Donald Lehmann

Entrenched Knowledge Structures and Consumer Response to New Products

Coauthor(s): C. Moreau, Arthur Markman.

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Abstract:
Although diffusion models have been successfully used to predict the adoption patterns of new products and technologies, little research has examined the psychological processes underlying the individual consumers adoption decision. This study uses the knowledge transfer paradigm, studied often in the context of analogies, to demonstrate that both existing knowledge and innovation continuity are major factors influencing the consumers adoption process. In two experiments, the authors demonstrate that the relationship between expertise and adoption is relatively complex. Specifically, their findings indicate that, compared with novices, experts report higher comprehension, more net benefits, and therefore higher preferences for continuous innovations.

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