Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers "Whatever…
2023
Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers "Whatever actions are done by an individual in different embodiments, [s]he reaps the fruit of those actions in those very bodies or embodiments (in future existences)".
A belief in karma entails, among other things, a focus on long run consequences, i.e., a long term orientation. Such an orientation implies that people who believe in karma may be more honest with themselves in general and in setting expectations in particular-a hypothesis we examine here. This research is based on three simple premises. First, because lower expectations often lead to greater satisfaction, individuals in general, and especially those who are sensitive to the gap between performance and expectations, have the incentive to and actually do “strategically” lower their expectations. Second, individuals with a long term orientation are likely to be less inclined to lower expectations in the hope of temporarily feeling better. Third, long term orientation and the tendency to lower expectations are at least partially driven by cultural factors. In India, belief in karma, with its emphasis on a longer term orientation, will therefore to some extent counter-act the tendency to lower expectations. The empirical results support our logic; those who believe more strongly in karma are less influenced by disconfirmation sensitivity and therefore have higher expectations.
Consumers make choices based on expectations of how alternative options will perform (i.e., expected utility). Expectations about the quality of a product also play a central role in subsequent satisfaction. These expectations may be based on a number of factors including the quality of a typical brand in a category, advertised quality, and disconfirmation sensitivity. Recent evidence suggests that consumers, who are more disconfirmation sensitive (i.e., consumers who are more satisfied when products perform better than expected or more dissatisfied when products perform worse than expected) have lower expectations. However, there is little research concerning the role of culture-specific variables in expectation formation, particularly how they relate to the impact of disconfirmation sensitivity on consumer satisfaction.
A manager went out to have dinner in a restaurant and found the food to be good. When asked to provide feedback on the quality of food, the manager rated the quality as “excellent”. Which of the following can be concluded from this?
- A.
The manager does not believe in karma
- B.
The manager definitely has disconfirmation sensitivity.
- C.
It is not possible to comment on the disconfirmation sensitivity of the manager.
- D.
The manager does not have disconfirmation sensitivity.
Attempted by 3 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: Disconfirmation sensitivity is about the gap between what someone expected before an experience and what they actually experienced afterward — how much better or worse the outcome felt relative to that expectation. Judging whether a person shows this trait requires knowing BOTH their prior expectation and their actual outcome, then comparing the two; a rating on its own, with no stated expectation, cannot reveal that gap.
Application: The manager tried the restaurant's food, found it good, and rated it "excellent." This is only the outcome side of the comparison. The passage never states what the manager expected before eating — whether he expected mediocre food (so "excellent" would be a pleasant surprise, pointing to sensitivity) or expected excellent food (so the rating would simply match expectation, showing no gap at all). Without that expectation baseline, no gap can be computed, so nothing can be concluded about the manager's disconfirmation sensitivity either way.
"The manager definitely has disconfirmation sensitivity" assumes a positive rating alone proves the trait — but sensitivity is measured by a gap against a prior expectation, and no prior expectation is given here.
"The manager does not have disconfirmation sensitivity" makes the opposite, equally unsupported assumption — the same missing expectation baseline blocks ruling sensitivity in just as much as it blocks ruling it out.
"The manager does not believe in karma" imports the passage's separate finding about belief in karma across the wider population studied and applies it to this one diner, whose personal beliefs are never mentioned at all.
Result: Since the expectation baseline needed to assess disconfirmation sensitivity is never given, no conclusion about it can be drawn from this scenario.