Effects of Visual Cues and Social Density on Beverage Consumption: A Field Experiment in a Bar

We conducted a randomized controlled field study to explore the effectiveness of sensory marketing on beverage consumption patterns in a real bar setting. Specifically, we examined (a) the effect of visual elements (i.e., consumption-inducing text messages on coasters), (b) the effect of social density, and (c) the joint effect of visual elements and social density. We manipulated coaster type (visual consumption-inducing messages either present or absent), measured social density, and collected sales data. The results show that visual elements have a significant effect on beverage consumption, but social density does not. The joint effect between the two factors is significant such that the effect of visual elements is higher when social density is low. This study contributes to the sensory marketing literature by revealing the interaction between visual and spatial cues in a field setting.

Concerns for others increases the likelihood of vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 more in sparsely rather than densely populated areas

Vaccination yields the direct individual benefit of protecting recipients from infectious diseases and also the indirect social benefit of reducing the transmission of infections to others, often referred to asherd immunity. This research examines how prosocial concern for vaccination, defined as people’s preoccupation with infecting others if they do not vaccinate themselves, motivates vaccination in more and less populated regions of the United States. A nationally representative, longitudinal survey of 2,490 Americans showed that prosocial concern had a larger positive influence on vaccination against influenza in sparser regions, as judged by a region’s nonmetropolitan status, lesser population density, and lower proportion of urban land area. Two experiments (totaln= 800), one preregistered, provide causal evidence that drawing attention to prosocial (vs. individual) concerns interacted with social density to affect vaccination intentions. Specifically, prosocial concern led to stronger intentions to vaccinate against influenza and COVID-19 but only when social density was low (vs. high). Moderated mediation analyses show that, in low-density conditions, the benefits of inducing prosocial concern were due to greater perceived impact of one’s vaccination on others. In this light, public health communications may reap more benefits from emphasizing the prosocial aspects of vaccination in sparser environments.

Exploring the Effects of Environmental Cues on Perceived Personal Space in the Virtual Workplace

In recent years there has been renewed focus on workplace design and its impact on workers’ productivity and satisfaction, particularly in open plan offices. Extensive research has been conducted to date on the topic of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). Here we sought to understand how perceived personal space is influenced by a number of variables that could influence IEQ; specifically, we tested how different levels of social density, spatial density, environmental noise presence, and type of view impact the appreciation of personal space in a shared office environment. We employed virtual reality (VR) technology to simulate shared and single occupancy offices and tested a sample of 60 participants over three experiments. We devised a novel measure of personal space estimation using a virtual disc around the participant which could be extended and retracted to indicate the perceived amount of personal space. We also used a traditional personal space satisfaction score. We found that participants experienced greater perceived personal space when 1) in a sparse rather than a dense office, 2) in a private office rather than an open plan office, and 3) having any view outside of the office. We did not find an effect of the presence of noise or increased social density (with spatial density held constant) on the perception of personal space. The results confirmed that simulated personal space in a VR environment can elicit natural, realistic responses of perceptions of spatial dimensions and that the features of the virtual office determine individual levels of personal space.