People perceive and express changes differently. O'Brien (2024) proposed that change perception depends not only on information salience and quality, but also on adaptation implications—leading people to flexibly adjust their thresholds for perceiving change. Building on this framework, we examined whether individual differences in change perception exist in real consumption contexts (Study 1) and influence behavioral outcomes (Study 2).
Study 1 analyzed 12,000 Korean cosmetics reviews using text mining. Among 3,073 change-related reviews across various skincare products, consumers expressed product effects either radically ("definitely worked," "immediately changed"; n=484) or gradually ("requires consistent use," "over time"; n=614). Notably, consumers expressing radical change showed significantly higher satisfaction scores (M=85.6 vs. 75.5, p<.001). While this pattern suggests potential individual differences in change perception thresholds, the causal direction remains exploratory. Building on these naturalistic patterns, Study 2 (N=140) examined the downstream behavioral consequences using an experimental approach. Participants who perceived change as more sudden predicted greater self-change one year later, leading to higher temporal discounting rates. The indirect effect through expected future change was significant for those with low self-continuity but not for those with high self-continuity, indicating moderated mediation. These studies, using different operationalizations across naturalistic and experimental contexts, provide converging evidence for the flexible threshold theory. Individual differences in change perception—whether expressed in product reviews or measured directly—influence both evaluation and temporal decision-making. Self-continuity emerges as a psychological buffer against the impulsive consequences of perceiving rapid change.

Authors:
Ga Young Lim, Soonchunhyang University, South Korea

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Ga Young Lim serves as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Global Culture Industry, Soonchunhyang University in Asan, South Korea.

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