According to self-determination theory (SDT), competence is among the three basic psychological needs essential for one’s well-being and optimal functioning, and the frustration of these needs is theoretically predicted to induce a restorative response. While previous studies have explored the restoration process of autonomy and relatedness, empirical evidence for such a process is still lacking for competence. In order to explore this process and to examine the effect of prior competence frustration on one’s motivation to win in a subsequent competence-supportive task, we adopted a between-group experimental design and manipulated one’s competence frustration through task difficulty in an electrophysiological study. Participants in both groups were instructed to work on the time-estimation task and the stop-watch task in two successive sessions respectively. Participants in the experimental group were asked to complete a highly difficult task in the first session and a task of medium difficulty in the second session, while those in the control group were instructed to work on tasks of medium difficulty in both sessions. In the second session, an enlarged feedback-related negativity (FRN) loss-win difference wave (d-FRN) was observed in the experimental group compared to the control group, indicating that the competence-frustrated participants have an enhanced motivation to win in a subsequent competence-supportive task. Thus, results of the present study provided original neural evidence for the restoration process of frustrated competence, which provided important guidelines for the managerial practice.

Studies have revealed that consumers are susceptible to price framing effect, a common cognitive bias, due to their limited capacity in processing information. The effect of price framing in a bundling context and its neural correlates, however, remain not clearly characterized. The present study applied the event-related potentials (ERPs) approach to investigate the role of price framing in information processing and purchase decision making in a bundling context. Three price frames were created with practically identical total prices (with a maximum difference of ¥0.1, which was about equal to 0.016 US dollars) for a bundle with two components, a focal product and a tie-in product. In normal price condition (NP), both the focal and tie-in products were offered at a normal discounted price; in zero price condition (ZP), the tie-in product was offered free while the total price of the bundle remained the same as NP; whereas in low price condition (LP), the tie-in product was offered at a low token price (¥0.1), and the focal product shared the same price as the focal product of ZP. The behavioral results showed a higher purchase rate and a shorter reaction time for ZP in contrast to NP. Neurophysiologically, enlarged LPP amplitude was elicited by ZP relative to NP, suggesting that ZP triggered a stronger positive affect that could motivate decision to buy. Thus, this study provides both behavioral and neural evidence for how different price framing information is processed and ultimately gives rise to price framing effect in purchase decision making.

Personal review record, as a form of personally identifiable information, refers to the past review information of a reviewer. The disclosure of reviewers’ personal information on electronic commerce websites has been found to substantially impact consumers’ perception regarding the credibility of online reviews. However, personal review record has received little attention in prior research. The current study investigated whether the disclosure of personal review record influenced consumers’ information processing and decision making by adopting event-related potentials (ERPs) measures, as ERPs allow for a nuanced examination of the neural mechanisms that underlie cognitive processes. At the behavioral level, we found that the purchase rate was higher and that the reaction time was shorter when the review record was disclosed (vs. when it was not), indicating that the disclosed condition was more favorable to the participants. Moreover, ERPs data showed that the disclosed condition induced an attenuated N400 component and an increased LPP component relative to the undisclosed condition, suggesting that the former condition gave rise to less cognitive and emotional conflict and to more positive evaluations. Thus, by elucidating potential cognitive and neural underpinnings, this study demonstrates the positive impact of reviewers’ disclosure of personal review record on consumers’ purchase decisions.

This article analyzed decision-making in terms of the adoption of public cloud computing and its determinants in the context of e-government. The authors proposed a theoretical model and related hypotheses after reviewing the literature and combining technology adoption theory with IT decisionmaking authority theory. Then, they collected samples from 227 public sectors and tested hypotheses using structural equation modeling. The results show that the determinants of the three modes (IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS) of decision-making on adoption are different. The significant determinants of IaaS adoption include technical factors and business factors, those of PaaS adoption include technical factors and management factors, whereas those of SaaS include technical factors, business factors and management factors. The authors also find managerial/controlling power, which characterizes the special nature of Chinese culture, only have a significant influence on the decision-making on adoption of PaaS mode and SaaS mode.

Meaningfulness has been suggested as one of the fundamental psychological needs, as one would actively pursue meaning in both his/her work life and personal life. Previous studies consistently showed that a lack of meaning in work would reduce one's autonomous motivation in the current job, which is the motivation to engage in self-determined activities driven by one's own interests or personal beliefs. However, researchers overlooked the fact that in work settings, it is not uncommon that people work on multiple tasks in a row. As a result, the cross-task effect of work meaningfulness remains understudied. Based on the meaning maintenance model (MMM) and the suggested fluid compensation strategy, we predicted that the disappearance of the meaning of work may induce a compensatory response and thus enhance one's autonomous motivation in an irrelevant ensuing activity. To test this hypothesis, we invited participants to work on an encyclopedic knowledge quiz in Session 1 and a StopWatch (SW) task in Session 2. A between-subject design was adopted. While participants in the control group successfully completed their tasks in Session 1, those in the experimental group encountered unexpected program quits by the end of the quiz, and their previous efforts suddenly became futile and meaningless. Electroencephalography was recorded during the experiment to measure reward positivity (RewP). In Session 2, a more pronounced RewP in the win-lose difference wave was observed in the experimental group in contrast to the control group, suggesting that the disappearance of the meaning of work enhanced one's autonomous motivation in an irrelevant activity that follows. Therefore, results of this study provided preliminary electrophysiological evidence for one's pursuit of meaning and the compensation effect induced by the disappearance of the meaning of work.

Aggregated rating and personal rating both play important roles in consumer decisionmaking. However, uncertainty still remains as to whether aggregated rating and personal rating interactively affect consumers' perception of online consumer review. To address this gap, this research examined the interaction between these two types of ratings on perceived review usefulness and its underlying neural mechanisms by applying the eventrelated potentials (ERPs) approach. Behaviorally, when the aggregated rating was low, a high personal rating was deemed to be less useful than a low personal rating; however, when the aggregated rating was high, perceived review usefulness did not differ between high and low personal ratings. ERPs data provided further support for the behavioral pattern. A high personal rating induced a smaller late positive potential (LPP) component than a low personal rating when the aggregated rating was low; but the effect of personal rating disappeared when the aggregated rating was high. Importantly, ERPs results suggest that consumers went through a series of cognitive processes from processing of informational conflict (N400) to evaluative categorization (LPP) when completing the usefulness judgment task.

This article analyzed decision-making in terms of the adoption of public cloud computing and its determinants in the context of e-government. The authors proposed a theoretical model and related hypotheses after reviewing the literature and combining technology adoption theory with IT decision-making authority theory. Then, they collected samples from 227 public sectors and tested hypotheses using structural equation modeling. The results show that the determinants of the three modes (IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS) of decision-making on adoption are different. The significant determinants of IaaS adoption include technical factors and business factors, those of PaaS adoption include technical factors and management factors, whereas those of SaaS include technical factors, business factors and management factors. The authors also find managerial/controlling power, which characterizes the special nature of Chinese culture, only have a significant influence on the decision-making on adoption of PaaS mode and SaaS mode.

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