How Enduring and Situational Involvement Combine to Create Involvement Responses

Abstract

Although a two-component model of product involvement is widely accepted, research has not studied how enduring and situational involvement combine to affect consumer responses. This article investigates three combination models. In particular, an additive model is compared with two interaction models, and the three models are tested empirically using field surveys. Results suggest that preexisting levels of enduring involvement neither magnify nor suppress situational involvement effects occurring around the time of purchase, thus supporting the simple additive model.In one of the most widely accepted frameworks for consumer involvement, Houston and Rothschild (1978) distinguished between situational involvement (SI) and enduring involvement (EI). SI reflects temporary feelings of involvement that accompany a particular situation, whereas E1 is an individual difference variable representing the general, long-run concern with a product that a consumer brings to a situation. SI and EI together influence involvement responses (IRs), defined as the complexity of cognitive and other processes at various stages of the decision process. ~ Involvement responses are typically described in terms of prepurchase decision making; however, outcomes such as search and word of mouth also may occur when there is no purchase (Bloch Requests for reprints should be sent to Marsha L. Richins, LHouston and Rothschild (1978) used the term response involvement to refer to involvement outcomes. The term IRs is used here to avoid confusing outcomes with types of involvement.

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