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Turning to Space

Social Density, Social Class, and the Value of Things in Stores

Bibliographic Data

ID2237331
AuthorsThomas Clayton O’guinn, Robin J Tanner, Robin Tanner (0000-0003-2000-5792), Ahreum Maeng (0000-0003-2112-6895, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Year2015
Volume42
Issue2
Pages196-213
Publication date2015-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Consumer Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0093-5301 • E-ISSN: 1537-5277
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/jcr/ucv010
OpenAlexW2271388484
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited74

This article is about social space and material objects for sale within that space. We draw primarily on Goffman's (1971) concepts of use space and possession territories to predict that as the social density of a given space increases, inferences of the subjective social class and income of people in that space fall. Eight studies confirm that this is indeed the case, with the result holding even for stick figures, thus controlling for typical visual indicators of social class such as clothing or jewelry. Furthermore, these social class inferences mediate a relationship between social density and product valuation, with individuals assessing both higher prices and a greater willingness to pay for products presented in less crowded contexts. This effect of inferred class on product valuation is explained by status-motivated individuals' desire to associate with higher-status people. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first to reveal the link between social density, status inferences, and object valuations. As such, it makes a novel contribution to what has come to be known in sociology as the topological turn: a renewed focus on social space

Class (philosophy) · Economics · Possession (linguistics) · Product (mathematics) · Social class · Social space · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · Statistics · Valuation (finance) · Value (mathematics) · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Mathematics · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social Psychology · Wine Industry and Tourism

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Unique citing works20
Citations per year2,5
Citation span2018 - 2025 (8)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 20
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