Sarah Mittal | St. Edward's University (original) (raw)

Papers by Sarah Mittal

Research paper thumbnail of Data for: It Grows on You: Perceptions of Sales/Service Personnel with Facial Hair

This material gives greater detail about the stimuli used in the studies and some of the output n... more This material gives greater detail about the stimuli used in the studies and some of the output not covered in the manuscript itself.

Research paper thumbnail of Data for: It Grows on You: Perceptions of Sales/Service Personnel with Facial Hair

This material gives greater detail about the stimuli used in the studies and some of the output n... more This material gives greater detail about the stimuli used in the studies and some of the output not covered in the manuscript itself.

Research paper thumbnail of Not worth the risk? Applying life history theory to understand rejection of the experiential recommendation

Journal of Marketing Management, 2017

Despite mounting support documenting the long-term benefits of consuming experiences versus mater... more Despite mounting support documenting the long-term benefits of consuming experiences versus material possessions, some consumers appear to reject the 'experiential recommendation.' Applying a life history theory perspective, we conducted seven studies to examine how unpredictability and harshness during childhood may translate into a decreased propensity to consume novel experiences in adulthood. Adults who experienced unpredictable and harsh childhood environments tended to devalue experiential options (studies 1A and 1B). A perceived lack of control over one's life outcomes that translates into greater difficulty in evaluating experiential opportunities mediated the relationship between childhood background and devaluing experiential options (studies 3, 4A-C). Furthermore, prior or incidental experience with novel experiential options moderated the link between perceived lack of control over life outcomes and difficulty evaluating experiential purchase options (study 4B).

Research paper thumbnail of Happiness is in the mind of the experience holder: Predictors of attaching to and making experiential versus material purchases

Research paper thumbnail of What’S in a Name: Sound Symbolism of Stock Ticker Symbols Predict Stock Performance

ACR North American Advances, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of In the world of plastics: how thinking style influences preference for cosmetic surgery

Marketing Letters, 2021

The world of cosmetic surgery offers a variety of procedures designed to “enhance” specific body ... more The world of cosmetic surgery offers a variety of procedures designed to “enhance” specific body parts. While some consumers are adamantly against such procedures, others seem inherently drawn to them. What type of consumer is most likely to undergo cosmetic procedures? The current research examines whether individual differences in holistic and analytic thinking affect preferences for cosmetic procedures. Across 5 behavioral and eye-tracking studies, we find that analytic thinking increases openness to cosmetic procedures. Analytic thinking leads to a hyper-focusing effect that drives dissatisfaction with certain body parts, which increases the likelihood of endorsing and undergoing procedures to alter that particular body part. Marketing and consumer-related implications for these effects are provided.

Research paper thumbnail of My Purchase, My Refuge: Experiential Versus Material Attachment As Predicted By Gender and Loneliness

Advances in Consumer Research, 2015

Just as individuals differ in material attachment tendencies, so to should they exhibit different... more Just as individuals differ in material attachment tendencies, so to should they exhibit differential experiential purchase attachment propensities. Loneliness and gender are used as a framework for examining such differences: loneliness leads to attachment to purchases that affirm one's social self, but men/women view material/experiential purchases' social value differently.

Research paper thumbnail of Risk Seeking For Experiential Purchases: Why Consumers Take a Gamble on Experiences But Play It Safe For Material Options

Research paper thumbnail of “The Full Package:” Student-Centered, Peer Reviewed Packaging Design Activity

Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice

Research paper thumbnail of What a great deal…I need that! Updating need drives frugal consumers’ responses to deep discounts

Journal of Business Research

Research paper thumbnail of Makeup or mask: makeup’s effect on salesperson trustworthiness

Journal of Consumer Marketing

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how the use of varying amounts of makeup by sales personne... more Purpose This paper aims to investigate how the use of varying amounts of makeup by sales personnel influences perceived salesperson trustworthiness and downstream purchase intentions/sales effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were run with female and male makeup usage examined separately. In each study, a between-subjects, scenario-based experiment was run on Qualtrics in which participants were randomly assigned to conditions representing a salesperson with varying levels of makeup usage (none to glamorous/extreme). Findings Using ANOVA, the authors find that the glamorous/extreme makeup condition led to significantly lower perceptions of trustworthiness. Furthermore, mediation models for both studies found that increased salesperson makeup predicted lower perceived trustworthiness, resulting in lower purchase intentions and sales effectiveness. Practical implications Managers and salespersons can benefit from these findings through increased awareness of the “mas...

Research paper thumbnail of Preparing Academics to Teach: Example of a Structured Method of Preparing Doctoral Students in Business Programs to Teach

Journal of Management Education

The qualifications of academics to teach students are often left unquestioned. Current accreditat... more The qualifications of academics to teach students are often left unquestioned. Current accreditation standards, for an academic to teach, are typically determined by courses taken, certifications or degrees obtained, and/or industry experience. Doctoral programs are inconsistent in their approaches to formal instruction in pedagogy and their degree of emphasis on teaching skills assessment beyond the typical student teaching evaluations. Furthermore, in many instances, doctoral students begin teaching while they are still in their doctoral program without any formal training. We aim to address this institutionalized deficiency by providing a concise and actionable framework for teaching doctoral students how to teach that can serve as a template for other business school doctoral programs seeking to implement a doctoral teaching seminar. We provide an example of a doctoral teaching seminar in a College of Business developed to train doctoral students in five teaching competencies in...

Research paper thumbnail of Never truly alone, we always have our purchases: Loneliness and sex as predictors of purchase attachment and future purchase intentions

Journal of Consumer Behaviour

Research paper thumbnail of The Tyranny of Tests: Doing Away with Tests Without Selling Your Soul to Grading Hell

Marketing Education Review

Research paper thumbnail of Go big or go home: Risk seeking for experiential choices

Journal of Consumer Behaviour

Research paper thumbnail of It grows on you: Perceptions of sales/service personnel with facial hair

Journal of Business Research

Research paper thumbnail of Not worth the risk? Applying life history theory to understand rejection of the experiential recommendation

Despite mounting support documenting the long-term benefits of consuming experiences versus mater... more Despite mounting support documenting the long-term benefits of consuming experiences versus material possessions, some consumers appear to reject the ‘experiential recommendation.’ Applying a life history theory perspective, we conducted seven studies to examine how unpredictability and harshness during childhood may translate into a decreased propensity to consume novel experiences in adulthood. Adults who experienced unpredictable and harsh childhood environments tended to devalue experiential options (studies 1A and 1B). A perceived lack of control over one’s life outcomes that translates into greater difficulty in evaluating experiential opportunities mediated the relationship between childhood background and devaluing experiential options (studies 3, 4A–C). Furthermore, prior or incidental experience with novel experiential options moderated the link between perceived lack of control over life outcomes and difficulty evaluating experiential purchase options (study 4B).

Research paper thumbnail of Self-Brand Connection, Schadenfreude, and Sympathy: A Person-Centered Approach to Understanding Emotional Reactions to Product Failure

Research paper thumbnail of Experiential or Material? That is the Question. How Life History Theory Predicts Purchase Type Preferences

Research paper thumbnail of The Experiential Recommendation: Why it Occurs and When it Might Not Hold

Research paper thumbnail of Data for: It Grows on You: Perceptions of Sales/Service Personnel with Facial Hair

This material gives greater detail about the stimuli used in the studies and some of the output n... more This material gives greater detail about the stimuli used in the studies and some of the output not covered in the manuscript itself.

Research paper thumbnail of Data for: It Grows on You: Perceptions of Sales/Service Personnel with Facial Hair

This material gives greater detail about the stimuli used in the studies and some of the output n... more This material gives greater detail about the stimuli used in the studies and some of the output not covered in the manuscript itself.

Research paper thumbnail of Not worth the risk? Applying life history theory to understand rejection of the experiential recommendation

Journal of Marketing Management, 2017

Despite mounting support documenting the long-term benefits of consuming experiences versus mater... more Despite mounting support documenting the long-term benefits of consuming experiences versus material possessions, some consumers appear to reject the 'experiential recommendation.' Applying a life history theory perspective, we conducted seven studies to examine how unpredictability and harshness during childhood may translate into a decreased propensity to consume novel experiences in adulthood. Adults who experienced unpredictable and harsh childhood environments tended to devalue experiential options (studies 1A and 1B). A perceived lack of control over one's life outcomes that translates into greater difficulty in evaluating experiential opportunities mediated the relationship between childhood background and devaluing experiential options (studies 3, 4A-C). Furthermore, prior or incidental experience with novel experiential options moderated the link between perceived lack of control over life outcomes and difficulty evaluating experiential purchase options (study 4B).

Research paper thumbnail of Happiness is in the mind of the experience holder: Predictors of attaching to and making experiential versus material purchases

Research paper thumbnail of What’S in a Name: Sound Symbolism of Stock Ticker Symbols Predict Stock Performance

ACR North American Advances, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of In the world of plastics: how thinking style influences preference for cosmetic surgery

Marketing Letters, 2021

The world of cosmetic surgery offers a variety of procedures designed to “enhance” specific body ... more The world of cosmetic surgery offers a variety of procedures designed to “enhance” specific body parts. While some consumers are adamantly against such procedures, others seem inherently drawn to them. What type of consumer is most likely to undergo cosmetic procedures? The current research examines whether individual differences in holistic and analytic thinking affect preferences for cosmetic procedures. Across 5 behavioral and eye-tracking studies, we find that analytic thinking increases openness to cosmetic procedures. Analytic thinking leads to a hyper-focusing effect that drives dissatisfaction with certain body parts, which increases the likelihood of endorsing and undergoing procedures to alter that particular body part. Marketing and consumer-related implications for these effects are provided.

Research paper thumbnail of My Purchase, My Refuge: Experiential Versus Material Attachment As Predicted By Gender and Loneliness

Advances in Consumer Research, 2015

Just as individuals differ in material attachment tendencies, so to should they exhibit different... more Just as individuals differ in material attachment tendencies, so to should they exhibit differential experiential purchase attachment propensities. Loneliness and gender are used as a framework for examining such differences: loneliness leads to attachment to purchases that affirm one's social self, but men/women view material/experiential purchases' social value differently.

Research paper thumbnail of Risk Seeking For Experiential Purchases: Why Consumers Take a Gamble on Experiences But Play It Safe For Material Options

Research paper thumbnail of “The Full Package:” Student-Centered, Peer Reviewed Packaging Design Activity

Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice

Research paper thumbnail of What a great deal…I need that! Updating need drives frugal consumers’ responses to deep discounts

Journal of Business Research

Research paper thumbnail of Makeup or mask: makeup’s effect on salesperson trustworthiness

Journal of Consumer Marketing

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how the use of varying amounts of makeup by sales personne... more Purpose This paper aims to investigate how the use of varying amounts of makeup by sales personnel influences perceived salesperson trustworthiness and downstream purchase intentions/sales effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were run with female and male makeup usage examined separately. In each study, a between-subjects, scenario-based experiment was run on Qualtrics in which participants were randomly assigned to conditions representing a salesperson with varying levels of makeup usage (none to glamorous/extreme). Findings Using ANOVA, the authors find that the glamorous/extreme makeup condition led to significantly lower perceptions of trustworthiness. Furthermore, mediation models for both studies found that increased salesperson makeup predicted lower perceived trustworthiness, resulting in lower purchase intentions and sales effectiveness. Practical implications Managers and salespersons can benefit from these findings through increased awareness of the “mas...

Research paper thumbnail of Preparing Academics to Teach: Example of a Structured Method of Preparing Doctoral Students in Business Programs to Teach

Journal of Management Education

The qualifications of academics to teach students are often left unquestioned. Current accreditat... more The qualifications of academics to teach students are often left unquestioned. Current accreditation standards, for an academic to teach, are typically determined by courses taken, certifications or degrees obtained, and/or industry experience. Doctoral programs are inconsistent in their approaches to formal instruction in pedagogy and their degree of emphasis on teaching skills assessment beyond the typical student teaching evaluations. Furthermore, in many instances, doctoral students begin teaching while they are still in their doctoral program without any formal training. We aim to address this institutionalized deficiency by providing a concise and actionable framework for teaching doctoral students how to teach that can serve as a template for other business school doctoral programs seeking to implement a doctoral teaching seminar. We provide an example of a doctoral teaching seminar in a College of Business developed to train doctoral students in five teaching competencies in...

Research paper thumbnail of Never truly alone, we always have our purchases: Loneliness and sex as predictors of purchase attachment and future purchase intentions

Journal of Consumer Behaviour

Research paper thumbnail of The Tyranny of Tests: Doing Away with Tests Without Selling Your Soul to Grading Hell

Marketing Education Review

Research paper thumbnail of Go big or go home: Risk seeking for experiential choices

Journal of Consumer Behaviour

Research paper thumbnail of It grows on you: Perceptions of sales/service personnel with facial hair

Journal of Business Research

Research paper thumbnail of Not worth the risk? Applying life history theory to understand rejection of the experiential recommendation

Despite mounting support documenting the long-term benefits of consuming experiences versus mater... more Despite mounting support documenting the long-term benefits of consuming experiences versus material possessions, some consumers appear to reject the ‘experiential recommendation.’ Applying a life history theory perspective, we conducted seven studies to examine how unpredictability and harshness during childhood may translate into a decreased propensity to consume novel experiences in adulthood. Adults who experienced unpredictable and harsh childhood environments tended to devalue experiential options (studies 1A and 1B). A perceived lack of control over one’s life outcomes that translates into greater difficulty in evaluating experiential opportunities mediated the relationship between childhood background and devaluing experiential options (studies 3, 4A–C). Furthermore, prior or incidental experience with novel experiential options moderated the link between perceived lack of control over life outcomes and difficulty evaluating experiential purchase options (study 4B).

Research paper thumbnail of Self-Brand Connection, Schadenfreude, and Sympathy: A Person-Centered Approach to Understanding Emotional Reactions to Product Failure

Research paper thumbnail of Experiential or Material? That is the Question. How Life History Theory Predicts Purchase Type Preferences

Research paper thumbnail of The Experiential Recommendation: Why it Occurs and When it Might Not Hold