How Consumer Goal Characteristics Determine the Influence of Goal Progress on Goal Perseverance
Open Access
Author:
Garvey, Aaron Michael
Graduate Program:
Business Administration
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
May 21, 2012
Committee Members:
Lisa Elizabeth Bolton, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor Johann Baumgartner, Committee Member Margaret Grace Meloy, Committee Member Richard Alan Carlson, Committee Member
How does progress toward a goal impact the tendency to pursue that goal? Prior research has identified inconsistent effects of consumer goal progress upon goal perseverance; one stream of research suggests that progress enhances perseverance, whereas an alternative stream proposes that progress has no such effect. The present research introduces characteristics of goals to help resolve this conflict: all-or-nothing and cumulative benefits associated with goal progress. In a series of six studies, I demonstrate that all-or-nothing goals (which provide benefits only upon achieving the end state) result in greater perseverance as a function of progress than do cumulative benefit goals (which accrue benefits with progress). Underlying process evidence for the mediating role of perceived sunk costs is provided in scenario and real behavior contexts. In addition, alternative goal attractiveness is shown to alter the effects of goal progress on perseverance for cumulative benefit (but not all-or-nothing) goals. The results explicate how goal progress helps versus harms consumer goal achievement, with implications for consumer welfare and marketing (e.g., customer loyalty programs).