控制剥夺对神秘商品偏好的影响及机制&#x0002A;

钟莹彦; 梁睿轩; 王彦

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250614

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心理科学 ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (6) : 1450-1461. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250614

社会、人格与管理

控制剥夺对神秘商品偏好的影响及机制^*

钟莹彦^1,2, 梁睿轩¹, 王彦^**1

作者信息 +

The Effect of Control Deprivation on Mysterious Goods Preference and Its Mechanism

Zhong Yingyan^1,2, Liang Ruixuan¹, Wang Yan¹

Author information +

文章历史 +

摘要

神秘商品是指消费者在承诺购买之前无法得知其确切性质的产品,而消费者偏好神秘商品的心理原因尚未得到充分研究。研究基于补偿性消费理论,探讨控制剥夺对神秘商品偏好的影响及其机制。三个实验通过回忆（实验1）和概念识别任务（实验2和3）操纵控制剥夺,通过模拟购物（实验1）以及激励相容选择范式（实验2和3）考察神秘商品偏好,并结合中介测量法（实验2）和过程调节法（实验3）检验心理机制。结果显示,控制剥夺影响神秘商品偏好,概率估计是在其中起作用的心理机制。研究结果支持和扩展了补偿性消费理论,为营销人员和消费者提供了实践启示。

Abstract

Mystery goods are products whose exact nature is unknown to consumers before they commit to buying them. Previous studies have mainly analyzed the impact of mysterious goods from an economic perspective, based on supply or sales perspective. The psychological reasons for consumers’ preference for mystery goods have not been adequately studied. Therefore, this study focuses on the antecedent variables of consumers’ preferences for mystery goods and their psychological mechanisms from a consumer perspective. Based on the theory of compensatory consumption, the present research examines the effects of control deprivation on preferences for mystery goods and their psychological mechanisms. The purposes of this research are to examine the effects and mechanisms of control deprivation on mystery good preferences, to test the basic hypothesis that control deprivation increases mystery good preferences, and to explore whether consumers’ probability estimates of obtaining a desirable good are the psychological mechanisms at play, as well as how consumers’ own internal and external locus of control may moderate this effect.
This research consisted of a pre-experiment and three formal experiments. First, the mystery goods materials were selected in the pre-experiment. Next, Experiment 1 examined whether control deprivation would increase preferences for mystery goods. Then, the mediating role of likelihood judgment in this effect and the moderating role of locus of control were examined in Experiment 2. Finally, the psychological mechanism of likelihood judgment was tested by manipulating the likelihood judgment in Experiment 3. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants had the opportunity to obtain the goods of their choice, which enhanced the ecological validity of the research. To establish the robustness of the proposed effect and the mechanism, control deprivation was manipulated through a recall task (Experiment 1) and a concept recognition task (Experiments 2 and 3). Mystery goods preference was measured using a simulated shopping paradigm (Experiment 1) and an incentive-compatible choice paradigm (Experiments 2 and 3). The psychological mechanism of likelihood judgment was tested by combining a measurement-of-mediation approach (Experiment 2) and a moderation-of-process approach (Experiment 3).
Results indicate that control deprivation influences mystery goods preferences, and that probability estimation is the psychological mechanism. Specifically, during control deprivation, people overestimate the probability of obtaining a desirable item, which increases their preference for mystery goods. The findings are consistent with the control-defence mechanism and the compensatory consumption behavior model, which suggests that control deprivation prompts individuals to compensate for the sense of control through a variety of behaviors, including changes in consumer preferences and consumption behavior. Moreover, the phenomenon of overestimating the likelihood of obtaining a desirable good caused by control deprivation is consistent with the illusion of control driven by the desire for control. When people lack control, they subjectively increase the probability of winning a chance outcome, thereby increasing their sense of control over low-probability outcomes. Individuals under control deprivation in this research show likelihood overestimation and further manifested this tendency in their consumption behavior by purchasing mystery goods. In addition, an individual’s locus of control moderated the above effects, as evidenced by the fact that individuals with an internal locus of control are more likely to experience likelihood overestimation during control deprivation. Previous research has shown that the internal locus of control amplifies the effects of the desire for control on gambling behavior. This is because the internal locus of control increases an individual’s perceived ability to pick winning numbers, and the combination of perceived ability and control motivation exacerbates betting tendencies. It can be seen that an individual’s locus of control tendency moderates the extent to which people are influenced by probabilistic sales strategies when the perception of control decreases or the desire for control increases. The findings support and extend the theory of compensatory consumption and provide practical insights for marketers and consumers.

导出引用

钟莹彦, 梁睿轩, 王彦. 控制剥夺对神秘商品偏好的影响及机制^*[J]. 心理科学. 2025, 48(6): 1450-1461 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250614

Zhong Yingyan, Liang Ruixuan, Wang Yan. The Effect of Control Deprivation on Mysterious Goods Preference and Its Mechanism[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2025, 48(6): 1450-1461 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250614

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