An Exploration of the Use and Effectiveness of Nature Imagery, Metaphor, and Symbolism in Advertising.
subject: Nature imagery in advertising, symbolism in advertising, metaphors in advertising
description: Core participation of nature imagery, indoor scenery, visual metaphor, and literal image in the construction of commercials and advertising industry has been established through repeated research. The current study aims to deeper investigate regarding the role of two specific components of aesthetic communication (nature imagery, poetry) in advertising. Results suggested that between nature imagery and indoor scenery there was a significant preference to nature imagery. However, results from the comparison between visual metaphor and literal image indicated a more divided outcome with participants suggesting that both presented as equally appealing. Overall, our results suggest that nature imagery was established to be the most significant component towards forming an appealing advertisement. We indicated that further research could investigate and highlight the effectiveness of other mediator components of aesthetics (verbal language, humour, music, etc) in advertising.
creator: Konstantinos Perimenis
source: In all focus groups, a digital voice recorder was used for further analysis. The first selected pair of ads, with indoor and outdoor imageries, was about Coca-Cola brand. At the first Coca Cola’s ad film, which was broadcasted for the first time in 2010, participants had the chance to watch two young people inside an overcrowded bus. Even if these two passengers were completely strangers, they finally broke the ice between them, thanks to an invisible Coca-Cola bottle. At the second Coca-Cola’s commercial, diversity in terms of gender, religion and race, within the United States of America, was presented. At the same time, the viewers were given the opportunity of admiring some of the most breathtaking landscapes in USA. The second selected pair of ads, in terms of connotative and denotative imageries, was about Smirnoff brand. At the Smirnoff’s connotative commercial, there were clear signs that its creators intended to show temptation and seduction. From the beginning it was clear that the starring couple was meant to represent a modern day Adam and Eve. As the music picked up, snakes appeared from the bartender’s sleeves to help make an Apple Bite and the customers got up to dance in a fast-paced song. The bartender was leading ‘Adam and Eve’ to the apple flavour cocktail and the fast-paced music suggested that something big would happen if the drink was taken. This also insinuated that the drink was so desirable that they would not be able to resist the apple drink. At the denotative one, there was a stylish, classy man that was just listing the values of Smirnoff vodka. The initial 40 advertisements were selected randomly from Coloribus.com (See Appendix H for full links) an online databases for commercials and advertisements. Data analysis Responses to the focus groups’ questions were thematically analyzed. The current research followed the six step thematic analysis approach as described by Braun and Clarke (2006). Notes of detailed observation were used to g…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2018
rights: Open
format: WAV
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA2 0PF

Effects of service brands’ current marketing strategies on customer attitude and behaviour
description: This project investigated current marketing strategies used by service brands, including car insurance and household energy companies, on customer’s attitudes and behaviours. The investigation involved a nationally representative sample of 1,977 participants completing an online survey, along with 30 participants taking part in a supporting qualitative online community panel exploring customers’ attitudes in more depth. Descriptive analysis showed that although participants’ loyalty reasons and bad provider experiences were predominantly determined by price, service quality was also an important factor. When choosing service providers, participants showed no preference between price and service, however slightly preferred price over reputation. Furthermore, significant correlations were found for the majority of provider switching attitudes and switching behaviours. Segmentation analysis identified four types of customers based on awareness of offers and convenience to switch: ‘Passive Loyals’, ‘Sceptical Loyals’, ‘Loyal Opportunity Switchers’ and ‘Conditioned Switchers’. A pattern was found amongst age groups – the older the participant, the more likely they preferred new customer deals over loyalty offers, were more interested in price over service quality and brand reputation, and had more expertise in the service industry. Due to the importance of customer retention (Berry, 1983), results implied brands should focus on loyalty rewards, along with gaining customers’ trust in their service quality and reliability.
creator: Laura Gould
source: Materials and procedure The online survey included both closed and open questions, thus a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods. Participants were asked a few demographic questions: their gender, age, employment status, type of residence, location, and how long they had been a UK resident. Those who had not been screened were quizzed on their switching and service provider behaviours and attitudes. The questions were repeated for each service type, depending on whether participants had confirmed to paying for, or making decisions on electricity, gas or car insurance, and whether they’re household energy was on a dual fuel package or organised separately. The questions that were repeated were a select few, which required separate data for each service type. These included inquiries into people’s prior switching behaviour, reasons for maintaining a relationship with their current provider, and any ‘bad’ experiences they had encountered with a service provider. This was then followed by general attitudinal scales concerned with loyalty and switching amongst service providers. The data was collected in Confirmit, a software used to create, monitor and analyse online surveys (http://www.confirmit.com/). The quantitative information was analysed in Reportal, Confirmit’s analysis feature. The qualitative answers were transferred into Microsoft Excel, and examined through the CIT (Flanagan, 1954). Stage 2: Method The second stage of the project involved segmenting participants into different groups, in order to identify different people’s needs and desires in regard to switching and loyalty, and how brands should consider different types of individuals in their marketing and advertising. First, segmentation dimensions were established, and every participants was assigned to a particular segmentation cluster. Secondly, the different segments were profiled to make each group as distinct as possible. Segmentation Identifying the segments was explorative, thus there w…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2013
contributor: John Towse
rights: Open
format: data/excel.xlsx
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

Does the use of prompts in shared reading facilitate the quantity and quality of language in Down Syndrome children?
subject: Down syndrome, linguistic abilities, dialogic reading, prompted reading.
description: Children with Down syndrome typically present with specific linguistic and communicative difficulties. The present study aims to explore how dialogic prompted reading facilitates better quality and quantity of language production in pre-school aged Down syndrome children. Research has demonstrated how reading interventions enhance typically developing children’s linguistic qualities, yet few studies have investigated the beneficial effects of dialogic prompted reading among Down syndrome children. Eight Down syndrome and 8 typically developing children completed two shared reading tasks with their mothers. One task involved reading a book containing a series of prompted questions, the other book contained no prompts. As predicted, prompted reading resulted in the development of more complex syntax, better vocabulary production and facilitated better responses accuracy to literal and inferential concepts, in Down syndrome children. In addition, the inclusion of prompts also increased parental scaffolding techniques for both diagnostic groups. The results from this study indicate that dialogic prompted reading does improve Down syndrome children’s qualitative and quantitative linguistic abilities and promotes better communication with parents during shared reading tasks. These findings highlight the educational significance of prompted dialogic reading as a highly beneficial intervention for developing an array of linguistic qualities in children with Down syndrome.
creator: Laura J. Durrans
source: Participants A total of 16 children and their mothers took part in this study. Eight children with Down syndrome (DS: 4 female, 4 male, age range = 4.58 years to 6.75 years, Mage = 5.3 years) and 8 typically developing children (TD: 2 female, 6 male, age range = 3.9 years to 6.66 years, Mage = 5.1 years). This is a secondary data analysis study and all participants were previously recruited by the principle investigator and supervisor, Kate Cain. Video recordings of all child-parent reading dyads were made and were transcribed into written from. The Departmental Ethics Committee approved this study prior to the author receiving any video or transcribed data. Stimuli In this study, mothers were given two books to read with their children, ‘Mooncake’ and ‘Skyfire’ (Asch, 2014; 2014). Parents were asked to read both books as they normally would read at home with their child. One version of each book contained a series of 12 prompts which were inserted at specific points and parents where asked read them aloud as they went through the book (based on Van Kleek et al, 2006). Between both books there were a total of 24 prompts. For each book, prompts were evenly split between 4 sub-categories: picture labelling prompts “What is that? (pointing to Bear)”, vocabulary prompts “What does ‘hollow’ mean?”, inference prompts “ Why did Bear fall asleep?”, and general knowledge prompts “What else could Bear have used to stick the spoon to the arrow?”. The aim of the prompts was to encourage communication and scaffolding interactions between mothers and children when reading together. These books where specifically selected for multiple reasons: first, they have been successfully used in previous studies investigating linguistic impairments in pre-school aged children with language difficulties (Van Kleek et al 1997; 2006; Hammet, Van Kleek & Huberty, 2003). Second, the classic story-line of each book provides opportunities for children to follow a written and pictorial narrative, e…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2017
contributor: Rebecca James
rights: Open
relation: None
format: Data/SPSS.sav
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

Investigating the Effects of Challenging Behaviour on the Sibling Relationship: Influenced by Behaviour Topography and Shaped by Attributions of Controllability?
description: Challenging behaviour (CB) displayed by individuals with an intellectual disability (ID) is consistently identified as a stressor on the relationship that they have with their typically developing (TD) sibling. Given the potentially damaging effects of CB on the quality of the sibling relationship and the wellbeing of the TD sibling, understanding the cognitions that underpin TD siblings’ emotional and behavioural responses to CB is essential to direct sibling-targeted psychoeducational interventions. This study considered whether siblings’ responses to CB vary according to behavioural topography. Further, the study considered whether any effects detected were shaped by attributions made by TD individuals regarding the controllability of their siblings’ CB. Thirty-eight siblings of individuals with ID, and 36 participants with a nondisabled sibling, completed a web-based questionnaire measuring participants’ positive and negative affect towards their sibling, the nature of their sibling’s CB, and controllability perceptions regarding their sibling’s CB. The results of this study reiterate that CB is a stressor on the sibling relationship, with externally directed CB (i.e. aggression, destruction) eliciting greater negative affect in siblings compared to internally directed behaviours (i.e. self-injury). However, it could not be concluded with an appropriate level of significance (i.e. p<.05) that this was due to participants perceiving their siblings as more in control of their externally directed behaviours. These findings may have resulted from the diverse nature of the participant group. Further research is required to examine specific differences in the emotional impact of each type of challenging behaviour (and then subsequently, whether any differences detected arise due to contrasting perceptions of behaviour controllability).
creator: Lauren Laverick-Brown
source: Participants Seventy-four TD individuals who had a sibling completed this study. Participants were allocated to one of two conditions according to whether they had a sibling with an ID, or did not (i.e. their sibling was TD). There were 38 participants who had a sibling with ID (82% female, Mage=27.32, SD=9.65) and 36 participants with a TD sibling (92% female, Mage=28.61, SD=10.81); ranging between 13 to 60 years old. Siblings diagnoses are reported in Table 1. Table 1: Diagnoses of participants' siblings Participants were recruited on a voluntary basis through social media advertisements posted by the researcher and by disability organisations (who also sent emails to their followers), and through word of mouth. The researcher developed a digital research flyer summarising study’s purpose and procedure, distributed as described above. To incentivise participation, participants had the option to enter themselves in a prize draw for a £20 Amazon voucher upon completion of the study. A minimum participation age was determined after inputting the text of each questionnaire included in the study into Coh-Metrix (Version 3.0; Graesser, McNamara, Louwerse & Cai, 2004): a web-based software tool assessing the cohesion and coherence of a text. Coh Metrix provides an index of readability by generating the reading age of a piece of text, and the reading age determined of the questionnaires was “grade six”; indicating that 10/11-year-olds should have the ability to comprehend and respond to questions. Thus, it was decided that the questionnaires were suitable for TD individuals aged 12 or above. Consent was gained from all those over 16 years of age, and parental consent for and assent from those aged 12-15 years of age (see “Ethical Considerations” below for further information). Design The study was of a correlational design, investigating the relationship between the following continuous variables: the quality of the sibling relationship, CB displayed by the sibling with I…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2018
contributor: Rebecca James
rights: Open
relation: None
format: Data/SPSS.sav
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

Does Advertising Truly Represent the LGBTQ+ Community? An Analysis of Intersectionality and Consumer Responses to LGBTQ+ Advertising
subject: LGBTQ+ advertising, prosocial advertising, intersectionality, consumer attitudes
description: Depictions of sexual and gender minorities in advertising are becoming increasingly common and diverse. Yet, numerous intersections within these portrayals are still invisible. Previous research has found mixed results regarding consumer responses to LGBTQ+ identities in advertising. The current study aimed to obtain a further understanding into how a diverse range of consumers respond to heteronormative versus LGBTQ+ imagery in ads. This was assessed using semi-structured interviews to examine sexual and gender minority consumer (n = 13) and non-LGBTQ+ consumer (n = 6) reactions to three distinct IKEA ads. In addition to this, LGBTQ+ character depictions in 286 worldwide mainstream ads from 2016-2020 were analysed for measures of intersectionality across the dimensions of race, age and specific LGBTQ+ membership, extending the previous findings of Nölke (2018). Results indicated that non-LGBTQ+ participants showed similar responses and subsequent brand evaluation regardless of ad theme. Sexual and gender minority participants were found to show preference towards the ad featuring LGBTQ+ identities, though were often found to be sceptical of such portrayals. Intersectionality analysis uncovered that 47 out of a possible 96 intersections were completely invisible from 2016-2020, although representation of minorities within the community has increased substantially since the original findings. Results demonstrate the importance of character depictions in advertising, highlighting why intersectionality of such portrayals needs to increase in the future. Findings further denote how and why different consumers react to specific ad imagery, making recommendations to marketers regarding their inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities in advertising.
creator: Layton Edgington
source: Participants The sample consisted of 19 participants aged between 18-53 at their time of interview; Mage = 23.5 years, SDage = 7.6. Of this sample, 13 participants stated that they identified as LGBTQ+ (2 White lesbian females, 1 Mixed-Race lesbian female, 2 White gay males, 1 Asian gay male, 2 White bisexual females, 1 Black bisexual female, 1 Asian bisexual male, 1 White transgender female, 1 White transgender male and 1 White transgender non-binary individual). A further 6 participants stated that they did not identify as LGBTQ+ (3 White males and 3 White females). Participants were recruited in a purposive manner through social media sites such as Instagram and WhatsApp and comprised mainly of acquaintances of the researcher. A high proportion of LGBTQ+ participants were utilised in an effort to ensure intersectionality of responses, which has been shown to provide a strong methodological framework within which to investigate underrepresented groups (Rodriguez, 2018). Design The study consisted of two distinct elements; semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of existing global advertisements that feature LGBTQ+ characters from 2016-2020. Semi-structured interviews were the chosen method of qualitative data gathering, as the style allows for analysis according to the basis of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and gives scope for probing questions to supplement the richness of answers given. The combination of quantitative (quantified content analysis) and qualitative research employed in the study through separate investigations was undertaken in attempt to provide a rigorous understanding of LGBTQ+ diversity in advertising and its effects upon observers. Interviews All participants individually took part in an in-depth semi-structured interview with the researcher over Microsoft Teams. Due to the inductive nature of the exploration, no independent and dependent variables were implemented. The research broadly assessed the following measures acr…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: September 2021
contributor: Layton Edgington
rights: Open
relation: Qualitative analysis has no relation. Content analysis extends the work of Nölke (2018). Nölke, A. I. (2018). Making diversity conform? An intersectional, longitudinal analysis of LGBT-specific mainstream media advertisements. Journal of Homosexuality, 65(2), 224-255.
format: Data/Excel.csv Text/Nvivo
language: English
type: Data and text
coverage: LA1 4YF

Does Advertising Truly Represent the LGBTQ+ Community? An Analysis of Intersectionality and Consumer Responses to LGBTQ+ Advertising
subject: LGBTQ+ advertising, prosocial advertising, intersectionality, consumer attitudes
description: Depictions of sexual and gender minorities in advertising are becoming increasingly common and diverse. Yet, numerous intersections within these portrayals are still invisible. Previous research has found mixed results regarding consumer responses to LGBTQ+ identities in advertising. The current study aimed to obtain a further understanding into how a diverse range of consumers respond to heteronormative versus LGBTQ+ imagery in ads. This was assessed using semi-structured interviews to examine sexual and gender minority consumer (n = 13) and non-LGBTQ+ consumer (n = 6) reactions to three distinct IKEA ads. In addition to this, LGBTQ+ character depictions in 286 worldwide mainstream ads from 2016-2020 were analysed for measures of intersectionality across the dimensions of race, age and specific LGBTQ+ membership, extending the previous findings of Nölke (2018). Results indicated that non-LGBTQ+ participants showed similar responses and subsequent brand evaluation regardless of ad theme. Sexual and gender minority participants were found to show preference towards the ad featuring LGBTQ+ identities, though were often found to be sceptical of such portrayals. Intersectionality analysis uncovered that 47 out of a possible 96 intersections were completely invisible from 2016-2020, although representation of minorities within the community has increased substantially since the original findings. Results demonstrate the importance of character depictions in advertising, highlighting why intersectionality of such portrayals needs to increase in the future. Findings further denote how and why different consumers react to specific ad imagery, making recommendations to marketers regarding their inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities in advertising.
creator: Layton Edgington
source: Participants The sample consisted of 19 participants aged between 18-53 at their time of interview; Mage = 23.5 years, SDage = 7.6. Of this sample, 13 participants stated that they identified as LGBTQ+ (2 White lesbian females, 1 Mixed-Race lesbian female, 2 White gay males, 1 Asian gay male, 2 White bisexual females, 1 Black bisexual female, 1 Asian bisexual male, 1 White transgender female, 1 White transgender male and 1 White transgender non-binary individual). A further 6 participants stated that they did not identify as LGBTQ+ (3 White males and 3 White females). Participants were recruited in a purposive manner through social media sites such as Instagram and WhatsApp and comprised mainly of acquaintances of the researcher. A high proportion of LGBTQ+ participants were utilised in an effort to ensure intersectionality of responses, which has been shown to provide a strong methodological framework within which to investigate underrepresented groups (Rodriguez, 2018). Design The study consisted of two distinct elements; semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of existing global advertisements that feature LGBTQ+ characters from 2016-2020. Semi-structured interviews were the chosen method of qualitative data gathering, as the style allows for analysis according to the basis of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and gives scope for probing questions to supplement the richness of answers given. The combination of quantitative (quantified content analysis) and qualitative research employed in the study through separate investigations was undertaken in attempt to provide a rigorous understanding of LGBTQ+ diversity in advertising and its effects upon observers. Interviews All participants individually took part in an in-depth semi-structured interview with the researcher over Microsoft Teams. Due to the inductive nature of the exploration, no independent and dependent variables were implemented. The research broadly assessed the following measures acr…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: September 2021
contributor: Laura Meek
rights: Open (Unless stated otherwise)
relation: None (Unless stated otherwise)
format: Data/Excel.csv Text/Nvivo
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

Does Advertising Truly Represent the LGBTQ+ Community? An Analysis of Intersectionality and Consumer Responses to LGBTQ+ Advertising
subject: LGBTQ+ advertising, prosocial advertising, intersectionality, consumer attitudes
description: Depictions of sexual and gender minorities in advertising are becoming increasingly common and diverse. Yet, numerous intersections within these portrayals are still invisible. Previous research has found mixed results regarding consumer responses to LGBTQ+ identities in advertising. The current study aimed to obtain a further understanding into how a diverse range of consumers respond to heteronormative versus LGBTQ+ imagery in ads. This was assessed using semi-structured interviews to examine sexual and gender minority consumer (n = 13) and non-LGBTQ+ consumer (n = 6) reactions to three distinct IKEA ads. In addition to this, LGBTQ+ character depictions in 286 worldwide mainstream ads from 2016-2020 were analysed for measures of intersectionality across the dimensions of race, age and specific LGBTQ+ membership, extending the previous findings of Nölke (2018). Results indicated that non-LGBTQ+ participants showed similar responses and subsequent brand evaluation regardless of ad theme. Sexual and gender minority participants were found to show preference towards the ad featuring LGBTQ+ identities, though were often found to be sceptical of such portrayals. Intersectionality analysis uncovered that 47 out of a possible 96 intersections were completely invisible from 2016-2020, although representation of minorities within the community has increased substantially since the original findings. Results demonstrate the importance of character depictions in advertising, highlighting why intersectionality of such portrayals needs to increase in the future. Findings further denote how and why different consumers react to specific ad imagery, making recommendations to marketers regarding their inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities in advertising.
creator: Layton Edgington
source: Participants The sample consisted of 19 participants aged between 18-53 at their time of interview; Mage = 23.5 years, SDage = 7.6. Of this sample, 13 participants stated that they identified as LGBTQ+ (2 White lesbian females, 1 Mixed-Race lesbian female, 2 White gay males, 1 Asian gay male, 2 White bisexual females, 1 Black bisexual female, 1 Asian bisexual male, 1 White transgender female, 1 White transgender male and 1 White transgender non-binary individual). A further 6 participants stated that they did not identify as LGBTQ+ (3 White males and 3 White females). Participants were recruited in a purposive manner through social media sites such as Instagram and WhatsApp and comprised mainly of acquaintances of the researcher. A high proportion of LGBTQ+ participants were utilised in an effort to ensure intersectionality of responses, which has been shown to provide a strong methodological framework within which to investigate underrepresented groups (Rodriguez, 2018). Design The study consisted of two distinct elements; semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of existing global advertisements that feature LGBTQ+ characters from 2016-2020. Semi-structured interviews were the chosen method of qualitative data gathering, as the style allows for analysis according to the basis of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and gives scope for probing questions to supplement the richness of answers given. The combination of quantitative (quantified content analysis) and qualitative research employed in the study through separate investigations was undertaken in attempt to provide a rigorous understanding of LGBTQ+ diversity in advertising and its effects upon observers. Interviews All participants individually took part in an in-depth semi-structured interview with the researcher over Microsoft Teams. Due to the inductive nature of the exploration, no independent and dependent variables were implemented. The research broadly assessed the following measures acr…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: September 2021
contributor: Yuxin Zhang
rights: Open
relation: Qualitative analysis has no relation. Content analysis extends the work of Nölke (2018)
format: Data/Excel.csv Text/Nvivo
language: English
type: Data and Text
coverage: LA1 4YF

Investigating infant expectation on object search tasks.
subject: Infant, behaviours, theory
description: The current study aims to distinguish between Piaget’s (1954) theory of object understanding, highlighting the role of object permanence on A not B task performance, and Diamond’s (1985) theory highlighting the role of motor demands and lack of ability to inhibit habitual behaviours during the task. These two theories differ in their predictions for the expectations of the infants taking part, with Piaget (1954) predicting that infants’ lack of object permanence causes poor performance on the task and Diamond (1985) predicting that infants understand the movement of objects and a lack of inhibition of habitual behaviours cause error in performance. We tested 15 nine-month-old infants on a looking version of the A not B task. The use of impossible and possible outcomes was also incorporated on B trials, with the object being revealed from either the correct or incorrect location (e.g., see Ahmed & Ruffman, 1998). Infant first look direction, accumulated looking time during trials and the number of social looks initiated post-outcome, were used as measures. We found significant evidence of the ‘AB’ error during trials, with an significantly increased number of incorrect first looks on B trials. There was also a descriptive pattern showing surprise at object location reveals with increased number of social looks during B compared to A trials, though this was not significant. Accumulated looking analysis showed that infants looked longer on A than B trials, suggesting that infants expected the object to be in location B on B trials, demonstrating infants’ ability to understand objects and supporting Diamond’s (1985) theory. However, implications for a small sample size and presence of individual differences on interpretation of looking time data are discussed. Implications in theory and future research are suggested and overall, results provide support for the application of Piaget’s (1954) theory and suggest that infants have limited object understanding based on their…
creator: Leah Murphy
source: 3.1. Participants In this study, 15 participants took part, aged 8 months and 12 days to 9 months and 27 days old (M = 9 months and 3 days, SD= 11.3 days). Six further infants were excluded from data analysis as they became too fussy to complete the study. Participants were recruited from the Lancaster Baby lab database, along with the Lancaster Baby lab Facebook page and were also recruited via word of mouth from guardians taking part in the study. 3.2. Materials The video stimuli were created using Canva software (Canva.com, 2023) and was uploaded onto ‘Habit 2’ software (see Oakes et al., 2019) to display the stimuli during testing and to measure the accumulated looking time of the infant participants. The stimuli involved a novel object obtained from the NOUN database (Horst & Hout, 2016). A camera was used to record the social looks exchanged between the infant and guardian, as well as the direction of the infants’ first looks during testing. 3.3. Design This study had a within-subjects design, with all participants being exposed to the same experimental conditions and the same stimuli. To counterbalance for location effects, half of the participants witnessed A trials being hidden in the box on the left, whilst the other half witnessed the object being hidden in the box on the right during A trials. The presentation of the accurate and inaccurate B trials was further counterbalanced across participants, as half of the participants viewed the inaccurate B trials first, and the other half viewed the accurate B trials first. 3.4. Ethical approval Ethical approval for this study was granted by the departmental ethics committee (DEC) at Lancaster University. Guardians were recruited via their preferred contact method and were sent the participant information sheet to read before agreeing to take part in the study. A date and time of testing was arranged at the Babylab building at Lancaster University, via telephone or email. Upon arrival, guardians were presented w…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2023
contributor: Alicja Kowalska
rights: Open
relation: None
format: Text/Word.doc
language: English
type: Text
coverage: LA1 4YW

Exploring the Effectiveness of Metaphors in Video Advertising - the Interaction Effect of Different Cultural Groups and Different Metaphors
subject: Marketing Psycholinguistics
description: Metaphors are often used in contemporary advertising, and previous research has confirmed that advertisements with metaphors are more effective than literal ones. At the same time, research into the role of metaphors has become more comprehensive, moving from traditional metaphor theories based solely on literal language to the study of the interactive effects of different modalities of metaphor (multimodal metaphor). The aim of this study was to understand the differences in the responses of different cultural groups when exposed to advertisements containing different types of metaphors (needs-highlighting metaphor vs. feature-highlighting metaphor). Based on this expectation, a 2 (cultures: British, Chinese) x 3 (advertisement types: feature-highlighting metaphors, needs-highlighting metaphors, and literal advertisements) designed experiment was conducted to test.
creator: Lesley Wu
source: Design To obtain statistics on the extent to which creative metaphor in video advertising contribute to the effectiveness of advertisement, a quantitative research method was used in this study. To test if there was an interaction effect between cultural group and metaphor types, this experiment had a 3×2 mixed design, with a within-subjects factor of advertisement type (feature-highlighting metaphors, needs-highlighting metaphors, and literal advertisements), and a between-subjects factor of participants’ culture (British and Chinese). The dependent variables were attitude toward the product/advert and purchase intentions. Participants Fifty-three participants were recruited through convenience sampling and participated in the study by completing an online survey. The responses obtained from participants who either did not complete the consent form or did not answer all the questions were excluded from the analyses. This led to a total of 40 responses retained: 20 from Westerners, 10 men and 10 women; 20 from Chinese participants, 9 men and 11 women. Table 1 provides an overview of the participants’ information in this experiment. Most of the participants are currently studying at Lancaster University, some of the Chinese participants are currently living in China. As the aim of the experiment was to look at cultural differences, therefore, no specific age restrictions were set. Materials In the current experiment, the selection of stimulus classification conditions was based on the setting of Pan's study in 2020. However, in order to investigate the pattern and consistency of people's responses under different conditions, the number of stimuli under each condition classification was larger in this experiment. The stimuli consist of 9 video ads in total: 3 ads each for the literal, feature-highlighting metaphor, and needs-highlighting metaphor conditions. All ads featured tangible products: perfume, body wash and deodorant, with 3 ads per product covering all 3 con…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 7th September 2022
contributor: Chrisie Pullin
rights: Open
relation: None
format: SPSS.sav
language: English and Chinese
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

The Effects of Posture on Body Part Width Representations
subject: Body perception, affordances, somatosensation, visual perception
description: Despite the ubiquity of our bodily experiences, our representations of our body’s size are not geometrically accurate. For example, when estimating the length of body parts using the hand as a metric, consistent patterns of distortions across body parts are observed. Given the presence of these distortions, some have proposed that representations of length and width emerge directly, or indirectly, from the organisation of somatotopic maps in somatosensory cortex, rather than from their actual relative dimensions. However, whilst length representations are well researched with respect to this notion, less is known about representations of body part width across the body. Moreover, it is unclear from previous research whether body part width representations may be confounded by participants’ posture. Specifically, individuals have shown an enhanced tendency to overestimate body part width when seated upon a chair, suggesting that the chair may become incorporated into the body representation. Consequently, the aim of the current investigation was to further elucidate how width is represented across body parts and whether posture moderates these representations. Participants estimated how many hands widths made up the width of the back, shoulders, hips, torso, thigh, and head in one of three conditions: standing (n = 37), seated upon a chair (n = 33), or seated upon a backless stool (n = 39). Whilst estimates did differ across body parts, no effect of posture was observed. Moreover, the patterns of distortions observed differed from those seen in previous investigations. Results therefore indicate that body part width representations are neither accurate nor fixed, rather, they show distortions which vary across individuals and contexts. It is proposed that inter-individual heterogeneity in width representations may result from humans possessing alternative perceptual mechanisms for judging aperture passability. Therefore, maintaining fixed width representations is unn…
creator: Lettie Wareing
source: Method Participants Ethical approval for this study was obtained from Lancaster University Psychology Department on 31st May 2023. As this study aimed to investigate body part width representations in healthy populations, only participants aged 18-55 years without any physical, or mental impairment were included in the study. However, as previous research (Readman et al., 2021) using the same paradigm for length estimates has shown no influence of anxiety or depression on body part estimates, participants with diagnoses of these conditions were not excluded. Participants were excluded if they had any current or historic diagnosis of cognitive impairment, as this can affect instruction comprehension (Han et al., 2011), or visual impairment, to ensure difficulties in seeing the body parts did not confound findings. Furthermore, given the associations between other psychiatric impairments (e.g., Priebe & Röhricht, 2001), neurological impairments (e.g., Blanke et al., 2004), or eating disorders (Mölbert et al., 2017) with distorted body perceptions, individuals with a current or historic diagnosis of a condition falling within any of these categories were excluded. A total of 123 (61 females) participants ranging from 18 to 68 years (M = 28.80 years, SD = 10.79) were recruited via opportunity sampling for this study. Participant recruitment was ended before the required N = 150 due to time constraints. All participants were entered into a draw to win one of two £25 vouchers as an expression of goodwill. A total of 15 participants were excluded for failing to meet the inclusion criteria, leaving a final sample of N = 108 (50 females). Participants were aged 18 to 55 years (M = 27.98 years, SD = 9.56); the majority of participants were right-handed (n = 99) and over half the participants had normal vision (52.78%), with the remaining participants having corrected-to-normal vision. Reasons for exclusion included a current or historic psychiatric impairment (n = 2) or eatin…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2023
contributor: Leanna Keeble
rights: Open
relation: None
format: Data/Excel.csv
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF