Autonomy in consumer choice.

We propose that autonomy is a crucial aspect of consumer choice. We offer a definition that situates autonomy among related constructs in philosophy and psychology, contrast actual with perceived autonomy in consumer contexts, examine the resilience of perceived autonomy, and sketch out an agenda for research into the role of perceived autonomy in an evolving marketplace increasingly characterized by automation.

The past, present, and future of consumer research.

In this article, we document the evolution of research trends (concepts, methods, and aims) within the field of consumer behavior, from the time of its early development to the present day, as a multidisciplinary area of research within marketing. We describe current changes in retailing and real-world consumption and offer suggestions on how to use observations of consumption phenomena to generate new and interesting consumer behavior research questions. Consumption continues to change with technological advancements and shifts in consumers' values and goals. We cannot know the exact shape of things to come, but we polled a sample of leading scholars and summarize their predictions on where the field may be headed in the next twenty years.

Perceived momentum influences responsibility judgments.

This work examined how people judge the responsibility of sequential events (e.g., correct/incorrect guesses) for overall outcomes (e.g., winning/losing a trivia game). People are found to perceive momentum, even in contexts where it cannot exist (i.e., sequences of independent events), which leads them to expect streaks to continue. Events that break those streaks (e.g., an incorrect guess after a series of correct guesses) are more unexpected and, thus, held more responsible for overall outcomes. How these findings contribute to the contemporary understanding of responsibility judgments is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Staying the course: the option of doing nothing and its impact on postchoice persistence.

Individuals regularly face adversity in the pursuit of goals that require ongoing commitment. Whether or not individuals persist in the face of adversity greatly affects the likelihood that they will achieve their goals. We argue that a seemingly minor change in the individual's original choice set-specifically, the addition of a no-choice option-will increase persistence along the chosen path. Drawing on self-perception theory, we propose that choosing from a set that includes a no-choice (do nothing) option informs individuals that they both prefer the chosen path to other paths and that they consider this path alone to be worth pursuing, an inference that cannot be made in the absence of a no-choice option. This unique information strengthens individuals' commitment to, and increases their persistence on, their chosen path. Three studies employing incentive-compatible designs supported our predictions and ruled out several rival accounts.