False Beliefs Can Shape Current Consumption

Antonia Mantonakis, Amanda Wudarzewski, Daniel M. Bernstein, Seema L. Clifasefi, Elizabeth F. Loftus

Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behavior, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Department of Marketing, International Business and Strategy, Goodman School of Business, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, Canada.
Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
Psychology & Social Behavior, Criminology, Law & Society, Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2013.43A044                

Abstract

In this study, we explore whether false beliefs about a past experience affect current consumption of wine by suggesting to participants that they either “Loved” or “Got Sick” from drinking white wine before age 20. Specifically, we report the consequences of false beliefs about wine, which could take the form of either increased or decreased wine consumption. In response to the suggestion, and similar to other false memory studies many participants became more confident that the suggested event occurred in their past. However, it was easier to influence participants’ consumption behavior when we used the “Loved” suggestion rather than the “Got Sick” suggestion. This finding has implications for marketers who use suggestions to influence product consumption by connecting consumers to their autobiographical memories.

Keywords

Consumption; False Memory; False Beliefs; Nostalgia; Consumer Memory

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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