Quality, value, satisfaction, trust, a

was more than one type of involvement in consumer research as different antecedents of
involvement resulted in different corresponding behaviors. As such, an involvement profile
might serve as a better measurement in specifying the relationship between consumers and
product categories.
2.5.1. Involvement and Intangibility
McDougall (1987) found that both intangibility and involvement were significantly
related to product evaluation. Adding further insights, Goutaland’s empirical study (1999)
revealed that involvement was positively associated with difficulty of evaluation and perceived
risk. Both mental intangibility and generality, two of the three dimensions of intangibility,
interacted with involvement to produce a negative effect on difficulty of evaluation. Moreover,
the interaction between involvement and physical intangibility (generality) had a negative
(positive) effect on perceived risk. Based on previous findings, both the predictive and
moderating roles of involvement will be tested here.
H11: Involvement moderates the relationships between the three dimensions of intangibility
(i.e., generality, physical intangibility, and mental intangibility) and a) difficulty of
evaluation and b) perceived risk.
H12: The more involving a product/service is for a consumer, a) the more difficult it is to evaluate it
and b) the more risky it is perceived.
H13: The moderating effects of involvement on a) difficulty of evaluation and b) perceived
risk at the generic level are greater than those at the brand level.
3. Methodology
3.1. Questionnaire
3.1.1. Product and Service Selection
Selected based on their suitability for a student population, the goods (i.e., a pair of jeans, a
computer, and a music CD) and services (i.e., a pizzeria dinner, a checking account, and an
Internet browser) used in this study varied in their degree of intangibility. In each good/service
89