Effects of haptic imagery and haptic importance on psychological ownership

Abstract

Previous research has shown that people hold a higher value for objects that they own, a phenomenon commonly known as the endowment effect. Studies suggest that even without actual ownership, merely touching an object can increase its psychological ownership, which produces the endowment effect. However, touchable commodities are not always available prior to purchase (e.g., during online shopping). When an individual is unable to touch an object, its psychological ownership can be increased with mental imagery of touching it. Imagining touching an object, also known as haptic imagery, has a similar effect on psychological ownership as physical touch, due to a difference in the perception of control. Imagining touching an object results in greater feelings of physical control compared to not imagining touching it. Factors that contribute to the effect of haptic imagery on psychological ownership remain unexplored. In this study, we examined whether haptic importance of objects could impact the effect of haptic imagery on psychological ownership when touch was unavailable. Participants were assigned to the haptic imagery condition or the no-imagery condition. They were asked to look at a piece of paper that introduced an object as if they were considering buying it. Participants in the haptic imagery condition were instructed to imagine holding the object in their hands and to think about how it would feel, keeping their eyes closed throughout the process. Subsequently, all participants were asked to fill out the questionnaire about psychological ownership, perceived control, and familiarity. Results showed a significant effect of haptic imagery on psychological ownership and perceived control, regardless of haptic importance of objects. In addition, when touch is unavailable, an individual痴 psychological ownership of objects with low haptic importance can be more than those with high haptic importance. These findings are applicable to product marketing, specifically for online e-commerce stores.

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