Families and Innovative Consumer Behavior: A Triadic Analysis of Sibling and Parental Influence

9 Pages Posted: 21 Jan 2016

See all articles by June Cotte

June Cotte

University of Western Ontario - Richard Ivey School of Business

Stacy Wood

North Carolina State University - Poole College of Management

Date Written: June 19, 2004

Abstract

Although family socialization is a rich field in consumer behavior, to date no research has been done to disaggregate family influences on behavior into separate parent and sibling components. Here we use triadic analysis (parent and two siblings) to explore the influence of family on consumer innovativeness. We develop hypotheses that postulate parental influence, and, based on conflicting views of sibling similarity in the recent behavioral genetics and developmental psychology literature, set competing hypotheses about sibling influence on innovativeness and innovative behavior. Using a model tested with triads from 137 families, we find that both parents and siblings influence innovativeness, but that parental influence is stronger than sibling influence. We discuss the implications of our work for the study of family influence in consumer behavior.

Keywords: family consumption, triadic analysis, innovation, sibling influence, parental influence

Suggested Citation

Cotte, June and Wood, Stacy, Families and Innovative Consumer Behavior: A Triadic Analysis of Sibling and Parental Influence (June 19, 2004). Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 31, No. 2, 2004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2718427

June Cotte (Contact Author)

University of Western Ontario - Richard Ivey School of Business ( email )

1255 Western Road
London, Ontario N6G 0N1
Canada

Stacy Wood

North Carolina State University - Poole College of Management ( email )

Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27695-8614
United States

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