ABSTRACT
Gift exchange is a consumption ritual of great economic (e.g., Camerer, 1988), social (e.g., Cheal, 1987), and psychological significance (e.g., Neisser, 1973). Although the form and functions of these rituals vary across the occasions and cultures they span, some aspects are common across gift exchange rituals (Green & Alden, 1988). For instance, with few exceptions (e.g., Mick & DeMoss, 1990; Sherry, McGrath, & Levy, 1995), gift rituals involve giver and recipient as primary performance roles. The two principal cast members have freedom to choose how they enact their roles, but ritual scripts cue them to incorporate certain acts and props into their performances.
