Conceptually delineating time and money: construal level theory and the case of charitable contributions
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2012
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Abstract
This thesis contributes to the marketing and psychology literatures by identifying a critical distinction in the perceptual nature that time and money each assumes using Construal Level Theory (Trope and Liberman 2003). With time being more psychologically distant and thus abstract than money, the results of seven experiments demonstrate that merely drawing individuals' attention to time, or to money, can significantly alter one's mindset, intentions and behaviors. After first examining how time and money differ on a construal level, I examine how the psychological construal of each resource affects intentions to make charitable contributions of time and money as a means of delineating these two concepts. This thesis begins by presenting an overview of the literature on Construal Level Theory (CLT) and the concepts of time and money (Chapter 1), followed by a set of seven experiments. Chapter 2 examines to what extent time (vs. money) is construed abstractly (vs. concretely; Studies 1-3). Next, the match between time (vs. money) and abstract (vs. concrete) construal level is examined as an individual difference (Study 4) and within the context of a charitable message (Study 5 and 6). Thus, Chapter 3 examines to what extent individual differences in construal predict contributions of time (vs. money; Study 4), and whether construal of a charitable message as abstract (vs. concrete) and a charitable request of time (vs. money) interact to predict consumers' intentions to contribute (Study 5) and contribution behaviors (Study 6). Finally, I examine the effect of reconstruing money in more abstract (vs. concrete) terms on charitable donation intentions (Study 7). I discuss theoretical and practical implications as well as future considerations in Chapter 4. This research contributes to the charitable-giving literature by suggesting that matching based on construal level, operationalized as both an individual difference (i.e., construal preference) and a tactical approach (i.e., matching message construal with the type of ask), can improve contribution outcomes. It also distinguishes specificity of the cause from identifying the "victim" and suggests marketing managers can identify prospects and develop marketing materials in a manner consistent with their desired time-raising or fundraising objectives. Finally, the current research proposes a mechanism for these effects. Specifically, that a match between construal level and the type of resource requested creates greater processing fluency, which increases consumer perceptions of the campaign's likelihood of success and, in turn, enhances contribution intentions.
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Bibliography: p. 66-78
Includes copy of ethics approval. Original copy with original Partial Copyright Licence.
Includes copy of ethics approval. Original copy with original Partial Copyright Licence.
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Citation
MacDonnell, R. (2012). Conceptually delineating time and money: construal level theory and the case of charitable contributions (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/5029