2001). Les indices perçus dans le contexte activent automatiquement des comportements afin de permettre à l'individu de réagir de façon rapide et adaptée. Cette approche a fait l'objet d'un premier volet de recherches menées dans le cadre de cette thèse. Les données de trois études expérimentales renforcent l'idée qu'il est possible d'influencer la valeur écologique de choix de consommation grâce à la perception d'indices liés à l'écologie. La perception d'indices écologiques favorise l'émergence de choix de produits écologiques uniquement s'ils sont connotés de façon négative (e.g., pollution). Par ailleurs, cet effet ne dépend pas d'habitudes d'éco-consommation préexistantes. La seconde caractéristique suggère que les consommateurs agissent en accord avec leur attitude. Si l'on change l'attitude, le comportement en sera affecté. De nombreuses études se sont attachées à mieux connaître le lien entre attitude et comportement. Ces études ont eu pour objet (1) de développer des techniques ou mesures permettant d'affiner la prédiction du comportement à partir de l'attitude ou (2) de tenter de dégager les variables qui modèrent la force de ce lien entre attitude et comportement. D'autres chercheurs se sont attachés à renforcer la probabilité d'émergence de comportements spécifiques en faisant prendre conscience aux individus que leurs comportements sont parfois en inadéquation avec les opinions qu'ils défendent publiquement. Cette dernière approche, dite de l'hypocrisie induite (Aronson, 1999), a été examinée dans un second volet de recherches menées dans le cadre cette thèse. Deux expériences montrent que l'hypocrisie peut ne pas avoir d'effet au niveau comportemental, voire avoir des effets négatifs. Par ailleurs, la seconde étude apporte davantage de pertinence au paradigme de l'hypocrisie induite quant à ses possibilités d'application réelle au marketing social. / For several years, social marketing strategies have been deployed by governments and consumer associations in order to promote sustainable consumer behaviors. These actions are mainly based on a rational conception of human behavior. Two characteristics emerge from this view. According to a first characteritstic, consumers deliberately choose products according to the information given to them. They assess the weight of that information in terms of cost and benefits in order to take their decision. From this point of view, providing a sufficient number of adequate information is sufficient to influence the decision process. Despite this idea, recent research suggests that behavior can rise automatically from the perception of the situation (Dijksterhuis & Bargh, 2001). Perceived situational cues automatically activate behaviors in order to allow the people to react fast and in an adapted manner. This approach was used in a first section of our research. Data from three experimental studies support the idea that the perception of ecological cues implicitly influences the ecological value of the products chosen by consumers, but only when these cues are negatively related to ecology (e.g., pollution). In addition, this effect does not depend on preexisting ecological consumer habits. The second characteristic suggests that consumers act in line with their attitude. If the attitude is changed, behavior will be affected as well. Many studies examined the relation between attitude and behavior. These studies aimed at (1) developing measurements and techniques to refine the prediction of the behavior by the attitude, and (2) trying to identify moderating variables of the attitude-behavior link. Other researchers endeavored to reinforce the emergence of specific behaviors by making people aware about the fact that their behavior is sometimes inconsistent with the opinion they advocate publicly. This last framework, known as induced hypocrisy (Aronson, 1999), was examined in the second part of our research. Two experiments illustrate that hypocrisy can sometimes have no behavioral effect, and even a negative effects. In addition, the second study brings relevance to induced hypocrisy as an applicable marketing technique.

Det är få individer som väljer att inte studera vidare på gymnasiet efter grundskolan. Det `val´ elever har som inte är behöriga men vill gå på ett nationellprogram på gymnasiet är det Individuella programmet (IV). Syftet med denna uppsats är att synliggöra elevers upplevelser av att studera på IV. En kvalitativintervjustudie har använts och resultatet visar att elevers självbild påverkas av att gå på IV. Respondenterna som gick på IV hade ofta en negativ självbild, som påverkats av flera olika faktorer. Under tiden på IV förbättrades deras motivation till studier, vilket märktes bland annat på ökad närvaro jämfört med i grundskolan. Den ökade motivationen berodde på en stärkt tilltro till den egna förmågan. Detta har skett tack vare att respondenterna brutit mönster, haft engagerad personal och att de hade framgång inom områden där de tidigare misslyckats. / Very few students chose to not continue school after 9th grade. The ones that lack grades for upper secondary school, have the option go to an individual program (IV) to get them. The purpose with this thesis is to make students experiences from IV visible. A qualitative interview method has been used. The result shows that the pupils at IV have a low self-image. During the time at IV the respondent’s motivation gets stronger because of enlarged self efficacy. That’s because of engage staff and success in areas that the individual was unsuccessful in earlier.

Consumers acquire products to enhance their lives, but the happiness from these acquisitions generally decreases with the passage of time. This process of hedonic adaptation plays an integral role in post-acquisition consumer satisfaction, product disposal and replacement behavior, and the "hedonic treadmill" that partially drives the relationship between consumption and happiness. Humans are social animals, however, and we know little about the relationship between the social environment and hedonic adaptation. My dissertation addresses this gap by exploring the moderating role of social presence (Essay 1) and self-concepts (Essay 2) on hedonic adaptation to products. Essay 1 explores how social presence affects hedonic adaptation to products. Research on general happiness has shown that significantly positive life events tend to maintain their positivity for longer periods of time when they involve active social interactions. I examine a more common situation in the domain of product consumption, i.e., the presence of others during consumption, and test whether hedonic adaptation to products is moderated by public contexts. By tracking happiness with products over time, I show that a "social audience" (i.e., the presence of others and the perception that those others notice the consumer) moderates hedonic adaptation through a consumer's inference of the social audience perspective. Inferring that the social audience is admiring one's product slows down adaptation, and inferring that the social audience is negatively viewing one's product accelerates adaptation. Essay 2 explores the role the identity-relevance of a product plays in hedonic adaptation. Extant research illustrates that consumers avoid consuming identity-inconsistent products in order to avoid dissonance arising from product choices conflicting with important self-concepts. I show that dissonance can also arise from consuming identity-consistent products because of the force of hedonic adaptation. I provide evidence that consumers feel uncomfortable experiencing declining happiness with identity-consistent products and thus resist hedonic adaptation to such products in order to resolve the dissonance. / text

Thesis (M.Tech.: Marketing)-Dept. of Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2007 x, 164 leaves / According to postpurchase behaviour theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (i.e., beliefs, opinions). When an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviours (dissonance) occurs, some change must be made in order to eliminate this behaviour. In the case of a discrepancy between attitudes and behaviour, it is most likely that the attitude will change to accommodate the behaviour. The objective of this study is to determine the extent of post purchase behaviour amongst tertiary students, with specific reference to the Durban University of Technology.

Aquesta tesi representa un model teòric i metodològic per a l’estudi del canvi tecnològic en Arqueologia. El marc teòric, que rep el nom d’Arqueometria del canvi tecnològic, té els seus fonaments en la teoria de la dissonància cognitiva procedent de la Psicologia social. D’altra banda, el marc metodològic es basa en l’aplicació de tècniques arqueomètriques. El cas d’estudi el representa el canvi en el disseny dels primers tipus d’àmfora romana produïts al nord de la província romana Hispania Tarraconensis. / This thesis presents a theoretical and methodological model to study technological change processes. The model is based on cognitive dissonance theory which is used as an interpretative framework in the change of the designs of the first Roman amphorae types produced along the Hispania Tarraconensis Roman province during the change of the Era.

Cette thèse explore le phénomène de whistleblowing et comment il a été encadré, principalement du point de vue anglo-saxon, à travers des lectures proches de récits culturels et une vue critique sur l'érudition existante sur whistleblowing. À travers des lectures rapprochées d'une sélection de cas, la poursuite, l'importance et l'impact de la vérité apparaîtront comme le thème central dans les récits culturelles explorées, mais aussi les moments où la vérité est rendu impuissante, en raison de sa nature coercitive comme factualité. L'impuissance de la vérité vécue par les lanceurs d'alerte ("les whistleblowers") est ce qui relie d'autre part les récits culturels à l'art tragique. Les diseurs de vérité ne sont pas reconnus, et ils entrent dans un conflit tragique parce qu'elles révèlent des vérités qui ne sont pas pratiques pour les gens au pouvoir. En d'autres termes, les whistleblowers, en disant la vérité, cherchent à élargir l'espace épistémique dans la sphère publique et à tenir les gens et le pouvoir responsables. Cependant, ils sont continuellement négativement encadrés avec des métaphores conceptuelles qui obstruent la perception d'eux en tant que conteurs de la vérité. / This dissertation posits that whistleblowing is factual truth-telling, or truthful public denunciation. In scholarship, media, and in the popular perception of whistleblowing, the truth-claim is often overlooked, and in many occasions hampered by the dominant ways it is framed (e.g. as leak, which is explored among other frames as a problematic conceptual metaphor). Interestingly, the representation of the whistleblower is different in cultural narratives. Through close readings of a selection of cases, the pursuit, importance, and impact of truth will appear as the central theme in the explored plots, but also the moments where truth becomes impotent, due to its coercive nature as factuality - a process that furthermore connects whistleblowing with the idea of the tragic. Put differently, the special literary interest of narratives of whistleblowing is to turn ignorance into knowledge, knowledge into telling, and how the unraveling of truth becomes a reversal of fortune for the truth-teller who enters a particular tragic conflict. As frame, as narrative, and as a modern phenomenon of truthful public denunciation, whistleblowing offers particular moments of truth, often about moments of falsehood, and ultimately seeks to be a moment of impetus: for the public to restore justice, and for readerships and audience of narrative and dramatic configurations to choose or to distance themselves from multiple proposals of justice emplotted - not only ethical justice, but also epistemic, hermeneutical, and testimonial justice. In other words, whistleblowers, by telling the truth, seek to expand the epistemic space in the public sphere and hold people and power accountable.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Joye C. Gordon / Military spouses have a complex relationship with news coverage of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 Iraq War. Utilizing uses and gratifications, hostile media perception, and cognitive dissonance perspectives as a basis, the researcher studied military spouses' media behaviors, perceived benefits of media usage, and whether hostile media perception and cognitive dissonance were present in this convenience sample of military spouses. Thirty military spouses participated in in-depth interviews. The results showed a desire for more positive news stories and less negative news stories about Operation Iraqi Freedom. Hostile media perception and cognitive dissonance responses were noted among participants–especially with regard to the media's tracking totals of soldier and civilian casualties. Military spouses in this sample found military news sources more credible than civilian news sources. They also described using news coverage for the purposes of gaining information, surveillance, political competency and empathy.