Focus within or on others: The impact of reviewers' attentional focus on review helpfulness

Zhanfei Lei, Dezhi Yin*, Han Zhang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

43 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

When reviewers write online reviews, they differ in the focus of their attention: some focus on their own experiences, whereas some direct their attention to others-prospective consumers who may read the reviews in the future. This paper explores how, why, and when reviewers' attentional focus can influence the helpfulness evaluation of reviews beyond the impact of substantive review content. Drawing on the attentional focus and persuasion literatures, we develop a theoretical model proposing that reviewers' attentional focus may influence consumers' perception of review helpfulness through opposing processes, and that its overall effect is contingent on the review's two-sidedness. Results of one archival analysis and five controlled experiments provide consistent support for our hypotheses. This work challenges the predominant view of the positive impact of other-focus (vs. self-focus), explores the interpersonal impact of a reviewer's attentional focus on prospective consumers who are total strangers, and reveals an important, context-specific boundary condition.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)801-809
Number of pages9
JournalInformation Systems Research
Volume32
Issue number3
Early online date20 May 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2021

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Management Information Systems
  • Information Systems
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Information Systems and Management
  • Library and Information Sciences

User-Defined Keywords

  • Attentional focus
  • Empathic concern
  • Online reviews
  • Perceived review helpfulness
  • Persuasion motives
  • Review two-sidedness

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