Search Behavior Related to Expectations Concerning Brand Performance

Abstract

A 2 × 2 factorial design was used with 63 Ss. One factor was brand performance related to expectations, the other a cost of search. So that performance would exceed and fall short of expectations, all Ss were exposed to the same level of performance in an initial phase of the experiment; in a second phase, performance was above and below the initial level. As hypothesized, search was lower where performance exceeded expectations and where a search cost was imposed. The hypothesis that more Ss would reach brand loyalty under the cost as compared to the no-cost condition was supported. No significant differences in brand loyalty were found in comparing the performance above and below expectation treatments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)