The influence of mindset abstraction on preference for mixed versus extreme approaches to multigoal pursuits
研究发现，面对多个冲突目标时，消费者的具体思维（相对于抽象思维）会使其更偏好极端策略（交替追求单一目标），而非混合策略（同时兼顾多个目标），并通过食品和金融决策实验及七天饮食观察验证。
Abstract Facing multiple conflicting goals, consumers may attempt to simultaneously pursue multiple goals by choosing mixed vice–virtue bundles in each consumption episode (mixed approach). Alternatively, they may maximize their pursuit of one goal at a time and sequentially manage multiple goals by alternating between pure‐virtue and pure‐vice bundles across consumption episodes (extreme approach). The current research proposes that consumer preferences between the two approaches depend on mindset abstraction. Across four experimental studies in the domains of food and financial decision‐making, we demonstrate that, relative to an abstract mindset, a concrete mindset increases preference for the extreme approach over the mixed approach. Furthermore, by observing actual food choices over a seven‐day period, this research provides a comprehensive picture of how a chronic mindset relates to multigoal management in long‐term consumption patterns. The findings have both theoretical implications for the goal literature and managerial implications for marketers and policymakers.