East-West consumer confidence and accuracy in memory for product information

Significant differences in learning styles between Chinese and Western cultures can affect consumers' memory for brand information. This research investigates (1) how consumers in these diverse cultures process and retrieve product information, and (2) the relationship between retrieval accuracy and retrieval confidence. It is proposed that Western consumers tend to integrate over brand claims by remembering the gist of the information, and that Chinese consumers tend to process each brand claim independently and literally, concentrating on the details of the information presented. Consistent with the dual processing notion presented here, the results of a recognition study reveal that Chinese consumers are better able to recognize product information when they are encouraged to process information integratively, while Western consumers are better able to recognize product information when encouraged to process each claim independently. The results are explained by the availability of retrieval strategies. Chinese consumers are more likely to use a direct retrieval strategy, that is why retrieval confidence is a better predictor of accuracy. Western consumers are more likely to use a plausibility strategy, this reduces the predictive ability of retrieval confidence. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.