How need for cognition moderates the influence of country of origin and price on consumer perception of quality

In prior studies of the effects of country of origin (COO) and price on consumers’ perception of quality the role of need for cognition (NFC) has rarely been considered either empirically or theoretically. In this study a 2 (COO) × 2 (price) × 2 (NFC) design was used to further clarify the effects of COO and price. We found that NFC moderated the effects of COO and price cues on perceived quality; NFC negatively influenced consumers’ perception of quality; and the interaction of COO image and price on perceived quality was not significant, but consumers’ NFC moderated the relationship significantly.