Date of Award

6-2014

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Second Department

Economics

First Advisor

Kenneth DeBono

Second Advisor

Shelton Schmidt

Language

English

Keywords

labor, valuation, IKEA, perception, economics

Abstract

The current research examined the impact of self-monitoring propensity on the “IKEA Effect”, in which labor induces greater liking for the products of one's labor, and as a result overvaluation of one’s creation. Whereas there was some research, such as those on toolkits or the “IKEA Effect”, which investigated valuation of self-created or self-build products, there is still little on personality traits influencing such valuations. In the experiment, students evaluated their self-assembled origami crane, cranes made by other participants, or cranes made by someone with high experience doing origami. The valuations made by the groups in different conditions are then compared. Results suggest that labor does not lead to increased valuation and interaction with self-monitoring was not significant but can be qualified as a trend. These finding can have implications for marketing manager decisions, and company employers and managers more generally. Our research discusses alternative explanations, implications, and opportunities for future research.

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