The effect of the temporal and spatial distance and the types of advertising messages on sport consumers’ attitude toward an advertising and purchase intentions: A Construal level theory perspective

In past research on imitation, some findings suggest that imitation is goal based, whereas other findings suggest that imitation can also be based on a direct mapping of a model’s movements without necessarily adopting the model’s goal. We argue that the two forms of imitation are flexibly deployed in accordance with the psychological distance from the model. We specifically hypothesize that individuals are relatively more likely to imitate the model’s goals when s/he is distant but relatively more likely to imitate the model’s specific movements when s/he is proximal. This hypothesis was tested in four experiments using different imitation paradigms and different distance manipulations. Experiment 1 served as a pilot study and demonstrated that temporal distance (vs. proximity) increased imitation of a goal relative to the imitation of a movement. Experiments 2 and 3 measured goal-based and movement-based imitation independently of each other and found that spatial distance (vs. proximity) decreased the rate of goal errors (indicating more goal imitation) compared to movement errors. Experiment 4 demonstrated that psychological distance operates most likely at the input—that is, perceptual—level. The findings are discussed in relation to construal level theory and extant theories of imitation.

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Construal Level Theory and Spatial Distance

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000060 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 165-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Marlone D. Henderson ◽

Cheryl J. Wakslak ◽

Kentaro Fujita ◽

John Rohrbach

Keyword(s):

Construal Level Theory ◽

Spatial Distance ◽

Future Research ◽

Construal Level ◽

Theory Approach ◽

Open Questions ◽

Bidirectional Relationship ◽

Current Article ◽

And Behavior ◽

The Way

Growing evidence points to a bidirectional relationship between spatial distance and level of mental representation, whereby distant (vs. near) events are represented by a higher level of representation, and higher levels of representations increase perceptions of distance. In the current article, we review research that establishes this association and explores its implications. We begin by briefly describing construal level theory, the theoretical framework that gives rise to this associative prediction, and then review a set of theory-consistent findings that serve to illuminate the way that spatial distance influences cognition and behavior and the way in which people make judgments about spatial distance. Finally, we discuss open questions for future research on spatial distance using a construal level theory approach.

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Psychological Distance Cues in Online Messages

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000229 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 65-80

Author(s):

Hande Sungur ◽

Guido M. van Koningsbruggen ◽

Tilo Hartmann

Keyword(s):

Online Communication ◽

Psychological Distance ◽

Construal Level Theory ◽

Spatial Distance ◽

Construal Level ◽

Message Processing ◽

Online Information ◽

Theory Approach ◽

Within Subjects

Abstract. Growing evidence reveals that people rely on heuristic cues when processing online information. The current research, by adopting a construal level theory approach, examined whether psychological distance cues within online messages influence message processing. According to construal level theory, spatial and hypothetical distances (i.e., probabilities, likelihoods) share an association based on psychological distance. Construal level literature suggests that people overgeneralize this association and attribute unlikely events to distant places and likely events to close-by places. The current research provides a novel test of this relationship in an online communication setting. In two within-subjects experiments (Studies 1 and 2), we presented participants tweets depicting likely and unlikely events, and measured whether they attribute them to spatially close or far sources. Confirming our predictions, participants utilized the psychological distance cues and attributed the likely tweets to spatially close and the unlikely tweets to spatially far sources. In two follow-up experiments, we tested the same relationship by employing between-subjects designs. In Study 3 where participants saw one spatial distance and both likely and unlikely tweets, participants formed the same association albeit less strongly and attributed the unlikely tweets to spatially distant sources. In Study 4, where participants saw two spatial distances and only one tweet, the expected association was not formed. Findings suggest that comparison of likelihood information is necessary to form an association between source location and tweet likelihood. The implications of psychological distance and a construal level theory approach are discussed in the context of online heuristics and persuasion.

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Using Construal Level Theory to Motivate Accounting Research: A Literature Review

Behavioral Research in Accounting ◽

10.2308/bria-51063 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 137-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Martin M. Weisner

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Psychological Distance ◽

Construal Level Theory ◽

Judgment And Decision Making ◽

Spatial Distance ◽

Construal Level ◽

Accounting Research ◽

Geographically Dispersed ◽

Comprehensive Framework ◽

And Behavior

ABSTRACT This study reviews extant literature on construal level theory (CLT) of psychological distance (Liberman and Trope 1998; Trope and Liberman 2003). According to CLT, the concept of psychological distance constitutes a common meaning shared by four interrelated dimensions: temporal distance, social distance, spatial distance, and hypotheticality. The core premise is that psychological distance is tied to the level of mental construal (i.e., mental representation), such that more distant objects (or situations) are construed at a higher level and higher-level construals evoke thoughts of more distant objects (Trope and Liberman 2010). CLT further suggests that mental construals influence evaluation, prediction, and behavior (Trope, Liberman, and Wakslak 2007). In spite of the fact that CLT is considered a prominent contemporary theory and comprehensive framework for judgment and decision-making, behavioral accounting research, with few exceptions, has largely ignored the theory's predictions and insights. However, as accounting, auditing, and business in general become increasingly global and geographically dispersed, the perspectives provided by CLT should no longer be ignored. This study aims at illustrating CLT's potential for investigating hitherto unexplained phenomena within the accounting domain and argues that CLT provides the potential for a superior understanding of the heuristics and biases in judgment and decision-making that are associated with distance-affected decision environments. The paper reviews the findings reported in 88 articles (and one book chapter) with an emphasis on publications that apply CLT in contexts that are of particular interest to accounting researchers. CLT's underlying theoretical logic, its commonalities, and its differences with related theories and models are explained through a detailed review of the insights gained from basic CLT research. Commonly applied methods associated with experimental manipulations are highlighted, and broad, CLT-based research questions pertaining to various accounting domains are offered.

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