From Components to Perception: A Double Mediation Model Between the Psychological Components of Anthropomorphism and Product Anthropomorphism

Abstract

Purpose: Humans “instantaneously, unavoidably perceive and attribute agency (social relations, motivations and intentions) to stimuli in their environment, even artificial stimuli in their environment” the process known as anthropomorphism (Timberlake, 2007). However, recent studies have reported that anthropomorphism is variant and is a tendency to imbue human characteristics (such as emotions, intentions, beliefs) to non-human objects or entities (Epley et al., 2007). Epley et al., (2007) have put forth the three factor theory of anthropomorphism, in which they explain using three psychological components when and why people engage in anthropomorphism. This study used various factors related to these three psychological components to investigate the process through which consumers anthropomorphize humanized products in their minds. Research Questions: This thesis investigated whether or not various factors related to the three psychological components sociality motivation, effectance motivation and elicit agent knowledge in the three factor theory of anthropomorphism impacted the extent of anthropomorphism experienced by consumers for a product imbued with a human gender schemata in a sequential manner. Specifically, this thesis investigated whether or not the two independent variables need for belonging (the factor related to sociality motivation) and need for closure (factor related to effectance motivation) impacted anthropomorphism the dependent variable of the study via the two mediators (i) knowledge acquisition and (ii) perceived similarity (factors related to elicit agent knowledge) in a sequential manner. Method and Analysis: This study utilized a quantitative research strategy and a pen & paper survey was conducted. Sociality motivation was measured using need for belonging of consumers, effectance motivation was measured using need for closure of consumers, while elicit agent knowledge was measured by dividing the process into two parts or components which included: (i) knowledge acquisition, and (ii) perceived similarity while the dependent variable was anthropomorphism of the humanized product in the minds of the consumers. A product i.e. a car was humanized by imbuing it with human gender schemata in order to measure knowledge acquisition, perceived similarity and anthropomorphism. From a total of 400 questionnaires distributed to a convenience sample of students in a private university in Lahore, 366 have been used in the data analysis. The collected data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to analyze the measurement model whereas the structural model was analyzed using three path model for double/sequential mediation (Taylor et al., 2008). Results: Results of the CFA confirmed reliability and validity of constructs. Results for structural analysis show that need for belonging positively impacted anthropomorphism of a product imbued with a human gender schemata directly and also indirectly through the two components of elicit agent knowledge. Not only did need for belonging impact anthropomorphism directly and indirectly through elicit agent knowledge, the relationship was also found to be sequential i.e. need for belonging impacted the knowledge acquisition (first component of elicit agent knowledge), knowledge acquisition than impacted perceived similarity (second component of elicit agent knowledge) and finally perceived similarity impacted anthropomorphism. Similar results were obtained for need for closure (effectance motivation) as the independent variable. Need for closure also impact anthropomorphism directly and indirectly through elicit agent knowledge and the relationship in this case was also found to be sequential. Through this research, it can be concluded that despite marketers’ efforts to create one anthropomorphized product image, the actual anthropomorphism in the minds of the consumers will depend on their intrinsic motivations and the way they process information about various humanized marketing stimuli.