The Role of Cognition and Affect in the Formation of Customer Satisfaction: a Dynamic Perspective

Christian Homburg, Nicole Koschate, & Wayne D. Hoyer

The Role of Cognition and Affect in the Formation of Customer Satisfaction: A Dynamic Perspective
Despite the strong recognition that customer satisfaction should be viewed from a dynamic perspective, little is known about how the satisfaction judgment develops over time. Therefore, this study provides a dynamic analysis of the simultaneous influence of cognition and affect in the satisfaction formation process. The results of an experimental study based on a real consumption experience indicate that the impact of cognition on the satisfaction evaluation increases and the influence of affect decreases over time. Moreover, these effects are attenuated with inconsistent performance experiences. Finally, the study shows that the variance in customer satisfaction jointly explained by cognition and affect increases as experience accumulates. he topic of customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction has been of great interest to marketing and consumer researchers for many years. This interest is driven in part by the notion that customer satisfaction can have longterm benefits, including customer loyalty and increased profitability (e.g., Anderson, Fornell, and Lehmann 1994; Anderson, Fornell, and Rust 1997; Anderson and Sullivan 1993; Bearden and Teel 1983; Bolton and Drew 1991; Fornell 1992; LaBarbera and Mazursky 1983; Oliver 1980; Oliver and Swan 1989a, b; Rust, Moorman, and Dickson 2002; Rust and Zahorik 1993). Against this background, it is important to understand the mechanism that leads to customer satisfaction from both an academic and an applied perspective. Previous research has recognized that both cognition and affect significantly predict satisfaction judgments. Cognition has been studied mainly in terms of the disconfirmation paradigm, which predicts satisfaction to be a function of a comparison between expectations and performance (e.g., Bearden and Teel 1983; LaBarbera and Mazursky 1983; Oliver 1980;

References: Alvero, Alicia M., Barbara R. Bucklin, and John Austin (2001), “An Objective Review of the Effectiveness and Essential Characteristics of Performance Feedback in Organizational Settings,” Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 21 (1), 3–29. Anderson, Eugene W., Claes Fornell, and Donald R. Lehmann (1994), “Customer Satisfaction, Market Share, and Profitability: Findings from Sweden,” Journal of Marketing, 58 (July), 53–66. ———, ———, and Roland T. Rust (1997), “Customer Satisfaction, Productivity, and Profitability: Differences Between Goods and Services,” Marketing Science, 16 (2), 129–45. ——— and Mary W. Sullivan (1993), “The Antecedents and Consequences of Customer Satisfaction for Firms,” Marketing Science, 12 (2), 125–43. Bearden, William O. and Jesse E. Teel (1983), “Selected Determinants of Consumer Satisfaction and Complaint Reports,” Journal of Marketing Research, 20 (February), 21–28. Berscheid, Ellen, William Graziano, Thomas Monson, and Marshall Dermer (1976), “Outcome Dependency: Attention, Attribution, and Attraction,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34 (3), 978–89. Bettman, James R., Mary Frances Luce, and John W. Payne (1998), “Constructive Consumer Choice Processes,” Journal of Consumer Research, 25 (3), 187–217. Bolton, Ruth N. (1998), “A Dynamic Model of the Duration of the Customer’s Relationship with a Continuous Service Provider: The Role of Satisfaction,” Marketing Science, 17 (1), 45–65. ——— and James H. Drew (1991), “A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of Service Changes on Customer Attitudes,” Journal of Marketing, 55 (January), 1–9. ——— and Katherine N. Lemon (1999), “A Dynamic Model of Customers’ Usage of Services: Usage as an Antecedent and Consequence of Satisfaction,” Journal of Marketing Research, 36 (May), 171–86. Boulding, William, Ajay Kalra, Richard Staelin, and Valarie A. Zeithaml (1993), “A Dynamic Process Model of Service Quality: From Expectations to Behavioral Intentions,” Journal of Marketing Research, 30 (February), 7–27. Cognition and Affect in the Formation of Customer Satisfaction / 29 Chandrashekaran, Murali, Kevin McNeilly, Frederick A. Russ, and Detelina Marinova (2000), “From Uncertain Intentions to Actual Behavior: A Threshold Model of Whether and When Salespeople Quit,” Journal of Marketing Research, 37 (November), 463–79. Dhar, Ravi and Klaus Wertenbroch (2000), “Consumer Choice Between Hedonic and Utilitarian Goods,” Journal of Marketing Research, 37 (February), 60–71. Dover, Philip A. and Jerry C. Olson (1977), “Dynamic Changes in an Expectancy-Value Attitude Model as a Function of Multiple Exposures to Product Information,” in Contemporary Marketing Thought: Proceedings of the 1977 AMA Conference, Barnett A. Greenberg and Danny N. Bellenger, eds. Chicago: American Marketing Association, 455–60. Eagly, Alice H. and Shelly Chaiken (1993), The Psychology of Attitudes. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Farley, John U., Jerrold P. Katz, and Donald R. Lehmann (1978), “Impact of Different Comparison Sets on Evaluation of a New Subcompact Car Brand,” Journal of Consumer Research, 5 (September), 138–42. Fazio, Russel H. (1986), “How Do Attitudes Guide Behavior?” in Handbook of Motivation and Cognition: Foundations of Social Behavior, Richard M. Sorrentino and Edward T. Higgins, eds. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 204–243. Fiedler, Klaus (1991), “On the Task, the Measures and the Mood: Research on Affect and Social Cognition,” in Emotion and Social Judgments, Joseph P. Forgas, ed. Elmsford, NY: Pergamon Press, 83–104. Forgas, Joseph P. (1994), “The Role of Emotion in Social Judgments: An Introductory Review and an Affect Infusion Model (AIM),” European Journal of Social Psychology, 24 (1), 1–24. ——— (1995), “Mood and Judgment: The Affect Infusion Model (AIM),” Psychological Bulletin, 117 (1), 39–66. Fornell, Claes (1992), “A National Customer Satisfaction Barometer: The Swedish Experience,” Journal of Marketing, 56 (January), 6–21. ———, Michael D. Johnson, Eugene W. Anderson, Jaesung Cha, and Barbara Everitt Bryant (1996), “The American Customer Satisfaction Index: Nature, Purpose, and Findings,” Journal of Marketing, 60 (October), 7–18. Fournier, Susan and David G. Mick (1999), “Rediscovering Satisfaction,” Journal of Marketing, 63 (October), 5–23. Garg, Nitika, J. Jeffrey Inman, and Vikas Mittal (2005), “Incidental and Task-Related Affect: A Re-Inquiry and Extension of the Influence of Affect on Choice,” Journal of Consumer Research, 32 (June), 154–59. Gorn, Gerald J., Marvin E. Goldberg, and Kunal Basu (1993), “Mood, Awareness, and Product Evaluation,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2 (3), 237–56. Heslin, Richard, Brian Blake, and James Rotton (1972), “Information Search as a Function of Stimulus Uncertainty and the Importance of the Response,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 23 (3), 333–39. Hirschman, Elizabeth C. and Morris B. Holbrook (1982), “Hedonic Consumption: Emerging Concepts, Methods, and Propositions,” Journal of Marketing, 46 (Summer), 92–101. Holbrook, Morris B. and Rajeev Batra (1987), “Assessing the Role of Emotions as Mediators of Consumer Responses to Advertising,” Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (December), 404–420. Jaccard, James, Carmen M. Radecki, Tracey E. Wilson, and Patricia J. Dittus (1995), “Methods for Identifying Consequential Beliefs: Implications for Understanding Attitude Strength,” in Attitude Strength: Antecedents and Consequences, Richard E. Petty and Jon A. Krosnick, eds. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 337–59. Jacoby, Jacob, Maureen Morrin, James Jaccard, Zeynep Gurhan, Alfred Kuss, and Durairaj Maheswaran (2002), “Mapping Attitude Formation as a Function of Information Input: Online Pro- cessing Models of Attitude Formation,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 12 (1), 21–34. Kahneman, Daniel and A. Tversky (1973), “On the Psychology of Prediction,” Psychological Review, 80 (4), 237–51. Kempf, DeAnna S. (1999), “Attitude Formation from Product Trial: Distinct Roles of Cognition and Affect for Hedonic and Functional Products,” Psychology & Marketing, 16 (1), 35–50. LaBarbera, Pricilla A. and David Mazursky (1983), “A Longitudinal Assessment of Consumer Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction: The Dynamic Aspect of the Cognitive Process,” Journal of Marketing Research, 20 (November), 393–404. Mano, Haim and Richard L. Oliver (1993), “Assessing the Dimensionality and Structure of the Consumption Experience: Evaluation, Feeling, and Satisfaction,” Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (3), 451–67. Mittal, Vikas, Jerome M. Katrichis, and Pankaj Kumar (2001), “Attribute Performance and Customer Satisfaction over Time: Evidence from Two Field Studies,” Journal of Services Marketing, 15 (5), 343–56. ———, Pankaj Kumar, and Michael Tsiros (1999), “AttributeLevel Performance, Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions over Time: A Consumption-System Approach,” Journal of Marketing, 63 (April), 88–101. ———, William T. Ross, and Patrick M. Baldasare (1998), “The Asymmetric Impact of Negative and Positive Attribute-Level Performance on Overall Satisfaction and Repurchase Intentions,” Journal of Marketing, 62 (January), 33–47. Okada, Erica M. (2005), “Justification Effects on Consumer Choice of Hedonic and Utilitarian Goods,” Journal of Marketing Research, 42 (February), 43–53. Oliver, Richard L. (1980), “A Cognitive Model of the Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction Decisions,” Journal of Marketing Research, 17 (November), 460–69. ——— (1993), “Cognitive, Affective, and Attribute Bases of Satisfaction Response,” Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (December), 418–30. ——— (1997), Satisfaction: A Behavioral Perspective on the Consumer. Boston: McGraw-Hill. ——— and Wayne S. DeSarbo (1988), “Response Determinants in Satisfaction Judgments,” Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (March), 495–507. ——— and John E. Swan (1989a), “Consumer Perceptions of Interpersonal Equity and Satisfaction in Transactions: A Field Survey Approach,” Journal of Marketing, 53 (April), 21–35. ——— and ——— (1989b), “Equity and Disconfirmation Perceptions as Influences on Merchant and Product Satisfaction,” Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (December), 372–83. Petty, Richard E., John T. Cacioppo, and David T. Schumann (1983), “Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness: The Moderating Effect of Involvement,” Journal of Consumer Research, 10 (September), 135–46. ——— and Jon A. Krosnick (1995), Attitude Strength: Antecedents and Consequences. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ———, H. Rao Unnava, and Alan J. Strathman (1991), “Theories of Attitude Change,” in Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Thomas S. Robertson and Harold H. Kassarjian, eds. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 241–80. Pham, Michel Tuan (1998), “Representativeness, Relevance, and the Use of Feelings in Decision Making,” Journal of Consumer Research, 25 (September), 144–60. ———, Joel B. Cohen, John W. Pracejus, and G. David Hughes (2001), “Affect Monitoring and the Primacy of Feelings in Judgment,” Journal of Consumer Research, 28 (September), 167–88. Rust, Roland T., Christine Moorman, and Peter R. Dickson (2002), “Getting Return on Quality: Revenue Expansion, Cost Reduction, or Both?” Journal of Marketing, 65 (October), 7–24. 30 / Journal of Marketing, July 2006 ——— and Anthony J. Zahorik (1993), “Customer Satisfaction, Customer Retention, and Market Share,” Journal of Retailing, 69 (2), 193–215. Schwartz, Nobert and Gerald L. Clore (1988), “How Do I Feel About It? Informative Functions of Affective States,” in Affect, Cognition, and Social Behavior, Klaus Fielder and Joseph Forgas, eds. Toronto: Hogrefe International, 44–62. Singer, Judith D. and John B. Willett (2003), Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis: Modeling Change and Event Occurrence. New York: Oxford University Press. Slotegraaf, Rebecca J. and J. Jeffrey Inman (2004), “Longitudinal Shifts in the Drivers of Satisfaction with Product Quality: The Role of Attribute Resolvability,” Journal of Marketing Research, 41 (August), 269–80. Smith, Amy K. and Ruth N. Bolton (2002), “The Effect of Customers’ Emotional Responses to Service Failures on Their Recovery Effort Evaluations and Satisfaction Judgments,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 30 (1), 5–23. Smith, Robert E. and William R. Swinyard (1983), “Attitude–Behavior Consistency: The Impact of Product Trial Versus Advertising,” Journal of Marketing Research, 20 (August), 257–67. Snijders, Tom A.B. and Roel J. Bosker (1999), Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling. London: Sage Publications. Stone, Dianna L. and Eugene F. Stone (1985), “The Effects of Feedback Consistency and Feedback Favorability on SelfPerceived Task Competence and Perceived Feedback Accuracy,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 36 (2), 167–85. Strahilevitz, Michal and John Myers (1998), “Donations to Charity as Purchase Incentives: How Well They Work May Depend on What You Are Trying to Sell,” Journal of Consumer Research, 24 (2), 434–46. Szymanski, David M. and David Henard (2001), “Customer Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Evidence,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 29 (1), 16–35. Westbrook, Robert A. (1987), “Product/Consumption-Based Affective Responses and Postpurchase Processes,” Journal of Marketing Research, 24 (August), 258–70. ——— and Richard L. Oliver (1991), “The Dimensionality of Consumption Emotion Patterns and Consumer Satisfaction,” Journal of Consumer Research, 18 (June), 84–91. Wilkie, William L. (1994), Consumer Behavior, 3d ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Wright, Peter L. (1973), “The Cognitive Processes Mediating Acceptance of Advertising,” Journal of Marketing Research, 10 (February), 53–62. Zaichkowsky, Judith L. (1985), “Measuring the Involvement Construct,” Journal of Consumer Research, 12 (December), 341–52. Cognition and Affect in the Formation of Customer Satisfaction / 31