Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo compreender a relação entre as características intrínsecas e extrínsecas dos calçados sociais masculinos e o seu preço de varejo no município de São Paulo. Para isso, o trabalho utiliza a teoria dos atributos proposta por Lancaster (1966) e o método de preços hedônicos de Rosen (1974). Para a precificação dos atributos intrínsecos e extrínsecos dos calçados sociais masculinos foi desenvolvido um modelo de regressão múltipla com variáveis dummy para identificação e precificação dos atributos mais importantes na composição dos preços oferecidos ao consumidor final. O banco de dados da pesquisa foi composto por 1.120 observações, levantadas no período entre 20 de junho e 21 de novembro de 2015, envolvendo 21 lojas e redes de lojas, todas localizadas no município de São Paulo. Dentre as diversas formas funcionais utilizadas (linear, semilogarítimica e dupla logarítmica), escolheu-se a forma linear (LIN-LIN) que forneceu um poder de explicação para o modelo (R2) de 80%. Os resultados encontrados indicam que a principal variável presente foi o acabamento do couro em cromo alemão, cujo preço implícito, quando esse tipo de couro é utilizado na fabricação do calçado, impacta o preço de varejo em R$ 593,92. Outros itens que também são bastante significativos para a formação do preço final de varejo dos calçados sociais masculinos, quando presentes, pertencem a cinco variáveis. A primeira classifica os distritos municipais de São Paulo em populares ou nobres, e reduz o preço em R$ 75,05, quando o distrito é popular. A segunda refere-se ao tipo de solado; no caso de borracha, também diminui o preço final em R$ 77,83. As regiões Sul, Norte e Central impactam negativamente o preço final do calçado em R$ 63,40, R$ 44,77 e R$ 18,09, respectivamente. Também foi encontrado que o preço básico dos calçados sociais masculinos situa-se em R$ 318,56 (valor da constante). A pesquisa corroborou a aplicabilidade do método dos preços hedônicos para precificar os atributos existentes em calçados sociais masculinos / This research seeks to understand the link between intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of men´s formal shoes and its retail price in São Paulo. To achieve this goal, it applies the theory of attributes proposed by Lancaster (1966) and the hedonic method proposed by Rosen (1974). For the evaluation of prices for the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of men´s formal shoes, it was developed a multiple regression model, with dummy variables linked to the most important attributes of these shoes . The research database consists of 1,120 observations gathered between June 20 and November 21, 2015, which involved 21 stores and chain stores, all located in São Paulo. Among the various functional forms generally used for regressions (linear, semi logarithmic and double logarithmic), the linear (LIN-LIN) was chosen, because it provided an explanatory power of 80% to the model (R2). The results also indicate that the main variable found was the use of German chrome at the leather finishing, whose implicit price (when this type of leather finishing is used in the manufacture of male footwear) impacts the retail price in the amount of R$ 593,92. Other factors that are also quite significant for the formation of the final retail price of men´s formal shoes, when present, are the five following variables. The first one divides the municipal districts of São Paulo in popular or affluent, and leads to a price reduction of R$ 75.05 when the district is popular. The second type refers to the outsole; if rubber is used it also decreases the final cost in R$ 77,83. São Paulo´s South ,North and Central regions negatively impact the final price of footwear in R$ 63,40, R$ 44,77 and R$ 18,09, respectively. Yet, it was concluded that the base price for men´s formal footwear is R$ 318,56 (constant value of the regression line). Finally, the survey corroborates the applicability of the method of hedonic pricing to attributes in men´s formal shoes.

Heightened reward associated with palatable food, a construct referred to as hedonic reward, can promote excessive energy intake among adults. However, no known studies have examined the influence of hedonic reward on adolescents' eating behavior and weight status. The present study examined whether there was an association between hedonic hunger and weight status in overweight/obese adolescents and whether dietary behavior (caloric consumption) mediated this association. Baseline measures of body mass index, hedonic food reward, and dietary intake were collected from one hundred overweight and obese adolescents. Data were analyzed using mixture modeling. Mediation at varying levels of hedonic hunger was explored and three heterogeneous sub-classes were identified. Results indicated that for 65% participants there was a positive association between hedonic hunger and zBMI such that one unit of increase in hedonic hunger was associated with a 0.35 unit increase in zBMI. However, no conclusive evidence of caloric intake mediating the association between hedonic hunger and weight-status was found. Overall, our results suggest that exaggerated hedonic responses are associated with higher body mass in adolescents. These results provide a compelling argument that hedonic hunger can potentially override the homeostatic need for energy and may be associated with weight-gain.

Cognitive theories of depression have long posited automatic interpretation biases (AIB) as a central contributor to depressed mood. The current study was first to examine AIB in a clinically defined depressed sample. While assessing AIB using a semantic association paradigm, pupillary reactivity was simultaneously recorded to build insight into the AIB process. A total of 53 individuals (25 depressed and 28 healthy control) completed the Word Sentence Association Paradigm for Depression (WSAP-D) while pupillary reactivity was recorded. Results revealed the depressed group was significantly more likely to endorse negative AIB and less likely to endorse benign AIB compared to healthy controls. The depressed group demonstrated a modest effect size difference indicating they were faster to endorse negative AIB compared to the healthy controls, but did not differ in endorsing benign AIB or in rejecting either valence. Pupillary reactivity was found to differentiate behaviorally defined AIB type from a natural processing condition when counter to theorized, group relevant AIB. The depressed group demonstrated greater initial pupillary constriction during initial presentation of ambiguous information and comparatively less pupillary dilation during and after endorsing a benign AIB. Taken together, the results suggest that theorized negative AIB and lack of benign AIB are characteristic of depression, that greater cognitive effort is required to reject interpretations consistent with theorized biases consistent with reinterpretation processes, and that depressed individuals are less engaged with benign AIB compared to healthy controls, possibly associated with hedonic deficits. Theoretical implications and future directions are discussed.

Since literature that evaluates the impacts that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has on surrounding property values is limited, this research contributes to this research by investigating if proximity to a BRT station has an effect, either positive or negative, on residential housing values. Further, it investigates if the nature and extent of this effect varied during different stages of implementation of the BRT system and different housing market conditions. Fluctuations in sale prices were mitigated based on a six month moving median. Four hedonic price models were then used to evaluate the influence of independent variables on the dependent variable, adjusted sales price. Results indicated that properties that were in an area between 0.4 and 0.8 mile (network distance) away from a BRT station, possessed about a $5,000 premium in sales price during the bust and initial recovery of the real estate market that occurred between 2009 and 2013. Additional results also indicated that in areas where the percentage of households without access to a vehicle increased, sales prices on residential properties also increased. This study did not employ the use of spatial models and concludes that such models should be used in future research to account for spatial autocorrelation. Further, this research suggests that additional geographic variables should be used to evaluate how residents value accessibility to other transportation systems when compared to BRT.

Doctor of Philosophy (Phd) / Despite an abundance of evidence demonstrating that the temporal relationship between events is a key factor in an organism learning an association between those events, a general theoretical account of temporal contiguity has remained elusive. A particular question that has received little attention is whether behaviour established with strong contiguity can be maintained when contiguity is weakened. The primary aims of this thesis were to examine the mechanisms underlying both the effects of contiguity on learning in rats and humans and the maintenance effect described above. The experiments reported in this thesis demonstrated that rats’ lever-pressing for food/sucrose acquired with immediate reinforcement persisted when a trace/delay that would have prevented acquisition was subsequently introduced, provided the lever was a valid signal for reinforcement. In classical conditioning with a 10-second trace, rats performed magazine-entry during lever-insertion (goal-tracking) instead of lever-pressing (sign-tracking); with zero-trace, rats both sign- and goal-tracked if lever-insertion time was 10 seconds, while goal-tracking dominated with 5-second lever-insertion time. Furthermore, while it was found that context-US associations may interfere with CS-US learning, context conditioning did not contribute to the retardation of sign-tracking in trace conditioning. Overall, these results are consistent with the theory that a localisable manipulandum that signals an appetitive outcome with strong contiguity acquires hedonic value, and that such hedonic value drives lever-pressing behaviour that is resistant to changes in the conditions of reinforcement. Human performance in a conditioned suppression task was inversely related to trace interval, but this apparent contiguity effect was at least partially mediated by the number of distractors during the trace interval, as predicted by Revusky’s concurrent interference theory. Furthermore, some transfer of conditioned suppression was observed when the trace was subsequently lengthened. Despite the different explanations proposed to account for rat and human performance in these experiments, the results suggest that the effects of contiguity on learning may be driven by similar underlying mechanisms across species.

Studies in the areas of goal pursuit and well-being suggest that the goals people work toward in their daily lives are important contributors of well-being. However, research to date has focused primarily on aspects of the individual in goal pursuit even though goals are not pursued in isolation. In fact, there is evidence that this emphasis on the individual, particularly salient in Western cultures, has negative consequences at both the individual and community levels. With regard to well-being, data have indicated that it is best represented as two dimensional, including hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. However, the research on personal goals has primarily focused on hedonic well-being of the individual. Overall, hedonic well-being appears to be more related to affective experience, whereas eudaimonic well-being appears to be more comprehensive and related to topics like purpose in life, self-acceptance, and positive relations with others. The theoretical framework of Virtue Ethics posits that social affiliations are essential for human beings to flourish and experience eudaimonia, and this study examines that premise. A two-step approach to structural equation modeling was used to contribute to the extant literature on goal pursuit and well-being by 1) exploring the individual and interpersonal dimensions of goal pursuit and their relationships to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being and 2) exploring the interpersonal dimensions of goal pursuit as a mediator of the relationship between individual dimensions of goal pursuit and eudaimonic well-being. The retained structural model from the two-step approach included Efficacy (an Individual Dimension of Goal Pursuit) and Generativity (an Interpersonal Dimension of Goal Pursuit). Results demonstrated that Efficacy and Generativity were both significantly related to Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-being; however, Generativity was more strongly related to Eudaimonic than Hedonic Well-being. These findings were consistent with the premise of Virtue theory, that those engaged in goal pursuit with or on behalf of others are more likely to experience higher levels of eudaimonic well-being. Future research should include further exploration of the Interpersonal Dimensions of Goal Pursuit and well-being specifically by focusing on improving measurement for the Interpersonal Dimensions of Goal Pursuit, Hedonic, and Eudaimonic Well-being.

While a vast amount of research in marketing has examined how information prior to purchase helps consumers to make purchase decisions, relatively little work has considered how marketers can increase the value consumers derive from subsequent experiences using this information. This dissertation develops a construct called "experiential preparation" that describes how consumers can increase the hedonic benefit of their experiences. This dissertation defines "experiential preparation" as any mechanism that allows consumers to familiarize themselves with upcoming experiences in advance of consumption, while the "preparation effect" refers to the increase in liking for an event due to experiential preparation.In a series of ten experimental studies this dissertation demonstrates that experiential preparation increases satisfaction, particularly where the respondent is in a positive mood. It also identifies the primary mechanism through which experiential preparation works, showing that increased satisfaction is fully mediated by fluency. These effects occurred across a range of experiences and modes of preparation. In all the studies, participants viewed feature-length and short, films and read short stories. Participants who engaged in experiential preparation received previews in the form of plot summaries or actual excerpts from the films and stories. In all studies, participants reported their enjoyment for the experiences, and, in several studies additional preference measures were collected. Finally, measures were developed to test for the ways in which fluency mediates and positive moods moderate the preparation effect.This dissertation is organized in three chapters. In Chapter One, experiential preparation and the preparation effect are defined, and background literature is discussed. Chapter Two analyses the results of the ten studies thematically around various mechanisms, some of which have a significant impact on the preparation effect, and some, little impact. Chapter Three presents the studies' results in detail. / Dissertation

Nowadays, bottled water is a common product, which can be easily found everywhere in developed and underdeveloped countries, and that usually has the main goal of reducing health risk. In Taiwan, tap water if often recognized as non-potable water, so, most of the people buy bottled water or filter their tap water. In France bottled water is popular for its convenience that consumers derive from it. However, bottled water became an important topic of discussion due to its importance and its negative aspects such as plastic waste, and its high price while having a similar composition with tap water. The aim of this study is to decompose the price of bottled water in France and Taiwan while using the hedonic price function in order to estimate the implicit price and the utility maximization that consumers estimate about it. A semi-log model has been used in order to obtain results. The findings show that the two markets have different preferences about bottled water attributes, but also have similarities which led to the conclusion that the that cultural and environmental differences play a large role in the preferences of bottled water attributes.

In recent years, retailers have evolved to offer higher levels of hedonic value in shopping experience, thereby intensifying levels of the competition within the industry. The reason for success of President Chain Store Corporation¡¦s integrated marketing of whole store also is hedonic value. However, academic research on consumer reactions to these efforts is limited. This study focuses on the integrated marketing of whole store carried out by two leading convenience store in Taiwan, and investigates consumer reactions to these promotions enhancing hedonic value in shopping experience.Research results find that, hedonic benefits of sales promotion have positive relationship with customer satisfaction, word of mouth, repatronage anticipation, and resource expenditures. On the contrary, utilitarian benefits of sales promotion have negative relationship with those retail outcomes. And results show that the distinct categories of sex and age have different level of effect on the benefits of sales promotion¡¦s relationship with customer satisfaction, word of mouth, re-patronage anticipation, and resource expenditures. According to the research findings, this study provides useful insight for the further development of marketing strategies.

The new information technology is becoming an important factor in the future development of financial service industry, most of banks are using the Internet as a new distribution channel, people use the Internet bank to keep an eye on their money matters, view their account balance and check receiving payments,Currently, one stream of internet banking customer retention research focus primarily on the determinants of continuance intention from cognitive perspective based on technology adoption model (TAM), whereas another stream of internet banking customer satisfaction research focused on the emotion from affective events theory (AET), the studyattempts to bridge the two streams of research and to explain internet banking customer post-adoption behavior. Internet banking customer behaviors research focused on the benefits of the system in determining systems success, the benefits of internet banking are discussed from five points of view; time saving, cost saving, fast, accessible, and available, we use the term ¡§utilitarian benefits¡¨ to refer to the functional, on the other hand, internet banking customer behaviors research focused on the benefits of the emotion, the benefits of internet banking are discussed from five points of view; excitement, cheerfulness, delight, security, confidence, we use the term ¡§hedonic benefits¡¨ to refer to the aesthetic. Finally, the result show that hedonic benefit improves customer satisfaction more than utilitarian benefit.