Some effects of perceived risk on consumer information processing

This experiment investigated, within the context of an information processing theory of consumer behavior, the effects of level of perceived risk on the amount of information acquired and the total time taken processing that information before making a brand choice, and selection of brands made by well-known manufacturers as a risk reduction strategy. A unique aspect of the experiment was the treatment of perceived risk as a stimulus variable rather than its customary treatment as an organism variable. Note Originally a prize-winning paper in the 1979 Academy of Marketing Science student paper competition, this version was prepared for publication by Dr. Raymond Horton.