Conceptualizing Product Involvement Using Fuzzy Automata: An Integrated Model of Antecedents and Consequences

Abstract

Product involvement refers to the degree of importance consumers attach to a product or their subject recognition of a product's value. It is helpful to marketers who can realize consumer's attribute of perception by the concept in relevance of the product category. However, most studies concerning product involvement did not contain complete variables. Most researchers discussed few variables of antecedents and/or consequences for product involvement. On the other hand, when it comes to social science, many consumers have complicated and uncertain thoughts about products' values. By using the fuzzy automata, this study aims to develop an integrated model of product involvement. Product involvement is the main topic in our empirical study where plenty of antecedents and consequences are presented. The results indicate the fact that a fitting model relies on both the selection of implications and, more importantly, the selection of compositions in the fuzzy automata. With this model, as long as investigating an individual's antecedent states of product involvement, we can acquire consumer's product involvement states and consequent states.