title: Experimental evidence for the influence of cognitions on compulsive buying.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Compulsive buying is a disabling condition, where individuals are unable to resist or control their buying behavior, leading to substantial social and financial problems. Cognitive models implicate the role of beliefs as one factor in buying behavior, for example, "this item is unique and will help me improve my life".
  
  
  METHODS
  This study experimentally examined the contribution of such beliefs to the disorder, in individuals who compulsively buy (N = 18) and in non-clinical controls (N = 17). Participants were presented with photographs of idiosyncratically appealing and unappealing items, in the context of imagined scenarios that either minimized or maximized aspects relevant to hypothesized "compulsive buying beliefs" (i.e., beliefs that acquisition can compensate for negative feelings, beliefs regarding uniqueness and lost opportunities, and emotional reasons for buying).
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that individuals who compulsively buy demonstrated stronger urges to purchase than control participants, regardless of context, but the overall strength of these urges was responsive to manipulations of beliefs about consumer items said to be associated with compulsive buying.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The main limitation of the study was a small sample size, potentially reducing power.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nonetheless, these findings provide insights into the processes underlying compulsive phenomena, in particular supporting the role of cognitions in compulsive buying.
authors.affiliation: University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McQueen
authors.affiliation: Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: richard.moulding@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moulding
authors.affiliation: Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kyrios
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D064232:Visual Analog Scale; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognitions; Compulsive buying; Experimental; Oniomania