This study examines how socially constructed gender norms shape individuals' consumption preferences and how exposure to counter-stereotypes can challenge these patterns. We found that when making decisions for themselves, men prefer products related to intelligence, whereas women prefer products that enhance physical attractiveness (Study 1). Furthermore, we reveal that this relationship between gender and product preferences also emerges when individuals make purchase decisions for the other gender. In addition, exposure to counter-stereotypes moderates this effect (Study 2). This research is one of the first to examine how socially constructed gender norms shape consumption preferences and suggests that gender-stereotyped engagement with societal expectations can be mitigated by exposure to counter-stereotypes (e.g. reading a text in contrast to a stereotype).

Systemin, the first peptide hormone identified in plants, was initially isolated from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves. Systemin mediates local and systemic wound-induced defense responses in plants, conferring resistance to necrotrophic fungi and herbivorous insects. Systemin is recognized by the leucine-rich-repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLK) receptor SYSTEMIN RECEPTOR1 (SYR1), but how the systemin recognition signal is transduced to intracellular signaling pathways to trigger defense responses is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that SERK family LRR-RLKs function as co-receptors for SYR1 to mediate systemin signal transduction in tomato. By using chemical genetic approaches coupled with engineered receptors, we revealed that the association of the cytoplasmic kinase domains of SYR1 with SERKs leads to their mutual trans-phosphorylation and the activation of SYR1, which in turn induces a wide range of defense responses. Systemin stimulates the association between SYR1 and all tomato SERKs (SlSERK1, SlSERK3A, and SlSERK3B). The resulting SYR1-SlSERK heteromeric complexes trigger the phosphorylation of TOMATO PROTEIN KINASE 1B (TPK1b), a receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase that positively regulates systemin responses. Additionally, upon association with SYR1, SlSERKs are cleaved by the Pseudomonas syringae effector HopB1, further supporting the finding that SlSERKs are activated by systemin-bound SYR1. Finally, genetic analysis using Slserk mutants showed that SlSERKs are essential for systemin-mediated defense responses. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the systemin-mediated association of SYR1 and SlSERKs activates defense responses against herbivorous insects.

소비자는 일상에서 고정관념과 일치하거나 고정관념에 반(反)하는 메시지에 다양한 형태로 (예. 광고) 노출되고 있다. 그러나 이러한 고정관념과 반(反)고정관념이 소비자 행동에 어떻게 영향을 주는지에 대한 이해가 부족하다. 고정관념과 반(反)고정관념이 소비자에게 미치는 영향에 대한 이해를 높이기 위해, 본 연구는 성별 관련 고정관념 및 반(反)고정관념이 기부금에 어떻게 영향을 미치는지 연구한다. 실험을 통해 남성과 여성 소비자들이 성별 관련 고정관념 (vs. 반(反)고정관념)에 노출되었을 때 기부금에 차이가 생기는지 조사하였다. 300명의 남성과 여성에게 전통적인 성별 고정관념을 확인하거나 반박하는 메시지를 접하게 하고, 자선단체에 얼마만큼 기부할지 답하게 하였다. 그 결과, 성별 관련 고정관념적인 메시지에 노출되었을 때 남성의 기부 금액이 여성보다 높은 것으로 나타났다. 반면, 반(反)고정관념적인 메시지를 접하게 되었을 때 남녀의 기부 금액의 차이는 역전되었다. 본 연구 결과는 자선 단체에 더 많은 기부를 유인하고자 할 때에는 남성과 여성에게 메시지가 다르게 작성되어야 한다고 제시한다. 본 연구는 고정관념과 반(反)고정관념의 영향을 자선 기부라는 컨텍스트에서 들여다 본 최초의 연구 중 하나로써, 이론적 그리고 실무적 시사점을 제공한다.

Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like proteins (LRR-RLPs) and LRR receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs) are transmembrane receptors that act as critical sensors for regulating a wide variety of developmental and defense-related processes. LRR-RLPs, like LRR-RLKs, form receptor complexes with the co-receptor BAK1 on the plasma membrane to transmit ligand perception signals to intracellular signaling components. However, in contrast to LRR-RLKs, LRR-RLPs lack a cytoplasmic kinase domain and associate with the adaptor protein SUPPRESSOR OF BIR1-1 (SOBIR1) to activate downstream signal transduction. In this review, we discuss the structure of LRR-RLPs, their functions in plant immunity and development, and their ligand molecules. We also summarize the current understanding of LRR-RLP-mediated signaling mechanisms.

This research examines the relationship between power distance belief (PDB)—the extent to which people accept and endorse hierarchy and inequality—and consumers' preferences for alignable (vs. nonalignable) attributes when making a choice. Through four experiments, we find that high PDB individuals are more likely to rely on alignable attributes, while low PDB individuals are more likely to rely on nonalignable attributes. We further propose and demonstrate that cognitive flexibility underlies this effect such that high (vs. low) PDB individuals have lower cognitive flexibility, which, in turn, increases their reliance on alignable attributes when making a choice. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Although the issue of gender inequality dominates the public discourse, the country is sharply divided along party lines about its importance and the way to deal with it. In this polarized context, marketers struggle to devise brand communication strategies that will successfully connect with equality-conscious female consumers. By integrating research in political ideology, sexism, and brand communications, this research uncovers the types of sexual appeals that are more likely to resonate with female consumers who endorse a liberal (vs. conservative) ideology. Results of three lab experiments and a secondary data set demonstrate that liberal (vs. conservative) women are more likely to reject brands that are associated with a sexually objectified image of women. Furthermore, this effect is driven by liberal women’s rejection of benevolent sexism. These results are discussed in terms of the contributions to political ideology and brand communications research, as well as the implications for marketers’ communication strategies.

In this research, we propose that consumers' degree of independence (not consumers' degree of interdependence) predicts their preference for giving experiential (vs. material) gifts. Across four studies, we find that consumers from the U.S. (vs. India), consumers with independent (vs. interdependent) self-construal, consumers with a high (vs. low) level of independence, and Whites (vs. Asians) prefer giving experiential (vs. material) gifts. Furthermore, we demonstrate that promotion focus underlies this effect, ruling out alternative explanations (i.e., reliance on feelings and the need for unique products). This research makes theoretical contributions and provides actionable managerial implications for marketers by identifying who would prefer giving experiential (vs. material) gifts.

Apart from personal- and societal-level factors, we propose that collectivism also plays a role in the spread of COVID-19. Results from six studies using both secondary datasets and laboratory experiments conducted in two different countries demonstrate that collectivism is: (a) negatively associated with the spread of COVID-19 and (b) positively associated with the self-importance/expectation to engage in widely publicized behaviors to prevent the spread of the disease, as well as with greater likelihood to vaccinate against COVID-19. Finally, the higher likelihood of people high (vs. low) in collectivism to engage in preventive behaviors is driven by their belief that others consider it important to engage in such behaviors. The effects were robust and emerged by measuring collectivism both at the country level and at the individual level. We conclude by proposing features of public health campaigns likely to elicit compliance behavior to control the spread of COVID-19.

Stress is caused by a variety of events in our daily lives. By anticipating stressful situations, we can prepare and better cope with stressors when they actually occur. However, many past-centric personal informatics (PI) tools focus on capturing events that already happened and analyzing the data. In this work, we examine how anticipation — a future-centric self-tracking practice — could be used to manage daily stress levels. To address this, we built MindForecaster, a calendar- mediated stress anticipation application that allows users to expect stressful events in advance, generates activities to mitigate stress, and evaluates actual stress levels compared to previously estimated stress levels. In a 30-day deployment with 47 users, the users who explicitly planned and executed coping interventions reported reduced stress more than those who only expected stressful events. We suggest design implications for stress management by incorporating the properties of anticipation into current PI models.

Consumer behavior and marketing are global phenomena, and understanding how consumers around the world respond to marketing efforts is a key managerial priority. Accordingly, consumer researchers have produced a burgeoning literature that builds on insights from cross-cultural psychology. Many of the same factors studied in social psychology have been shown to influence consumer judgments and decisions. These shared factors include individualistic and collectivistic, as well as horizontal and vertical cultural orientations, independent and interdependent self-construals, analytic and holistic thinking styles, and power distance. We review these findings and highlight synergies between social and consumer psychology. We also highlight novel variables addressed by cross-cultural consumer research, including brand symbolism, consumer-brand relationships, and price-quality judgments. We conclude with a call for future work that broadens our theorizing and deepens our understanding of how an emphasis on norms and on others' expectations shapes consumer behavior in various cultural contexts.

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes of language anxiety in EFL classroom and relation between the change in anxiety and learners’ performance. The participants were 76 first-year non-English majors from various disciplines of a Korean university. Demographic information questionnaire, English performance test, and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale were administered to the participants at two time points during a 12-week interval. Mean differences of quantitative data from Time 1 and Time 2, effects of gender and self-perceived proficiency level on anxiety, and the relationship between anxiety and performance were statistically analyzed. The results revealed significant decrease in English anxiety over time, significant effect of self-perceived proficiency level on anxiety, and negative correlation between variation of anxiety level and successful performance. This study suggests that reducing learners’ anxiety level might help their language improvement, and self-perceived language proficiency might be correlated to changes in language anxiety in EFL classroom. Possible implications for English instructors and limitations for future research were presented.

Comparing working-class and middle-class consumers, Carey and Markus (2016, this issue) highlight the ways that social class determines consumer behavior through a set of mutually supportive culture cycles. We use their framework to re-examine several core assumptions in marketing and consumer behavior, assumptions that may fit middle-class consumers better than they do working-class consumers. Revisiting previous findings with an emphasis on social class allows us to offer an agenda for future research regarding advertising and consumer persuasion, material versus experiential purchases, conspicuous and compensatory consumption, and market segmentation. (C) 2016 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to measure the level of expectations regarding aging (ERA) and identify relationship between ERA and physical activity of middle aged adults.METHODSParticipants were middle aged adults who resided in the community in three cities in Korea. Data were collected using questionnaires that contained items on individual characteristic, International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ), and behavior-specific cognitive factors including ERA-12. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to examine whether ERA would predict physical activity by controlling other factors.RESULTSThe mean age of the participants was 51.1±6.9 years. The mean score for ERA (possible range=0 to 100) was 40.04±14.31. More than half of the participants (62.6%) were not engaged in health promoting physical activity. Gender, employment status and exercise confidence were associated with level of physical activity (F=7.14, p<.001, R²=.36). After controlling for individual factors and behavior-specific cognitive factors, ERA was independently related to physical activity (F=7.19, p<.001, R²=.38).CONCLUSIONThe results demonstrate that individuals' belief about aging has effects on physical activity in Korean middle aged adults. Thus, nursing interventions which focused on ERA could help enhance physical activity in middle aged adults.

We examine the influence of culture on consumer behavior with a particular focus on horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. Cultures vary in their propensity to emphasize hierarchy, a distinction captured by examining horizontal/vertical cultural orientations or contexts. These cultural factors pattern personal values and goals, power concepts, and normative expectations applied to the exercise of power. We review implications for how consumers respond to brands in the marketplace, service providers, and each others' needs.

Purpose: This study was done to explore the relationship between perceived patient safety culture and patient safety management activities among health personnel. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey. Participants were 342 health personnel working in two tertiary hospitals. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from a convenience sample of 254 nurses and 88 doctors. Results: Scores on participants' perceived patient safety culture and patient safety management activities were just over the mean. There were significant differences in patient safety management activities by type of occupation, nurses' position, length of service, and work week. Doctors scored perceived patient safety culture and patient safety management activities significantly lower than nurses. In addition, perceived patient safety culture was significantly related to patient safety management activities. Factors which influence participants' patient safety management activities were communication, type of occupation, overall evaluation of patient safety, supervisor/manager, frequency with which events were reported, and nurse's position. Conclusion: Findings provide significant evidence that patient safety management activities are associated with perceived patient safety culture. Therefore, to build a positive safety culture, health personnel, especially doctors and general nurses need to visibly commit to patient safety management activities and be role models to ensure patient safety.