ABSTRACT
The possibility is raised that the chief component of perceptual contingency-representation is consumers’ emotional experience. This is discussed principally in the context of empirical research which has shown consumers’ emotional responses to consumer-situations belonging to the contingency categories defined by the Behavioral Perspective Model to be predictable on the basis of the patterns of utilitarian and informational reinforcement and consumer behavior setting scope that define those situations. This empirical evidence strengthens the possibility that consumers’ recall of past contingencies that shaped their behaviors and their mental understanding of present opportunities for reinforcement are encapsulated in their emotional experience. The concept of perceptual contingency-representation is further refined by comparison with that of pragmatic representation and the quest to identify the content of perceptions and beliefs through success semantics.
