Abstract

MAWAD, Franco; TRIAS, Marcela; ARES, Gastón  and  MAICHE, Alejandro. Relationship between field dependence/independence cognitive style and choice of yogurt labels. Psicol. Conoc. Soc. [online]. 2015, vol.5, n.1, pp.54-81. ISSN 1688-7026.

Consumers have limited capacity to entirely process all the information that appears on food labels. They generally differ in the cognitive style that determines information processing in decision-making situations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of field dependence/ independence cognitive style on information processing and choice of yogurt labels. A study was carried out with 133 consumers, who were asked to complete a choice-conjoint analysis task. Yogurt labels were designed using four independent variables with two levels: fat and sugar content, graphic background, traffic light system, and brand. Sixteen sets of two yogurt labels were presented on a computer screen. Consumers were asked to indicate which of the labels they would prefer to consume. During the task, participants' eye movements were recorded using an eye-tracker. After completing the conjoint task, consumers were asked to complete the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). According to the scores of the GEFT, two groups of consumers were identified: field dependent and field independent. The field independent consumers looked more thoroughly for information on the labels for making their choices than the field dependent ones, suggesting that they were more thoughtful and analytical for making their decisions. The two groups also differed in the importance they gave to the evaluated variables. Field independent consumers gave more relevance to the nutritional composition of the products than field dependent consumers. Results from the present work provide preliminary evidence of the influence of cognitive styles on food choice.

Keywords : Cognitive style; Food choice; Eye-tracking; Conjoint analysis.

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