Lack of cognitive control and conceptual coherence of print advertisements: Illusory pattern perception
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15678/PJOEP.2017.11.02Keywords:
cognitive control, learned helplessness, coherence of advertisement, illusory pattern perceptionAbstract
The paper shows the problem of forming illusory patterns in perception of print advertisements, in the light of the compensatory control theory by Kay and colleagues and on the basis of the concept of learned helplessness syndrome by Sędek and Kofta. The objective of the study was to clarify in which circumstances a lack of control impairs the formation of coherent connections between elements of an advertisement, and in which conditions it activates compensatory mechanisms responsible for the formation of illusory pattern perception in the coherence of advertisements. Two studies were conducted in the scheme: lack of control vs. control situation × strongly vs. weakly related elements of an ad. The coherence of advertisement was established using the affinity index methodology. The results showed that, when they are in a good condition control, consumers perceive particular elements of the advertisement as more coherent when those elements are strongly rather than weakly related. However, in the lack of control conditions, the reverse was true: consumers perceive particular elements of an advertisement as more coherent when the elements are weakly related rather than strongly related. This is in line with control motivation and compensatory mechanisms theories.References
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