Consumer Credit Decisions in a Dual-Process Perspective

在过去的几十年里，消费信贷已经变得无处不在，并且与弱势消费者群体，例如低收入消费者和年轻人的财务和心理困难有关。随着店内信贷和互联网即时信贷等新型信贷形式的发展，信贷决策变得更加自发，潜在的问题也更多。本项目将研究单位第一阶段的概念和方法应用于消费者信贷决策的主题。该项目分为借贷和还款两条研究线，分别关注消费者在签订信用合同前后阶段的具体决策。研究线I（借贷）检验了(a)消费者在选择不同的信贷服务时的决定，以及(b)消费者对即时信贷服务的决定。研究线II（还款）检查了(a)消费者在管理几个开放式信贷账户时的决定，以及(b)消费者在有义务偿还开放式信贷的情况下诱惑新机会的决定。这些主题与信贷行为相关，因为消费者在决定信贷提供和管理其还款义务时经常使用启发式并关注选定的信息线索。信贷决策在一定程度上是由自动流程驱动的，最近新的信贷形式可能会使自动流程更具影响力。研究议程借鉴了三个理论。(1)在双过程理论的基础上，该项目将研究关于信贷使用的具体决策，作为受情境（如认知负荷、自我消耗）和个人特征（如习惯性决策风格、自我控制）影响的自动和受控过程的相互作用。(2)在自我监管理论的基础上，该项目将研究信贷决策中的自动和受控过程如何受到特定自我监管策略（实施意图和目标导向行为的表示）的影响。该项目特别探讨了这些策略如何帮助消费者提高信息的精细化和抵抗来自信贷提供和消费机会的诱惑。(3)从心理会计的角度来看，该项目将审查重点信贷交易各要素（即货物和分期付款）之间的相互作用以及重点信贷交易与金融环境之间的关系。特别是，该项目将研究心理会计的具体方面（选择分类、匹配、耦合）如何影响信贷决策中的自动和受控过程。该项目对理解财务决策中的双重过程具有理论意义。实际影响涉及个人消费者、消费者咨询组织、银行和信贷机构。此外，研究结果可以为公共政策提供信息，特别是消费者政策。

Consumer credit has become pervasive over the last decades, and has been connected to financial and psychological difficulties for vulnerable consumer groups, e.g., low-income consumers and young adults. With the development of new forms of credit offers such as in-store credit and instant credit over the internet, credit decisions become more spontaneous and potentially more problematic. This project applies concepts and approaches from the first phase of the research unit to the topic of consumer credit decisions. The project pursues two research lines, borrowing and repaying, each focusing on specific decisions consumers make in the phases before and after signing a credit contract. Research line I (borrowing) examines (a) consumer decisions when choosing between different credit offers and (b) consumer decisions regarding instant credit offers. Research line II (repaying) examines (a) consumer decisions when managing several open credit accounts and (b) consumer decisions regarding tempting new opportunities while still having the obligation to repay an open credit. These topics are relevant for credit behavior because consumers have been found to often use heuristics and to focus on selected information cues when deciding on credit offers, and when managing their repaying obligations. Credit decisions are in part driven by automatic processes, and recent new credit forms are likely to make automatic processes more influential. The research agenda draws on three theoretical accounts. (1) Building on dual-process theories, the project will examine specific decisions on credit use as an interplay of automatic and controlled processes influenced by situational (e.g. cognitive load, ego depletion) and personal characteristics (e.g., habitual decision style, self-control). (2) Building on self-regulation theories, the project will examine how automatic and controlled processes in credit decisions are influenced by specific self-regulation strategies (implementation intentions and representation of goal-directed actions). In particular, the project explores how these strategies can help consumers to improve information elaboration and resistance to temptations from credit offers and spending opportunities. (3) Taking a mental accounting perspective, the project will examine the interplay between the elements of the focal credit transaction (i.e., good and installments) and the relation between the focal credit transaction and the financial environment. In particular, the project will examine how specific aspects of mental accounting (choice bracketing, matching, coupling) influence automatic and controlled processes in credit decisions. The project has theoretical implications for the understanding of dual processes in financial decision-making. Practical implications concern individual consumers, consumer counseling organizations, banks and credit institutions. ln addition, results can inform public policy, in particular consumer policy.