The Nature and Role of Affect in Consumer Behavior

In the intervening years since publication of the chapter “Aff ect and Consumer Behavior” (Cohen & Areni, 1991) in the Handbook of Consumer Behavior (Kassarjian & Robertson, 1991), research in consumer behavior dealing with aff ect has exploded, making it one of the fi eld’s central research topics. Within psychology more generally, Schimmack and Crites (2005) located 923 references to aff ect between 1960 and 1980 and 4,170 between 1980 and 2000. Since research on aff ect has become more specialized, this chapter will concentrate on the various ways aff ect infl uences judgment and choice rather than on broader and historical perspectives. Th ese will include the role of aff ect in information retrieval, diff erential processing of aff ectively colored information (including the role of aff ect in strengthening mental associations and memory consolidation), how and when aff ect provides information that infl uences judgments and decisions, and the motivational role of aff ect in guiding behavior and signaling the need for changes in vigilance, intensity, and direction. We begin, however, with some essential defi nitions.