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<p>Since the cognitive ability to process information is limited, people often rely
on stereotypes to help them make sense of their social environment. These knowledge
structures allow people to utilize past experiences and social learning to infer the
characteristics and behaviors of individual group members. Stereotypes provide their
holders with scripts, specifying how to interact with members of specific social groups
(e.g., what products to choose or avoid and how certain actions may be interpreted).
Despite the prevalent use of stereotypes in daily life, little research in consumer
behavior has examined the role of stereotypes from this perspective. I propose that
consumers use stereotype knowledge to navigate interpersonal interactions through
adjusting their self-evaluations and product choices to match the needs of the social
situation. My research suggests that both the stereotypes applied to the self and
those applied to others have implications for how consumers strategically leverage
this socially shared knowledge when interacting with others. </p><p>In Essay 1, I
examine how consumers use stereotypes to guide their self-evaluations when preparing
to interact with someone who may stereotype them. Most interestingly, consumers are
selective in what aspects of the stereotype they take on, depending on whether they
have more interdependent or independent self-construals. In three studies, I demonstrate
that individuals with more interdependent self-construals engage in selective self-stereotyping
and that these shifts in self-evaluations are specifically tailored to the preferences
and expectations of the interaction partner. However, I find that individuals with
more independent self-construals engage in selective counter self-stereotyping in
order to distance themselves from the constraints of the stereotype and also to rebuff
the expectations of the interaction partner. </p><p>Essay 2 examines the various impression
management concerns that arise when consumers choose products to share with others.
I find that when the consumer has little information regarding his consumption partner,
stereotypes related to the consumption partner's social group are used to guide product
choices. Whether the chosen products are stereotype consistent or inconsistent depend
on the consumer's social goals and the consumption partner's expectations. Across
four studies, I take both the perspectives of the consumer making the choice and the
consumption partner to examine the various strategies adopted for making joint consumption
choices and also to evaluate the interpersonal consequences of these strategies.</p>
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