Generalizability of Cognitive Differentiation across Product and Social Domains

Abstract

This study examined the degree to which cognitive differentiation—the capacity to view objects, persons, and events in a multidimensional manner—was generalized across two very different consumer products and interpersonal relations. Substantial generalizability would hold important implications for understanding choice processes. The observed correlations between differentiation scores for the three domains were weak although statistically significant in two cases.