Attitudinal Effects of Pre-Decision Effort and Post-Decision Unexpected Favorable Fait Accompli Events: An Experiment

Using a 2 x 2 factorial between-subjects design, this study examines the inpact of two factors (eminently controllable and/or manipulable by marketers/manufacturers) on consumer attitude toward a recently chosen product. The two factors are levels of pre-decision consumer effort (high and low) and post-decision unexpected favorable events provided (or not) by the marketer/manufacturer. Two Dissonance Theory-based research hypotheses were strongly supported by the results of a multivariate analysis of variance of four attitude measures. The analysis also revealed a potentially interesting interaction effect. Some theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.