Ample research suggests that after engaging in a self-regulatory task, people become depleted and are more likely to behave in maladaptive ways by yielding to their impulses. However, yielding to impulses may not always be maladaptive. This research suggests that when people are depleted, they...

What political candidates say during their campaign and when they say it are critical to their success. In three experiments, we show that abstract, "why"-laden appeals are more persuasive than concrete, "how"-laden appeals when voters' decision is temporally distant; the reverse is true when...

This research examines the effect of regulatory fit on self-regulation. People experience regulatory fit when their strategy of goal pursuit fits (vs. conflicts) with their regulatory focus. Four experiments provide support for the hypothesis that regulatory fit improves whereas regulatory...

Whereas past research showed that people rely more on alignable than nonalignable differences when evaluating alternative products, the current article shows that consumer expertise moderates this effect and that novices’ reliance on alignable attributes can be attenuated when they are...

Prior research suggests that consumers make trade-offs between two products by focusing more on alignable differences (i.e., the values of the options on the same attributes are different) than on nonalignable differences (i.e., the options have different attributes). The present research...

This research examines how construal level (i.e., how abstractly or concretely people represent information in memory) affects consumers' responses to mixed emotions appeals. The results of five studies show that, consistent with prior research, participants experienced discomfort when they...

This research investigates the relationship between regulatory focus and construal level. The findings indicate that promotion-focused individuals are more likely to construe information at abstract, high levels, whereas those with a prevention focus are more likely to construe information at...

Representing an event in abstract (vs. concrete) terms and as happening in the distant (vs. proximal) future has been shown to have important consequences for cognition and motivation. Less is known about factors that influence construal level and perceived temporal distance. The present...

What types of products are preferred when the purchase is immediate versus off in the distant future? Three experiments address this question by examining the influence of temporal perspective on evaluations of regulatory-framed products. The results reveal that when a purchase is about to be...