A study of explicit and implicit cognitions towards image attributes of destination country: application of the single-target implicit association test (the ST-IAT)
Abstract
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The study attempts to assess people's explicit and implicit cognitions toward the image attributes of a destination country by using a psychological method. 285 college students, Study 1 (N=85), Study 2 (N=100), and Study 3 (N=100), respectively, were recruited from a University in a Midwest region of the U.S. to serve as participants in both a self-report survey and the Single-Target Implicit Association Test (ST-IAT). The primary finding of this study shows that individuals' explicit cognitions towards the image attributes of a destination country are inconsistent with their implicit image cognitions in terms of some image attributes. The study also finds that respondents' explicit and implicit image cognitions are correlated in Study 1 and Study 2 but not in Study 3. Additionally, the results indicate that the two image cognitions should be the antecedents of behavioral intention in the domain of destination country. More specific results, implications, and limitations are suggested in the present study as well.
Degree
Ph. D.
Thesis Department
Rights
Access is limited to the campuses of the University of Missouri.