Processing of the Satisfaction Response in Consumption: A Suggested Framework and research Propositions

Abstract

This paper extends current views of postpurchase response along two lines of analysis. In the first, the expectancy disconfirmation model is developed further with the inclusion of an attribution phase in the product judgment sequence. In this perspective, causal attributions are posited to play a mediating role between disconfirmation perceptions resulting from product outcomes and specific emotions thought to accompany attribution judgments. These emotions are hypothesized to combine with a primary affect generated by the goodness or badness of the product experience to provide the affective tone of consumer responses to consumption outcomes. Based on this integration, a summary judgment is thought to be formed which is currently represented by the common satisfied/dissatisfied response. In the second extension of current thought, the notion of a "satisfaction" expression is viewed in the context of multiple response orientations. In this perspective, different interpretations of a "satisfying" product experience are hypothesized to result from the level of arousal and the nature of reinforcement the consumer desires from the product. At the various stages of model development, propositions related to consumption contexts are suggested.