@phdthesis{8701744,
  abstract     = {{This PhD-project aimed to further investigate the psychological learning theory of evaluative conditioning applied to advertising. Evaluative conditioning theory states that when pairing the brand or product with positive affective stimuli (such as pleasant music, adored endorsers or beautiful images) in advertising, the attitude toward the brand or product will positively be affected. In contrast, pairing the brand or product with negatively perceived stimuli (such as unpleasant noises, criticised celebrities or unattractive images) would negatively influence brand or product attitude. Although this basic principle of the evaluative conditioning mechanism is simple, there are various aspects to explore. The first research project presented a theoretically funded (based on evolutionary psychology) and empirically tested overview of various strong affective stimuli (such as a picture of a happy couple), which can positively (versus negatively) influence the brand or the product when paired in an evaluative conditioning procedure. In the second project, we demonstrated the occurrence of the evaluative conditioning mechanism in a brand placement advertising context: when a brand is prominently placed in various positive (versus negative) scenes of a television program, the viewer’s attitude toward the brand or product will positively (versus negatively) be influenced. Last, in the third project we demonstrated that evaluative conditioning effects can also occur in children and that they can only partially control for such influences. This controllability increases with age, which means that older children become less vulnerable for such advertising influences.}},
  author       = {{D'Hooge, Serena}},
  keywords     = {{Evaluative conditioning,advertising,evolutionary psychology,brand placement,childhood}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{XXII, 130, bijlagen}},
  publisher    = {{Universiteit Gent. Faculteit Politieke en Sociale Wetenschappen}},
  school       = {{Ghent University}},
  title        = {{Evaluative conditioning in advertising : exploring strong inherent emotional appeals and the transfer of affect to brands or products}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}