title: Traditional and online consumers in China: a preliminary study of their personality traits and decision-making styles.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Population of online consumers increases rapidly, but the decision-making styles of online consumers and psychiatric denominators such as the personality correlates remain unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 196 traditional, and 196 age-, education- and gender-matched online consumers, we have tested the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) and the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we have defined a five-factor model CSI with 24 items. Online consumers scored lower on ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety and higher on Aggression-Hostility than traditional ones did, and scored higher on CSI Novelty-fashion consciousness and Brand consciousness, and lower on Time consciousness than the traditional consumers did. ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety was positively correlated with CSI Confused by overchoice in both groups, Sociability was positively correlated with Novelty-fashion consciousness and negatively with Time consciousness in traditional group, and Impulsive Sensation Seeking was positively correlated with Novelty-fashion consciousness and Time consciousness in online group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that, regarding the decision-making styles, online consumers display curiosity that lacks security and need other ways to improve their social lives. It also calls further designs to address the contributions of other psychiatric features to the particular decision-making styles in online consumers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Junpeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: You
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jingyi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Changdar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yeow
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D000075384:Neuroticism; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires