Self-Monitoring and Status Motivation: An Implicit Cognition Perspective
Résumé
Prior research has highlighted the role of self-monitoring as a key individual trait impacting consumer behavior. In an extensive review, Gangestad and Snyder (2000) identified a need for research investigating the role of status motivation in self-monitoring. This research constitutes an answer to their call from an implicit cognition perspective. To do this, we rely on the motivation and opportunity as determinants of attitude-behavior processes model (MODE, Fazio and Towles-Schwen 1999). Results indicate that both low- and high self-monitors share positive automatic attitudes about status. However, low self-monitors seem to rely on these automatic associations to make explicit status judgments whereas high self-monitors do less so. These results integrate prior findings in consumer research and open up avenues for future inquiry.