The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of various literatures related to consumer search for information, and its effect on markets. Normative models of consumer search prior to purchase, and of consumer search through experience, are reviewed first. Models of consumer consideration set formation are also outlined. These models are generally based on consumers balancing the costs and benefits of search, which implies that search should be limited if it is costly. The extensive empirical literature on consumer search, which is reviewed next, does indicate that search is limited. The third major section of this review discusses the effect of search on market equilibrium, and market forces related to the supply of information. These include models of how advertising, retailing, and the Internet become organized to facilitate consumer search. The review concludes with a discussion of overall findings and suggestions for further research.

Barbara Kleine-Kalmer analyses the impact of branding in social networks and introduces the construct of brand page attachment. On the basis of a comprehensive quantitative study she validates the construct as relevant for user behavior and investigates which instruments and antecedents influence brand page attachment. Through these conceptually and empirically profound analyses, the author detects interesting implications for the management of brands in the context of social media.

Social psychologists have long recognized the possibility that attitudes might differ from one another in terms of their strength, but only recently had the profound implications of this view been explored. Yet because investigators in the area were pursuing interesting but independent programs of research exploring different aspects of strength, there was little articulation of assumptions underlying the work, and little effort to establish a common research agenda. The goals of this book are to highlight these assumptions, to review the discoveries this work has produced, and to suggest directions for future work in the area. The chapter authors include individuals who have made significant contributions to the published literature and represent a diversity of perspectives on the topic. In addition to providing an overview of the broad area of attitude strength, particular chapters deal in depth with specific features of attitudes related to strength and integrate the diverse bodies of relevant theory and empirical evidence. The book will be of interest to graduate students initiating work on attitudes as well as to longstanding scholars in the field. Because of the many potential directions for application of work on attitude strength to amelioration of social problems, the book will be valuable to scholars in various applied disciplines such as political science, marketing, sociology, public opinion, and others studying attitudinal phenomena.

Self-Congruity provides a comprehensive understanding of the self-concept, integrating the many references to it in the psychological literature. Using his previous findings, the author considers cognitive-versus-affective phenomena, and intrapersonal, interpersonal, situational, and analytic modes. He then applies his integrated theory to the problem of change in self-concept and behavior.

In step with the growing interest in place attachment, this volume examines the phenomena from the perspective of several disciplines-including anthropology, folklore, and psychology-and points towards promising directions of future research.

“Over a decade after its publication, one book on dating has people firmly in its grip.” —The New York Times We already rely on science to tell us what to eat, when to exercise, and how long to sleep. Why not use science to help us improve our relationships? In this revolutionary book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine and Rachel Heller scientifically explain why some people seem to navigate relationships effortlessly, while others struggle. Discover how an understanding of adult attachment—the most advanced relationship science in existence today—can help us find and sustain love. Pioneered by psychologist John Bowlby in the 1950s, the field of attachment posits that each of us behaves in relationships in one of three distinct ways: • Anxious people are often preoccupied with their relationships and tend to worry about their partner's ability to love them back. • Avoidant people equate intimacy with a loss of independence and constantly try to minimize closeness. • Secure people feel comfortable with intimacy and are usually warm and loving. Attached guides readers in determining what attachment style they and their mate (or potential mate) follow, offering a road map for building stronger, more fulfilling connections with the people they love.