Social Influence I

Paper: “You Are What They Eat: The Influence of Reference Groups on Consumers’ Connections to Brands,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13 (3), 339–48. Main Topic or Phenomenon This paper examines how reference group brand usage influences consumers’ self-brand connections - the psychological bonds consumers form with brands as they incorporate them into their self-concept.

Paper: “Brand Community,” Journal of Consumer Research, 27 (4), 412–32. Main Topic or Phenomenon This paper introduces and explores the concept of “brand community” - specialized, non-geographically bound communities that form around brands, based on structured social relationships among brand admirers.

Paper: “Together We Rise: How Social Movements Succeed,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 31 (1), 112–45. Main Topic or Phenomenon This paper examines how social movements succeed in creating social change, with a specific focus on understanding the psychological processes that motivate people to transform from bystanders to “upstanders” - those who provide grassroots momentum for successful social movements.

Paper: “Reference Group Influence on Product and Brand Purchase Decisions,” Journal of Consumer Research, 9 (2), 183–94. Main Topic or Phenomenon This paper examines how reference groups influence consumer purchase decisions, specifically investigating whether the type of influence varies systematically across different product categories based on two key dimensions of product conspicuousness: public vs.