The automaticity attribution bias: How uncertainty avoidance moderates satisfaction with autonomous product failures

This study investigates automaticity attribution bias (AAB), whereby consumers attribute autonomous product failures to the algorithmic nature, reducing satisfaction, particularly for high-autonomy products. This effect is amplified in high uncertainty avoidance (UA) cultures. Study 1 (N = 110 after exclusions, M_age = 31.28, 58.2% female) used a scenario-based experiment to test emotional responses and satisfaction across individual uncertainty tolerance and expectation conditions, examining psychological-level mechanisms. Study 2 analysed Amazon reviews (UK, France) of products varying in autonomy to examine cultural-level uncertainty avoidance, confirming AAB as a mediator between negative disconfirmation and outcomes. We acknowledge these operate at distinct analytical levels and avoid cross-level inferences. Findings highlight cultural and psychological factors shaping responses to autonomous product failures, offering insights for tailored marketing strategies in diverse markets. Study 1 employed a scenario-based experiment to explore emotional responses and satisfaction under manipulated individual uncertainty tolerance and expectation levels, generating varying disconfirmation. Study 2 complemented this with naturalistic text analysis of reviews from countries differing in cultural UA, triangulating experimental findings with real-world evidence. These studies emphasize how individual and cultural factors differentially influence consumer evaluations.