Ellie J Kyung
Biographic Data
| ID | 4101066 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ellie J Kyung |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ellie J |
| FAMILY NAME | Kyung |
| SIGNATURE | KYUNG E J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Babson College |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2385-9523 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 43 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 9 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
The Art of Misspelling
Linguistic characteristics influence how consumers recognize and associate with brands. Although recent research shows the negative impact of misspellings in brand names on sincerity and brand attitudes, many brands successfully use this strategy to create unique brand identities. We argue that not all misspellings have the same negative impact and thus explore how consumers process brand names through both linguistic and conceptual fluency. In a…
AI-induced indifference
The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) in our lives has brought the impact of AI-based decisions on human judgments to the forefront of academic scholarship and public debate. Despite growth in research on people's receptivity towards AI, little is known about how interacting with AI shapes subsequent interactions among people. We explore this question in the context of unfair decisions determined by AI versus humans and focus on …
How Do Physical Disability Cues Influence Assumptions about Consumer Tastes? Unpacking the Disability Preference Stereotype
Across 10 experimental studies, this research identifies and provides evidence of a disability preference stereotype whereby observers infer that disabled consumers prefer utilitarian products more than nondisabled consumers and prefer hedonic products less than nondisabled consumers. We show that this stereotype occurs because of societal associations between physical disability and pity. Pity elicits a multidimensional response such that consid…
Search or Scroll
Consumers’ choices of whom to follow on digital platforms shape their informational landscape. In an era in which the credibility of informational sources is critical, this research examines two key questions: (1) When do consumers prioritize communicator credibility over likability in their decisions to follow? and (2) How do multiple credibility and likability cues interact to influence these decisions? Analyzing four large datasets from popula…
Source Memory Is More Accurate for Opinions than for Facts
Effective communication relies on consumers remembering, sharing, and applying relevant information. Source memory, the ability to link a claim to its original source, is an essential aspect of accurate recall, attitude formation, and decision making. We propose that claim objectivity, whether a claim is a fact or an opinion, affects memory for the claim’s source. This proposal follows a two-step process: (i) opinions provide more information abo…
The Scale Orientation Effect
Technology makes it possible for researchers and practitioners to change the orientation of scales. Scales can be oriented horizontally from left to right with values increasing (0 left–10 right) or decreasing (10 left–0 right), or vertically from top to bottom with values increasing (0 top–10 bottom) or decreasing (10 top–0 bottom). Does the congruence of a scale’s spatial orientation (whether it is horizontal vs. vertical) and magnitude orienta…
Optimizing Animation Speed
Incidental waits are an unavoidable element of the consumer experience on any digital platform. Firms typically utilize no animation or single-speed, repeated animations during these waits. How might the use of such animations and their visual qualities influence perceived waiting time? Can simple design changes by managers influence the customer experience? Although prior research suggests a linear relationship in which faster animations reduce …
Price Partitioning of Socio-Moral Surcharges
Many companies are levying mandatory surcharges on products to raise funds for socio-moral causes (e.g., carbon-offset, living-wage, fair-trade, and sustainability surcharges). Should these surcharges be presented separately from the product price (i.e., partitioned pricing) or combined with the product price (i.e., all-inclusive pricing)? This research argues that partitioned pricing for socio-moral surcharges can backfire. When socio-moral surc…
How Do Consumers React to Ads That Meddle in Out-Party Primaries
In 2022, Democrats spent $53 million on ads helping far-right candidates win Republican primaries. Paying for ads that support far-right candidates, the reasoning went, could help Democrats win in the general elections because it is easier to beat extreme than moderate candidates. In the current research, we ask: how do consumers react to the use of 'meddle ads'? On the one hand, because of rising levels of polarization, consumers might be accept…
Intergenerational Effects of Lay Beliefs
Childhood obesity is a major problem worldwide and a key contributor to adult obesity. This research explores caregivers’ lay beliefs and food parenting practices, and their long-term, intergenerational effects on their children’s food consumption and physiology. First, a cross-cultural survey reveals the link between parents’ belief that tasty food is unhealthy and the use of extrinsic rewards to encourage their children to eat healthily, with a…
Machine Talk
This research shows that AI-based conversational interfaces can have a profound impact on consumer-brand relationships. We develop a conceptual model of verbal embodiment in technology-mediated communication that integrates three key properties of human-to-human dialogue-(1) turn-taking (i.e., alternating contributions by the two parties), (2) turn initiation (i.e., the act of initiating the next turn in a sequence), and (3) grounding between tur…
Days-of-the-Week Effect in Temporal Judgments
Consumers often receive and evaluate temporal information, such as the number of days it will take a package to arrive or the number of days a vacation will last. Across eight preregistered studies (N = 4,758), we examine how using days-of-the-week information in descriptions of temporal intervals (e.g., 'ordered on Monday, February 1, delivered on Saturday, February 6' vs. 'ordered on February 1, delivered on February 6') affects consumers' dura…
Mysterious Consumption
Mysterious consumption items represent products that are chosen or purchased without knowing the exact nature of the product(s). In contrast to the widely accepted notion of uncertainty aversion, the present research shows that consumers prefer uncertainty over certainty in the context of mysterious consumption. Across a variety of products (stress balls, ice cream, songs, teas, snacks, hotel rooms, masks, rental cars), participants preferred mys…
Moving, Fast or Slow
Can the sensation of moving fast versus slow systematically influence consumer behavior? With recent technological innovations, people increasingly experience speed during decision making. They can be physically on the move with their devices or virtually immersed in speed simulated through their devices. Through seven experiments, we provide evidence for a speed-abstraction effect, where the perception of moving faster (vs. slower) leads people …
Slider Scale or Text Box
Consumer payments elicited on slider scales can be systematically different from those elicited through text boxes because of the end point assimilation effect. When people use text boxes to make payments, they evaluate monetary values relative to the starting point of the response range. In contrast, when people use slider scales, they evaluate monetary values relative to the starting point as well as the end point of the response range. Consequ…
When Bigger Is Better (and When It Is Not)
Numeric ratings for products can be presented using a bigger-is-better format (1 = bad, 5 = good) or a smaller-is-better format with reversed rating poles (1 = good, 5 = bad). Seven experiments document how implicit memory for the bigger-is-better format—where larger numbers typically connote something is better—can systematically bias consumers’ judgments without their awareness. This rating polarity effect is the result of proactive interferenc…
How perceptions of temporal distance influence satiation
Reconstruction of things past
Slider Scale or Text Box
Consumer payments elicited on slider scales can be systematically different from those elicited through text boxes because of the end point assimilation effect. When people use text boxes to make payments, they evaluate monetary values relative to the starting point of the response range. In contrast, when people use slider scales, they evaluate monetary values relative to the starting point as well as the end point of the response range. Consequ…
How perceptions of temporal distance influence satiation
Machine Talk
This research shows that AI-based conversational interfaces can have a profound impact on consumer-brand relationships. We develop a conceptual model of verbal embodiment in technology-mediated communication that integrates three key properties of human-to-human dialogue-(1) turn-taking (i.e., alternating contributions by the two parties), (2) turn initiation (i.e., the act of initiating the next turn in a sequence), and (3) grounding between tur…
Reconstruction of things past
Moving, Fast or Slow
Can the sensation of moving fast versus slow systematically influence consumer behavior? With recent technological innovations, people increasingly experience speed during decision making. They can be physically on the move with their devices or virtually immersed in speed simulated through their devices. Through seven experiments, we provide evidence for a speed-abstraction effect, where the perception of moving faster (vs. slower) leads people …
Mysterious Consumption
Mysterious consumption items represent products that are chosen or purchased without knowing the exact nature of the product(s). In contrast to the widely accepted notion of uncertainty aversion, the present research shows that consumers prefer uncertainty over certainty in the context of mysterious consumption. Across a variety of products (stress balls, ice cream, songs, teas, snacks, hotel rooms, masks, rental cars), participants preferred mys…
When Bigger Is Better (and When It Is Not)
Numeric ratings for products can be presented using a bigger-is-better format (1 = bad, 5 = good) or a smaller-is-better format with reversed rating poles (1 = good, 5 = bad). Seven experiments document how implicit memory for the bigger-is-better format—where larger numbers typically connote something is better—can systematically bias consumers’ judgments without their awareness. This rating polarity effect is the result of proactive interferenc…
The Art of Misspelling
Linguistic characteristics influence how consumers recognize and associate with brands. Although recent research shows the negative impact of misspellings in brand names on sincerity and brand attitudes, many brands successfully use this strategy to create unique brand identities. We argue that not all misspellings have the same negative impact and thus explore how consumers process brand names through both linguistic and conceptual fluency. In a…
How Do Consumers React to Ads That Meddle in Out-Party Primaries
In 2022, Democrats spent $53 million on ads helping far-right candidates win Republican primaries. Paying for ads that support far-right candidates, the reasoning went, could help Democrats win in the general elections because it is easier to beat extreme than moderate candidates. In the current research, we ask: how do consumers react to the use of 'meddle ads'? On the one hand, because of rising levels of polarization, consumers might be accept…
Days-of-the-Week Effect in Temporal Judgments
Consumers often receive and evaluate temporal information, such as the number of days it will take a package to arrive or the number of days a vacation will last. Across eight preregistered studies (N = 4,758), we examine how using days-of-the-week information in descriptions of temporal intervals (e.g., 'ordered on Monday, February 1, delivered on Saturday, February 6' vs. 'ordered on February 1, delivered on February 6') affects consumers' dura…
Reconstruction of things past
How perceptions of temporal distance influence satiation
When Bigger Is Better (and When It Is Not)
Numeric ratings for products can be presented using a bigger-is-better format (1 = bad, 5 = good) or a smaller-is-better format with reversed rating poles (1 = good, 5 = bad). Seven experiments document how implicit memory for the bigger-is-better format—where larger numbers typically connote something is better—can systematically bias consumers’ judgments without their awareness. This rating polarity effect is the result of proactive interferenc…
Slider Scale or Text Box
Consumer payments elicited on slider scales can be systematically different from those elicited through text boxes because of the end point assimilation effect. When people use text boxes to make payments, they evaluate monetary values relative to the starting point of the response range. In contrast, when people use slider scales, they evaluate monetary values relative to the starting point as well as the end point of the response range. Consequ…
Moving, Fast or Slow
Can the sensation of moving fast versus slow systematically influence consumer behavior? With recent technological innovations, people increasingly experience speed during decision making. They can be physically on the move with their devices or virtually immersed in speed simulated through their devices. Through seven experiments, we provide evidence for a speed-abstraction effect, where the perception of moving faster (vs. slower) leads people …
Machine Talk
This research shows that AI-based conversational interfaces can have a profound impact on consumer-brand relationships. We develop a conceptual model of verbal embodiment in technology-mediated communication that integrates three key properties of human-to-human dialogue-(1) turn-taking (i.e., alternating contributions by the two parties), (2) turn initiation (i.e., the act of initiating the next turn in a sequence), and (3) grounding between tur…
Days-of-the-Week Effect in Temporal Judgments
Consumers often receive and evaluate temporal information, such as the number of days it will take a package to arrive or the number of days a vacation will last. Across eight preregistered studies (N = 4,758), we examine how using days-of-the-week information in descriptions of temporal intervals (e.g., 'ordered on Monday, February 1, delivered on Saturday, February 6' vs. 'ordered on February 1, delivered on February 6') affects consumers' dura…
Mysterious Consumption
Mysterious consumption items represent products that are chosen or purchased without knowing the exact nature of the product(s). In contrast to the widely accepted notion of uncertainty aversion, the present research shows that consumers prefer uncertainty over certainty in the context of mysterious consumption. Across a variety of products (stress balls, ice cream, songs, teas, snacks, hotel rooms, masks, rental cars), participants preferred mys…
Intergenerational Effects of Lay Beliefs
Childhood obesity is a major problem worldwide and a key contributor to adult obesity. This research explores caregivers’ lay beliefs and food parenting practices, and their long-term, intergenerational effects on their children’s food consumption and physiology. First, a cross-cultural survey reveals the link between parents’ belief that tasty food is unhealthy and the use of extrinsic rewards to encourage their children to eat healthily, with a…
AI-induced indifference
The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) in our lives has brought the impact of AI-based decisions on human judgments to the forefront of academic scholarship and public debate. Despite growth in research on people's receptivity towards AI, little is known about how interacting with AI shapes subsequent interactions among people. We explore this question in the context of unfair decisions determined by AI versus humans and focus on …
How Do Physical Disability Cues Influence Assumptions about Consumer Tastes? Unpacking the Disability Preference Stereotype
Across 10 experimental studies, this research identifies and provides evidence of a disability preference stereotype whereby observers infer that disabled consumers prefer utilitarian products more than nondisabled consumers and prefer hedonic products less than nondisabled consumers. We show that this stereotype occurs because of societal associations between physical disability and pity. Pity elicits a multidimensional response such that consid…
Search or Scroll
Consumers’ choices of whom to follow on digital platforms shape their informational landscape. In an era in which the credibility of informational sources is critical, this research examines two key questions: (1) When do consumers prioritize communicator credibility over likability in their decisions to follow? and (2) How do multiple credibility and likability cues interact to influence these decisions? Analyzing four large datasets from popula…
Source Memory Is More Accurate for Opinions than for Facts
Effective communication relies on consumers remembering, sharing, and applying relevant information. Source memory, the ability to link a claim to its original source, is an essential aspect of accurate recall, attitude formation, and decision making. We propose that claim objectivity, whether a claim is a fact or an opinion, affects memory for the claim’s source. This proposal follows a two-step process: (i) opinions provide more information abo…
The Scale Orientation Effect
Technology makes it possible for researchers and practitioners to change the orientation of scales. Scales can be oriented horizontally from left to right with values increasing (0 left–10 right) or decreasing (10 left–0 right), or vertically from top to bottom with values increasing (0 top–10 bottom) or decreasing (10 top–0 bottom). Does the congruence of a scale’s spatial orientation (whether it is horizontal vs. vertical) and magnitude orienta…
Optimizing Animation Speed
Incidental waits are an unavoidable element of the consumer experience on any digital platform. Firms typically utilize no animation or single-speed, repeated animations during these waits. How might the use of such animations and their visual qualities influence perceived waiting time? Can simple design changes by managers influence the customer experience? Although prior research suggests a linear relationship in which faster animations reduce …
Price Partitioning of Socio-Moral Surcharges
Many companies are levying mandatory surcharges on products to raise funds for socio-moral causes (e.g., carbon-offset, living-wage, fair-trade, and sustainability surcharges). Should these surcharges be presented separately from the product price (i.e., partitioned pricing) or combined with the product price (i.e., all-inclusive pricing)? This research argues that partitioned pricing for socio-moral surcharges can backfire. When socio-moral surc…
How Do Consumers React to Ads That Meddle in Out-Party Primaries
In 2022, Democrats spent $53 million on ads helping far-right candidates win Republican primaries. Paying for ads that support far-right candidates, the reasoning went, could help Democrats win in the general elections because it is easier to beat extreme than moderate candidates. In the current research, we ask: how do consumers react to the use of 'meddle ads'? On the one hand, because of rising levels of polarization, consumers might be accept…
The Art of Misspelling
Linguistic characteristics influence how consumers recognize and associate with brands. Although recent research shows the negative impact of misspellings in brand names on sincerity and brand attitudes, many brands successfully use this strategy to create unique brand identities. We argue that not all misspellings have the same negative impact and thus explore how consumers process brand names through both linguistic and conceptual fluency. In a…
Psychology (14 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Business (8 works) · Cognitive psychology (8 works) · Advertising (6 works) · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification (6 works) · Economics (6 works) · Perception (6 works) · Computer Science (5 works) · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics (5 works)