LEVERAGING FOOD SERVING CONTEXTS to ENCOURAGE HEALTHIER EATING by Anna Linda Hagen a Dissertation Submit
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TO SERVE THE CUSTOMER: LEVERAGING FOOD SERVING CONTEXTS TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHIER EATING by Anna Linda Hagen A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Business Administration) in the University of Michigan 2016 Doctoral Committee: Professor Aradhna Krishna, Chair Associate Professor Katherine A. Burson Professor Phoebe C. Ellsworth Associate Professor David M. Mayer Assistant Professor Brent McFerran, Simon Fraser University © Anna Linda Hagen 2016 DEDICATION To Ed, who believes in me more than I ever will. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Aradhna Krishna for taking me on as her student; for always keeping me on my toes—setting the highest standards in the business, encouraging me to read widely outside our discipline, challenging me to marry the joy of thorough understanding with the beauty of succinct argumentation, and insisting that I aim for my best at every try. Aradhna has been a role model of ambition and drive. From her, I learned the importance of determination and grit in this line of work, and I know it will serve me well throughout the future. I am also very grateful to Brent McFerran, who has remained a great collaborator and advisor across time and distance, giving me space to make my own decisions (and mistakes) and approaching almost anything with an admirable equanimity. From Brent, I learned that there are many right ways to do things. I would also like to thank Katherine Burson; for always offering a very thoughtful perspective on my research and providing wise advice on all matters of life, starting before I even applied to Michigan and throughout the program. From Katherine, I learned to think with the big picture in mind and pursue what really matters. I am also thankful for Phoebe Ellsworth’s and David Mayer’s willingness to offer their time and expertise to guide me through my dissertation. Sharing their perspectives has shaped my view of what my research may contribute and encourages me to connect amply with researchers in related disciplines. Thanks are also in order to Martin Kumpf, who advocated for me at the Philipps- Universität Marburg, and to Norbert Schwarz, who went up to bat for me at the University of iii Michigan. Both were absolutely instrumental in my being able to spend a year at the University of Michigan on a DAAD fellowship, and ultimately pursuing a PhD here at Ross. Responsible for keeping me here, alive and kicking, are the friends I have made at Michigan. From passing down organizational knowledge to offering literature pointers, content perspective, statistics tutorials, and gentle corrections of my use of idioms, to emotional support and life advice they have contributed much more to my learning at Michigan than I could have ever wished for. At Ross, a heart-felt thank you goes to Jim Mourey, Rob Smith, Jason Stornelli, Laura Rees, Bea Pereira, Jenny Olson, Stephanie Carpenter, and Mike Palazzolo, as well as the rest of the marketing kids. Ally Skoog-Hoffman and Lauren Reed, your unrelenting passion for translational research in some of the most important areas of our society inspires me every day. Lastly, I would not and could not have chosen this path if it was not for my parents; thank you for always letting me go. And finally, I am eternally grateful to Ed O’Brien; thank you for being my champion every step of the way. Words cannot express how much credit you deserve, but thankfully I have a lifetime to show you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION............................................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. vii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER I: A NOVEL PERSPECTIVE ON FOOD CHOICE AND CONSUMPTION RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................................ 1 FACTORS INFLUENCING FOOD CHOICE AND CONSUMPTION................................................... 4 Sensation and Perception...................................................................................................................... 5 Cognition............................................................................................................................................... 7 Affect ................................................................................................................................................... 11 TOWARD A CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CONSUMERS AS MOTIVATED REASONERS .......... 13 Framework Structuring Leverage Points for Motivated Reasoning in Food Consumption ............... 15 Overview of the Present Research ...................................................................................................... 23 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 25 FIGURES ................................................................................................................................................ 35 CHAPTER II: CATER TO ME: BEING SERVED FOOD ENCOURAGES UNHEALTHY EATING BY LOWERING CONSUMERS’ SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY.................................... 36 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................ 38 Agency ................................................................................................................................................. 38 Self-serving Attributions of Agency ..................................................................................................... 39 Eating and Self-evaluation .................................................................................................................. 40 Who Serves Food and Motivated Reasoning ...................................................................................... 42 Conceptual Framework....................................................................................................................... 42 PILOT STUDY: FIELD TEST – CHOOSING AND FORGOING FRUIT VERSUS CANDY ............. 46 Method and Procedure........................................................................................................................ 46 Results and Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 48 STUDY 1A: PORTION SIZE DECISIONS FOR BREADS VERSUS CAKES .................................... 49 Method and Procedure........................................................................................................................ 49 Results and Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 51 STUDY 1B: PORTION SIZE DECISIONS FOR ALMONDS VERSUS M&MS ................................. 53 Method and Procedure........................................................................................................................ 53 Results and Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 54 STUDY 2: TEST OF PROCESS USING FIXED PORTIONS OF SALADS VERSUS CHEESEBURGERS ............................................................................................................................... 55 Method and Procedure........................................................................................................................ 56 Measures ............................................................................................................................................. 57 v Results ................................................................................................................................................. 57 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 60 STUDY 3: FULL TEST OF PROCESS USING PORTION CHOICE OF MAC ‘N CHEESE AND ROASTED VEGETABLES .................................................................................................................... 61 Method and Procedure........................................................................................................................ 61 Measures ............................................................................................................................................. 62 Results ................................................................................................................................................. 63 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 67 GENERAL DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................................... 67 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................