A-cognitive-model-of-the-antecedents-and-consequen

ACognitiveModeloftheAntecedentsandConsequencesofSatisfactionDecisionsAuthor(s):RichardL.OliverSource:JournalofMarketingResearch,Vol.17,No.4(Nov.,1980),pp.460-469Publishedby:AmericanMarketingAssociationStableURL::23/12/200911:07YouruseoftheJSTORarchiveindicatesyouracceptanceofJSTOR'sTermsandConditionsofUse,availableat://=ama.EachcopyofanypartofaJSTORtransmissionmustcontainthesamecopyrightnoticethatappearsonthescreenorprintedpageofsuchtransmission.JSTORisanot-for-profitservicethathelpsscholars,researchers,andstudentsdiscover,use,andbuilduponawiderangeofcontentinatrusteddigitalarchive.Weuseinformationtechnologyandtoolstoincreaseproductivityandfacilitatenewformsofscholarship.FormoreinformationaboutJSTOR,[e-mail]tioniscollaboratingwithJSTORtodigitize,preserveandextendaccesstoJournalofMarketingResearch.*Amodelisproposedwhichexpressesconsumersatisfactionasafunctionofexpectationandexpectancydisconfirmation.Satisfaction,inturn,isbelievedtoinfluenceattitudechangeandpurchaseintention.Resultsfromatwo-stagefieldstudysupporttheschemeforconsumersandnonconsumersofafluinoculation.ACognitiveModeloftheAntecedentsandConsequencesofSatisfactionDecisionsArecentwaveofinterestinresearchonconsumersatisfactionhasstimulatedseveralthoughtfulinter-pretationsofthecausesandeffectsofsatisfactioncognitions.Reviewsoftheliterature(Day1977;La-TourandPeat1979;Olander1977;Oliver1977)suggestthattwoconstructs,performance-specificexpectationandexpectancydisconfirmation,playamajorroleinsatisfactiondecisions.Thepurposeofthisarticleistoextendthisbodyofliteratureinamannerwhichwillpermitonetointegratethesuggestedantecedentsandsomehypothesizedcognitiveconsequencesintoacoherentframeworkofsatisfaction-relatedconcepts.ExpectationandDisconfirmationEffectsEarlypropositionslinkingdisconfirmedexpecta-tionstosubsequentconsumersatisfactionweread-vancedbyEngel,Kollat,andBlackwell(1968,p.512-15)andHowardandSheth(1969,p.145-50),althoughlittleevidenceintheproductperformanceareacouldbecitedtosupporttheseeminglyobviousconclusionthatsatisfactionincreasesastheperfor-mance/expectationratioincreases.ThisviewwasbasedlargelyontheresultsofaseminallaboratorystudybyCardozo(1965).Sincethattime,furtherexperimentsinthelaboratory(Anderson1973;CohenandGoldberg1970;OlshavskyandMiller1972;OlsonandDover1976,1979;Woodside1972)andlongitudinalsurveysinthefield(Oliver1977;Swan1977)havesuggestedthatthesatisfactiondecisionismorecom-plex.*RichardL.OliverisAssociateProfessor,GraduateSchoolofBusinessAdministration,WashingtonUniversity,St.Louis.Thoughwritersdoagreethatexpectationsareafactorinpostpurchaseevaluations,viewpointsdifferontheprocessofexpectancydisconfirmation.Someconcludethatthelatterphenomenonexistsimplicitlywheneverexpectationsarepairedwithdisparateper-formance,othersviewitasacomparativeprocessculminatinginanimmediatesatisfactiondecision,andstillothersviewitasadistinctcognitivestateresultingfromthecomparisonprocessandprecedingasatisfac-tionjudgment.Insightonthisissuecanbegainedfrompriorresearchinthefieldsofsocialandappliedpsychology.Almostwithoutexception,reviewersandearlyre-searchersintheareasofjob,life,self,andpatientsatisfactionagreethatsatisfactionisafunctionofaninitialstandardandsomeperceiveddiscrepancyfromtheinitialreferencepoint(see,variously,An-drewsandWithey1976;Campbell,Converse,andRodgers1976;Ilgen1971;Locke1969;LockerandDunt1978;Shrauger1975;Spector1956;Watts1968;WeaverandBrickman1974.)Althoughmanyre-searcherschoosetomeasurediscrepanciesobjective-ly,reviewersoftheearlydissonancestudies(e.g.,Watts1968;WeaverandBrickman1974)wereamongthefirsttoarguethatindividualsimplicitlymakesummarycomparativejudgmentsapartfromandasaninputtotheirfeelingsofsatisfaction.Thisperspec-tiveistheoneusedhere.Theresearchcitedstronglysuggeststhattheeffectsofexpectationanddiscrepancyperceptionsmaybeadditive.Specifically,expectationsarethoughttocreateaframeofreferenceaboutwhichonemakesacomparativejudgment.Thus,outcomespoorerthanexpected(anegativedisconfirmation)areratedbelowthisreferencepoint,whereasthosebetterthanexpect-460JournalofMarketingResearchVol.XVII(November1980),460-9MODELOFANTECEDENTSANDCONSEQUENCESOFSATISFACTIONDECISIONS461ed(apositivedisconfirmation)areevaluatedabovethisbase.Researchersinjobsatisfaction(e.g.,Ilgen1971;Smith,Kendall,andHulin1969)havenotedthatthisadditiveinterpretationismodeledwellbyHelson's(1948,1959)adaptationleveltheorywhichpositsthatoneperceivesstimulionlyinrelationtoanadaptedstandard.Thestandardisafunctionofperception