New research from the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that we pick certain brand names for an entirely narcissistic reason – because they contain letters of the alphabet that are in our own name. The theory is an extension of the ’name letter effect,’ which has demonstrated that people indeed like the letters in their name more so than others letters. The current research extends this phenomenon to consumerism and defines ’name letter branding,’

While our insatiable devotion to buying more stuff is no revelation, it is not completely understood where this materialistic mentality comes from. A forthcoming study from the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research seeks to better explain the cultivation of this rather unattractive, yet inimitably American trait, arguing that television plays a significant role in creating materialists.

“The more television individuals watch, the more materialistic they apparently become,

In an article in the forthcoming December 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers compare the focusing on the process of decision-making to focusing on the outcome of the decision. They found that feeling responsible for the outcome of a decision may drive people to a third choice – inaction.

“For many high stakes decisions, such as financial investments and healthcare choices, a focus on process or outcome may turn out to be a critical decision factor,” write

Nanotubes are the poster children of the nanotechnology revolution. These tiny carbon tubes – less than 1/50,000 the diameter of a human hair – possess novel properties that have researchers excitedly exploring dozens of potential applications ranging from transistors to space elevators.

Nanotubes also produce light with a number of interesting properties, which have led researchers to propose various optical applications. One of the most promising is to use the tiny tubes as

A new study in mice gives hope that a combination of gene therapy and exercise may extend the lives of people who have Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a chronic and progressive illness that leads to paralysis and ultimately death. There are no known cures, and the only FDA-approved method for treating the disease is a drug that may extend life between three and six months, said Brian Kaspar, the study’s lead aut

When the going gets tough, older adults’ brains get going, according to new research by a University of Michigan professor studying how key regions of the brain click on when needed.

Several regions in the brain, especially in the frontal cortex, are involved in helping people meet the demands of a constantly changing environment. While earlier research focused on older adults’ failures to activate these regions, the new U-M research found that older adults can activate

Researchers at Northwestern University and Columbia University have found that “wiring” in female rat brain memory area expands and retracts in relation to the amount of estrogen present during the estrous/menstrual cycle.

A study describing this research will be presented on Nov. 14 by Aryeh Routtenberg, professor of psychology, neurobiology and physiology at Northwestern University, at the 2005 Society for Neuroscience Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Because this area of

A new study forthcoming in the December 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research explores “range effect” and seeks to understand better what consumers do when faced with a range of price and quality options. Specifically, the authors found that offering a wide range of options causes consumers to gravitate towards extreme choices because it is easier for the consumer to discern difference.

“When two attributes have different levels of evaluability, extending the range of the b

Imagine an evening out with friends. You’ve enjoyed a phenomenal dinner, and the night is going great. You’re now faced with deciding on a dessert. You’ve been to this restaurant before and know that the tiramisu is reliable, but the cheesecake can be sometimes exceptional but other times sub par. Which do you pick?

According to forthcoming study in the December 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, you will most likely go for the cheesecake. When things are

Have you ever driven by one of those car lots where all of the cars facing the street are perpetually on sale? There’s always a “hot deal” to accompany those “low miles” or “one driver” lures. Alternatively, your favorite clothing store may almost never have sales. But when it does–between seasons perhaps–the prices plummet. Which product promotion better?

“One question facing managers who decide to promote a product periodically is whether to offer frequent but shallow or deep

The first nationwide study of pregnancy outcomes in women with rheumatic disease confirms that they experience greater pregnancy risks and longer hospital stays than the average pregnant woman. The findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine provide women who have these conditions with a better understanding of the risks they face if they become pregnant and underscores the need for physicians to monitor closely their care.

The author of the study, Eliza Chakravarty, MD, assis

“Extraneous emotional effects” influence how you evaluate products

It’s a sun-drenched weekend afternoon. You’re at a music store listening to demo CDs and happily watching the world go by outside the store’s window. Consequently, you leave the store with a load of CDs. But did the music grab you? Or was it the weather? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research suggests you are the proud owner of those CDs not because you fell in love with them as much as because you wer

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that eating or drinking sweets may decrease the production of the stress-related hormone glucocorticoid–which has been linked to obesity and decreased immune response.

“Glucocorticoids are produced when psychological or physical stressors activate a part of the brain called the ’stress axis,’” said Yvonne Ulrich-Lai, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatry. “These hormones help an indiv

The University of Leicester has launched a new Computer Science with Management degree course, in response to comments from employers.

The course covers in depth the skills, the practice and technological foundations of software systems development, with a focus on business applications. This is combined with courses aimed at developing an understanding of Management techniques and theories, in particular as they apply to IT.

Rajeev Raman, Professor and Head of Computer

Students with disabilities and learning difficulties are taking part in a unique University of Liverpool training scheme that enables them to educate those with similar disabilities to themselves.

Peer Advocacy Changing Things Together (PACTT) helps people with mental health problems, learning difficulties and physical disabilities to achieve their goals through education. The programme is organised by the Moving on with Learning (MOWL) project, in the University’s Department

Speed of PSA increase matters more than PSA level

In the largest study of its kind to date, Mayo Clinic researchers report that prostate specific antigen (PSA) kinetics, both velocity and doubling time, can be used to predict disease progression and likelihood of death after radical prostatectomy surgery, suggesting that this could be used to guide treatment decisions. Study results are published in the December issue of The Journal of Urology.

“The level of PSA in t