When my object becomes me : the mere ownership of an object elevates domain-specific self-efficacy
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Applied Psychology
Publication Date
10-2017
Volume
66
Issue
4
First Page
710
Last Page
741
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Abstract
Past research on the mere ownership effect has shown that when people own an object, they perceive the owned objects more favorably than the comparable non-owned objects. The present research extends this idea, showing that when people own an object functional to the self, they perceive an increase in their self-efficacy. Three studies were conducted to demonstrate this new form of the mere ownership effect. In Study 1, participants reported an increase in their knowledge level by the mere ownership of reading materials (a reading package in Study 1a, and lecture notes in Study 1b). In Study 2, participants reported an increase in their resilience to sleepiness by merely owning a piece of chocolate that purportedly had a sleepiness-combating function. In Study 3, participants who merely owned a flower essence that is claimed to boost creativity reported having higher creativity efficacy. The findings provided insights on how associations with objects alter one's self-perception.
DOI
10.1111/apps.12099
Print ISSN
0269994X
E-ISSN
14640597
Funding Information
The research was supported by the Direct Grant (DR12C2) from Lingnan University given to the first author. {DR12C2}
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2017 International Association of Applied Psychology. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Yeung, V. W. L., Loughnan, S., Kashima, Y., Lun, V. M. C. & Yeung, S. S.-S. (2017). When my object becomes me: The mere ownership of an object elevates domain-specific self-efficacy. Applied Psychology, 66(4), 710–741. doi: 10.1111/apps.12099