When a picture’s worth a thousand words: The effects of visual construal priming on information acquisition and choice

Individuals acquire information in an attribute- or alternative-based way depending on the construal level of the choice situation. This research contributes to the literature by showing that different information acquisition strategies can emerge not only as a function of the psychological distance from the object of evaluation but also through situational cues unrelated to the evaluation task, such as a visual priming. Furthermore, results show that which pattern of information acquisition is adopted in turn affects individual choices. While the literature has already found a direct effect of construal levels on choices, the present analysis supports the existence also of an indirect effect, mediated by the information acquisition pattern. Consequently, managers can implement simple tools, such as visual stimuli alongside the presentation of product-related information, to display information consistently with individuals’ construal levels, bearing in mind that the way consumers acquire information is a predictor of their choices.