Brent Mcferran
Biographic Data
| ID | 99696 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brent Mcferran |
| GIVEN NAMES | Brent |
| FAMILY NAME | Mcferran |
| SIGNATURE | MCFERRAN B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Simon Fraser University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7906-6157 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 121 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 7 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 8 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Starting Positive: The Impact of Self-Presentation Concerns on Consumer Reviews
This research investigates how reviewers’ self-presentation strategies influence their posting behavior. We find reviewers are less likely to post negative reviews early in their review history due to concerns that doing so would make them appear as lacking warmth. This concern diminishes as the number of reviews associated with their profile increases, resulting in a discernable negative trend in ratings at the reviewer level. We document this t…
Sustainability Cues Can Delay Consumption
With the rise of environmental concerns in recent decades, many companies have joined the initiative to advertise and promote sustainable consumption. The current research examines how providing sustainability cues to consumers might have unintended consequences of which practitioners and policymakers may not be fully aware. One pilot study and 10 main studies, including two real-choice studies, show that a sustainability cue may delay consumptio…
How Low Socioeconomic Status Hinders Organ Donation: An Extended Self Account
Past studies find that lower socioeconomic status (SES) individuals are less likely to donate organs. Building on the extended self literature, we propose that this effect occurs in part because the body is more central to the sense of self of lower-SES individuals. We test our predictions across seven studies (N = 8,782) conducted in different countries (United States and Brazil) with qualitative, observational, and experimental data in controll…
When and Why Consumers (Erroneously) Believe Income Impacts the Enjoyment of Consumption Experiences
We examine how people (as observers) anticipate levels of happiness from psychological consumption experiences (e.g., learning a new language or visiting a park). All else being equal, we propose and demonstrate that people expect differences in happiness based on income. Specifically, we show that relative to observers themselves, individuals simultaneously expect low-income consumers to enjoy psychological consumption experiences less and high-…
Dominance versus Prestige Hierarchies: How Social Hierarchy Base Shapes Conspicuous Consumption
Consumers are known to seek out and display conspicuous goods—items that are exclusive and signal wealth and high social standing. Though many factors can drive such conspicuous consumption, the present work looks at an unexplored element: whether consumers find themselves in a dominance versus prestige-based hierarchy. Dominance-based hierarchies encourage consumers to use threatening, assertive, and manipulative behaviors to navigate the hierar…
People, Peace, Prosperity, and the Planet: A Journey toward Sustainable Development in Consumer Research
With its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations (UN) developed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a 'blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.' This initiative raises the question: how has the Journal of Consumer Research (JCR) shed light on the SDGs? This research analyzes 50 years of consumer research through the lens of the SDG and makes four contributions. First, the authors provide a content a…
Rejections Are More Contagious than Choices: How Another’s Decisions Shape Our Own
Every day, we learn about others’ decisions from various sources. We perceive some of these decisions as choices and others as rejections. Does the mere perception of another’s decision as a choice versus as a rejection influence our own behavior? Are we more likely to conform to another’s decision if we view it in one way or the other? The current research investigates the social influence of decision frames. Eight studies, including a field stu…
Not Just about Price: How Benefit Focus Determines Consumers’ Retailer Pricing Strategy Preference
Recent research has highlighted a difference in the way consumers approach choice sets. Some consumers focus on products’ quality benefits (vertical differentiation): their selections are driven by the level of quality obtained relative to the price paid. Other consumers focus on products’ taste benefits (horizontal differentiation): their selections are driven by acquiring personal tastes at favorable prices. This article aims to investigate how…
Consumer Minimalism
Minimalism in consumption can be expressed in various forms, such as monochromatic home design, wardrobe capsules, tiny home living, and decluttering. This research offers a unified understanding of the variegated displays of minimalism by establishing a conceptual definition of consumer minimalism and developing the 12-item Minimalist Consumer Scale to measure the construct. Three distinct dimensions of consumer minimalism are identified: number…
The Dark Side of Scarcity Promotions: How Exposure to Limited-Quantity Promotions Can Induce Aggression
Marketers frequently use scarcity promotions, where a product or event is limited in availability. The present research shows conditions under which the mere exposure to such advertising can activate actual aggression that manifests even outside the domain of the good being promoted. Further, we document the process underlying this effect: exposure to limited-quantity promotion advertising prompts consumers to perceive other shoppers as competiti…
Wealth and Welfare: Divergent Moral Reactions to Ethical Consumer Choices
This article examines perceptions of low-income consumers receiving government assistance and the choices they make, showing that this group is viewed differently than those with more resources, even when making identical choices. A series of five experiments reveal that ethical purchases polarize moral judgments: whereas individuals receiving government assistance are perceived as less moral when choosing ethical (vs. conventional) products, inc…
What makes affirmative action‐based hiring decisions seem (un)fair? A test of an ideological explanation for fairness judgments
Studies show that Whites tend to show the lowest level of support for affirmative action (AA) policies. Opponents of AA often argue that this is because it violates principles of meritocracy. However, self‐interest (based on social identification with those adversely affected) could also explain their opposition. In three studies, we varied whether an Asian or White male is adversely affected by AA to test another explanation; namely, that Whites…
The Entourage Effect
Across a series of studies conducted in both the field and the laboratory, the authors demonstrate that the presence of others (i.e., an entourage) alters a VIP's personal feelings of status. Specifically, the authors show that VIPs feel higher levels of status when they are able to experience preferential treatment with an entourage, even if this results in the rewards associated with the treatment becoming less scarce. We show that the effect i…
Moral identity and the experience of moral elevation in response to acts of uncommon goodness
Four studies using survey and experimental designs examined whether people whose moral identity is highly self-defining are more susceptible to experiencing a state of moral elevation after being exposed to acts of uncommon moral goodness. Moral elevation consists of a suite of responses that motivate prosocial action tendencies. Study 1 showed that people higher (vs. lower) in moral identity centrality reported experiencing more intense elevatin…
I'll Have What She's Having: Effects of Social Influence and Body Type on the Food Choices of Others
This research examines how the body type of consumers affects the food consumption of other consumers around them. We find that consumers anchor on the quantities others around them select but that these portions are adjusted according to the body type of the other consumer. We find that people choose a larger portion following another consumer who first selects a large quantity but that this portion is significantly smaller if the other is obese…
I'll Have What She's Having: Effects of Social Influence and Body Type on the Food Choices of Others
This research examines how the body type of consumers affects the food consumption of other consumers around them. We find that consumers anchor on the quantities others around them select but that these portions are adjusted according to the body type of the other consumer. We find that people choose a larger portion following another consumer who first selects a large quantity but that this portion is significantly smaller if the other is obese…
Moral identity and the experience of moral elevation in response to acts of uncommon goodness
Four studies using survey and experimental designs examined whether people whose moral identity is highly self-defining are more susceptible to experiencing a state of moral elevation after being exposed to acts of uncommon moral goodness. Moral elevation consists of a suite of responses that motivate prosocial action tendencies. Study 1 showed that people higher (vs. lower) in moral identity centrality reported experiencing more intense elevatin…
Consumer Minimalism
Minimalism in consumption can be expressed in various forms, such as monochromatic home design, wardrobe capsules, tiny home living, and decluttering. This research offers a unified understanding of the variegated displays of minimalism by establishing a conceptual definition of consumer minimalism and developing the 12-item Minimalist Consumer Scale to measure the construct. Three distinct dimensions of consumer minimalism are identified: number…
Wealth and Welfare: Divergent Moral Reactions to Ethical Consumer Choices
This article examines perceptions of low-income consumers receiving government assistance and the choices they make, showing that this group is viewed differently than those with more resources, even when making identical choices. A series of five experiments reveal that ethical purchases polarize moral judgments: whereas individuals receiving government assistance are perceived as less moral when choosing ethical (vs. conventional) products, inc…
People, Peace, Prosperity, and the Planet: A Journey toward Sustainable Development in Consumer Research
With its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations (UN) developed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a 'blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.' This initiative raises the question: how has the Journal of Consumer Research (JCR) shed light on the SDGs? This research analyzes 50 years of consumer research through the lens of the SDG and makes four contributions. First, the authors provide a content a…
The Entourage Effect
Across a series of studies conducted in both the field and the laboratory, the authors demonstrate that the presence of others (i.e., an entourage) alters a VIP's personal feelings of status. Specifically, the authors show that VIPs feel higher levels of status when they are able to experience preferential treatment with an entourage, even if this results in the rewards associated with the treatment becoming less scarce. We show that the effect i…
The Dark Side of Scarcity Promotions: How Exposure to Limited-Quantity Promotions Can Induce Aggression
Marketers frequently use scarcity promotions, where a product or event is limited in availability. The present research shows conditions under which the mere exposure to such advertising can activate actual aggression that manifests even outside the domain of the good being promoted. Further, we document the process underlying this effect: exposure to limited-quantity promotion advertising prompts consumers to perceive other shoppers as competiti…
What makes affirmative action‐based hiring decisions seem (un)fair? A test of an ideological explanation for fairness judgments
Studies show that Whites tend to show the lowest level of support for affirmative action (AA) policies. Opponents of AA often argue that this is because it violates principles of meritocracy. However, self‐interest (based on social identification with those adversely affected) could also explain their opposition. In three studies, we varied whether an Asian or White male is adversely affected by AA to test another explanation; namely, that Whites…
I'll Have What She's Having: Effects of Social Influence and Body Type on the Food Choices of Others
This research examines how the body type of consumers affects the food consumption of other consumers around them. We find that consumers anchor on the quantities others around them select but that these portions are adjusted according to the body type of the other consumer. We find that people choose a larger portion following another consumer who first selects a large quantity but that this portion is significantly smaller if the other is obese…
Moral identity and the experience of moral elevation in response to acts of uncommon goodness
Four studies using survey and experimental designs examined whether people whose moral identity is highly self-defining are more susceptible to experiencing a state of moral elevation after being exposed to acts of uncommon moral goodness. Moral elevation consists of a suite of responses that motivate prosocial action tendencies. Study 1 showed that people higher (vs. lower) in moral identity centrality reported experiencing more intense elevatin…
What makes affirmative action‐based hiring decisions seem (un)fair? A test of an ideological explanation for fairness judgments
Studies show that Whites tend to show the lowest level of support for affirmative action (AA) policies. Opponents of AA often argue that this is because it violates principles of meritocracy. However, self‐interest (based on social identification with those adversely affected) could also explain their opposition. In three studies, we varied whether an Asian or White male is adversely affected by AA to test another explanation; namely, that Whites…
The Entourage Effect
Across a series of studies conducted in both the field and the laboratory, the authors demonstrate that the presence of others (i.e., an entourage) alters a VIP's personal feelings of status. Specifically, the authors show that VIPs feel higher levels of status when they are able to experience preferential treatment with an entourage, even if this results in the rewards associated with the treatment becoming less scarce. We show that the effect i…
The Dark Side of Scarcity Promotions: How Exposure to Limited-Quantity Promotions Can Induce Aggression
Marketers frequently use scarcity promotions, where a product or event is limited in availability. The present research shows conditions under which the mere exposure to such advertising can activate actual aggression that manifests even outside the domain of the good being promoted. Further, we document the process underlying this effect: exposure to limited-quantity promotion advertising prompts consumers to perceive other shoppers as competiti…
Wealth and Welfare: Divergent Moral Reactions to Ethical Consumer Choices
This article examines perceptions of low-income consumers receiving government assistance and the choices they make, showing that this group is viewed differently than those with more resources, even when making identical choices. A series of five experiments reveal that ethical purchases polarize moral judgments: whereas individuals receiving government assistance are perceived as less moral when choosing ethical (vs. conventional) products, inc…
Consumer Minimalism
Minimalism in consumption can be expressed in various forms, such as monochromatic home design, wardrobe capsules, tiny home living, and decluttering. This research offers a unified understanding of the variegated displays of minimalism by establishing a conceptual definition of consumer minimalism and developing the 12-item Minimalist Consumer Scale to measure the construct. Three distinct dimensions of consumer minimalism are identified: number…
Rejections Are More Contagious than Choices: How Another’s Decisions Shape Our Own
Every day, we learn about others’ decisions from various sources. We perceive some of these decisions as choices and others as rejections. Does the mere perception of another’s decision as a choice versus as a rejection influence our own behavior? Are we more likely to conform to another’s decision if we view it in one way or the other? The current research investigates the social influence of decision frames. Eight studies, including a field stu…
Not Just about Price: How Benefit Focus Determines Consumers’ Retailer Pricing Strategy Preference
Recent research has highlighted a difference in the way consumers approach choice sets. Some consumers focus on products’ quality benefits (vertical differentiation): their selections are driven by the level of quality obtained relative to the price paid. Other consumers focus on products’ taste benefits (horizontal differentiation): their selections are driven by acquiring personal tastes at favorable prices. This article aims to investigate how…
Dominance versus Prestige Hierarchies: How Social Hierarchy Base Shapes Conspicuous Consumption
Consumers are known to seek out and display conspicuous goods—items that are exclusive and signal wealth and high social standing. Though many factors can drive such conspicuous consumption, the present work looks at an unexplored element: whether consumers find themselves in a dominance versus prestige-based hierarchy. Dominance-based hierarchies encourage consumers to use threatening, assertive, and manipulative behaviors to navigate the hierar…
People, Peace, Prosperity, and the Planet: A Journey toward Sustainable Development in Consumer Research
With its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations (UN) developed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a 'blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.' This initiative raises the question: how has the Journal of Consumer Research (JCR) shed light on the SDGs? This research analyzes 50 years of consumer research through the lens of the SDG and makes four contributions. First, the authors provide a content a…
Starting Positive: The Impact of Self-Presentation Concerns on Consumer Reviews
This research investigates how reviewers’ self-presentation strategies influence their posting behavior. We find reviewers are less likely to post negative reviews early in their review history due to concerns that doing so would make them appear as lacking warmth. This concern diminishes as the number of reviews associated with their profile increases, resulting in a discernable negative trend in ratings at the reviewer level. We document this t…
Sustainability Cues Can Delay Consumption
With the rise of environmental concerns in recent decades, many companies have joined the initiative to advertise and promote sustainable consumption. The current research examines how providing sustainability cues to consumers might have unintended consequences of which practitioners and policymakers may not be fully aware. One pilot study and 10 main studies, including two real-choice studies, show that a sustainability cue may delay consumptio…
How Low Socioeconomic Status Hinders Organ Donation: An Extended Self Account
Past studies find that lower socioeconomic status (SES) individuals are less likely to donate organs. Building on the extended self literature, we propose that this effect occurs in part because the body is more central to the sense of self of lower-SES individuals. We test our predictions across seven studies (N = 8,782) conducted in different countries (United States and Brazil) with qualitative, observational, and experimental data in controll…
When and Why Consumers (Erroneously) Believe Income Impacts the Enjoyment of Consumption Experiences
We examine how people (as observers) anticipate levels of happiness from psychological consumption experiences (e.g., learning a new language or visiting a park). All else being equal, we propose and demonstrate that people expect differences in happiness based on income. Specifically, we show that relative to observers themselves, individuals simultaneously expect low-income consumers to enjoy psychological consumption experiences less and high-…
Psychology (13 works) · Economics (11 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Marketing (6 works) · Advertising (5 works) · Consumption (sociology) (5 works) · Microeconomics (4 works) · Political science (4 works)