Building on an action-orientation perspective of power, original
hypotheses regarding power and consumer switching behavior are
presented. Because high power is associated with a readiness to act, and
switching behavior often requires taking action in some form, inducing
consumers to feel powerful is hypothesized to increase consumer
switching. Multiple experiments provide support for this perspective
along with evidence for the process via both moderation and mediation.
This works contributes to the consumer switching literature by
demonstrating power as a new psychological catalyst for switching
behavior. This work also adds to the power literature by distinguishing
between goal priming and semantic priming accounts of the action
orientation of high power. Specifically, consistent with a goal priming
account, engaging in action is found to sate consumers' subsequent need
for action as opposed to maintain or increase consumers' desire to act,
as might be predicted from a semantic priming account. [ABSTRACT FROM
AUTHOR]