When and why consumers prefer human-free behavior tracking products
研究发现消费者偏好无人类参与的行为追踪产品，因为能减少对被负面评价的担忧；但当追求绩效目标时，这种偏好会减弱甚至逆转。
Abstract Despite disliking behavior tracking for marketing, consumers actively adopt technological behavior tracking products. Our research examines the psychological factors driving this adoption and the conditions under which it occurs. We theorize that consumers prefer technological (versus human-based) tracking, because human-free tracking reduces concerns about negative judgment. However, we propose that this preference is weakened, and even reversed, when immediate judgment concerns are less salient than the need for feedback from relevant humans such as when consumers pursue performance (versus personal) goals. Across four preregistered studies ( n = 2,601), we found that consumers generally prefer technological (versus human) tracking due to lower negative judgment concerns (Studies 1 and 2A). Consumers’ gender, goal satisfaction, and self-efficacy influenced this effect (Study 2B). However, preference for technological tracking was reversed when consumers pursued performance goals (e.g., training for a public dance competition) versus personal goals (e.g., training to lose weight) (Study 3).