NOSTALGIA AND ASTROMETRY AS PRECURSORS

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1989) to create a model of superstitious beliefs. Informed by the noted streams of research, yearning for the past (YernPST), horoscope importance (HoroIMP), ...
NOSTALGIA AND ASTROMETRY AS PRECURSORS OF SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS Jeremy J. Sierra, Texas State University, United States, [email protected] Michael R. Hyman, New Mexico State University, United States, [email protected] Anna M. Turri, Texas State University, United States, [email protected] ABSTRACT Many people espouse superstition, whether individually (e.g., wearing a lucky charm) or collectively (e.g., applying feng shui to the home) as a means for generating favorable life outcomes. Although psychologists acknowledge the value of studying superstition at the personal level (Marques, Leite, and Benvenuti, 2012), marketing scholars have yet to account fully for the antecedents of consumers’ superstitious attitudes and concomitant behaviors (e.g., Fluke, Webster, and Saucier, 2014); this inchoate understanding compromises the efforts of marketing theoreticians, marketing practitioners, and public-policy makers. Drawing from prior research on nostalgia (Sierra and McQuitty, 2007), astrometry (Mitchell, 1995), and superstition (Mowen and Carlson, 2003), this study draws from experiential consumption theory (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982) and magical thinking (Zusne and Jones, 1989) to create a model of superstitious beliefs. Informed by the noted streams of research, yearning for the past (YernPST), horoscope importance (HoroIMP), and self-assessed zodiac sign expertise (ZodEXP), are posited as determinants of superstitious beliefs (SUPER). To test this model, questionnaire data collected from students enrolled in marketing courses at a south-western U.S. university were analyzed. The mean age of respondents (N=218) is 22.32 (SD=2.53), with gender split evenly. Whites (71%), Hispanics (18%), and Blacks (8%) are most represented, with seniors (59%) and juniors (27%) dominating the sample. Maximum likelihood factor analysis with oblique rotation was used to confirm data structure. Cronbach’s alpha for the four construct-related scales ranges from 0.856 to 0.939. With robust factor loadings and non-substantial cross-loadings, the resulting four-factor solution accounts for 72.87 percent of the variance. These data collectively reflect valid construct measures. Using regression analysis, results indicate a significant model (Adj. R2=0.314, F=33.67, P