ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst

Consumer Responses to Behaviors of Other Consumers in Service Encounters: A Script Theoretical Perspective

This study provided a script theoretical perspective of consumer responses to behaviors of other consumers in service encounters and modeled consumer responses to behaviors of other consumers at two levels: Biologically-based spontaneous responses and culturally-patterned symbolic responses. In addition, this study proposed that situational salience of other consumers in a service encounter has a moderating effect on consumer responses. In two service contexts , this study provided strong support for the dual-process model and for the moderating effect of situational salience of other consumers on consumer responses. Implications for the emerging influence-of-other-consumers literature and hospitality service management were also discussed.