The aim of the study was to investigate the potential power that subtle wording changes may have in altering the impressions that potential guests gain from brief descriptions, such as on the home pages of hotel websites or in online reviews. The intention was to determine whether the findings of earlier psychological research on the formation of impressions of people could be replicated regarding impression formation of hotels. In the psychological experiments, students first read a brief biography about a guest lecturer, then later attended a discussion led by him. They then rated their impressions of the man on a number of dimensions. All of the respondents experienced exactly the same discussion and received exactly the same biography. The words were identical except for one word. In one version a sentence said people who knew this man described him as cold. In the other version he was described as warm. The change of this one word alone had significant effects on people’s ratings on some dimensions and very little effect on others. For example, those who received the warm version rated the man as more generous than those who received the cold version. The current study was designed to see if this effect would occur when hotel management students formed an impression of a hotel, especially when there was limited information available – such as on the home page of a hotel’s website. Data were collected from 60 students from a hotel management college who were familiar with hotels either as guests, students on industry placement, or both. The students were in their early twenties and represented a number of different nationalities. Information from the home pages of two New Zealand hotel websites was adapted and edited to form a description of a fictitious hotel. The brief description of the hotel was followed by a survey containing 15 items, each describing a dimension of the hotel. The students gave each item a score of between 1 and 6 (see Table 1). Respondents received exactly the same descriptions of the hotel except for the change of one word. In one version a sentence said, “Guests who have stayed at the hotel generally describe it as having a cold ambience.” The same sentence in the other version said, “warm ambience.” Thirty students read the warm version and the other 30 read the cold version. Table 1: Statistically significant dimensions of ‘warm’ versus ‘cold’ hotel Hotel dimension (scored 1→6) ‘Warm’ mean ‘Cold’ mean t-test result (p) Popular → Unpopular 2.0 3.3 0.002 Busy, bustling → Not busy, inactive 2.5 3.6 0.011 Quiet → Noisy 2.6 3.5 0.019 Tidy, well-kept → Untidy, run-down 2.0 2.8 0.035 Environmentally friendly → Not environmentally friendly 2.4 3.1 0.040 Modest → Extravagant 3.9 3.1 0.042 Knowledgeable staff → Not knowledgeable staff 2.9 3.3 0.050 Note: mean=average score (between 1 and 6); p=probability Statistical analysis of the group averages revealed seven statistically significant dimensions. Table 1 shows that the ‘warm’ group perceived the hotel as more likely to be more popular, busier and bustling, quieter, tidier and well kept, environmentally friendly, extravagant and with more knowledgeable staff than did the ‘cold’ group. Having rated the warm ambience as more likely to be bustling it might be expected that it would be rated noisier. That was not the case. Revisiting some students and further questioning them revealed that a cold ambience was perceived as more likely to have harsh surfaces such as tiles and glass that would echo noise. A warm ambience was perceived to be more likely to be carpeted, curtained and with décor that absorbed sound. The findings show that the warm-cold effect could be replicated regarding impression formation of hotels and may suggest that some dimensions are core for forming an impression and others are peripheral. It appears ambience described as warm and cold may be among the core dimensions. The current study was an initial exploration of this phenomenon and further research would be required to identify whether other dimensions are core or peripheral. However, a more recent replication of the study by the current author using “welcoming – unwelcoming” produced five statistically different dimensions and hence may also be a core dimension. Whatever the case, the findings suggest that care needs to be taken when hoteliers choose wording to include in descriptions on the home pages of their websites. Corresponding author Robin Hill can be contacted at: robinh@pihms.ac.nz
<p>In the era of advancing neurotechnology, the emergence of brain-brain interfaces (BBIs) has opened up new frontiers in human communication and connectivity. BBIs are direct communication pathways between the brain of one subject and the brain of another subject that allow the users to extract and exchange information. Compared to traditional biomedical devices, brain-brain interfaces were originally more invasive between only two people; however, emerging research paves the way for new non-invasive interfaces between two or more brains. As this technology continues to grow with no current regulatory framework and cognitive connections between individuals become a tangible reality, a crucial question arises: What are the ethical implications of this remarkable technology? In this paper, we embark on a journey of ethical reflections, delving into the intricate considerations and moral dilemmas surrounding BBIs. We examine the fundamental values at stake, such as autonomy, privacy, and the potential for misuse, while drawing insights from established ethical frameworks. Analyzing the risks of this technology presents similar results, where we observe risks of safety from invasive neurosurgery, in addition to privacy-related risks upon the misuse of such an information network. Through a comprehensive analysis, we seek to shed light on the complex interplay between cognitive connections and ethical responsibilities, paving the way for informed decision-making and responsible development of this groundbreaking field. Since the maliciousness of this interface highly depends on its uses, we conclude that its uses should be currently restricted to the medical field, where it is needed the most. We also provide additional recommendations and future work aiming to pave the way to referenceable standards and frameworks that prevent the exploitation of BBI users and protect their privacy.</p>
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.