A Closer Look at Classical Conditioning

Abstract

Classical conditioning has become a focus of growing interest as a basic framework for interpreting advertising effects. This article argues that a more precisely specified, affective-conditioning hypothesis merits close attention from consumer researchers, in part because little unequivocal evidence is available to uphold its viability. A study that extends Gorn's (1982) recent investigation of affective conditioning is reported. The new data furnish little support for the affective-conditioning hypothesis and implicate an alternative theoretical explanation.