REGULATORY FOCUS AND MINDSET IN RISK PERCEPTION

• Grant number: 23/12264-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Administration - Business Administration
• Principal Investigator: José Mauro da Costa Hernandez
• Grantee: Cristiane Benedetti Chammas
• Host Institution: Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades (EACH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Understanding the effect of consumer information processing is one of the most relevant topics in the field of marketing and consumer psychology studies (Lim et al., 2023). This project is situated within the literature of consumer psychology studies, focusing on the decision-making process, aiming to investigate whether mindset manipulations can influence consumer judgment regarding risk, regardless of their characteristics. Specifically, our goal is to understand whether manipulations utilizing the implementation mindset impact information processing and consumer judgment, regardless of their chronic regulatory focus. We will assess the five domains of risk behavior (Study 1) and two types of choices: one considering risk in consumption with a lower-value product (Study 2), and another choice considering risk in consumption with a higher-value product (Study 3). Additionally, cognitive biases, specifically the illusion of invulnerability and control biases, will be considered mediators in the model. Overall, mindset and regulatory focus are intrinsically linked concepts with significant implications across various domains. Researchers' in-depth understanding of these concepts provides additional insights into the independent influence of mindset apart from regulatory focus, as well as their interaction and the limitations of the regulatory focus effect on consumer decision-making. In practice, this knowledge enables the establishment of a more effective connection with the target audience, leading to more favorable responses in marketing campaigns for both commercial and social objectives.