DUHAN et al. (1997) proposed a model of nine causal paths for the intensity of use of strong and weak recommendation sources during the information collection stage of the purchase process, submitting statistical evidence for eight of those. PIRES and MARCHETTI (2000) applied the DUHAN et al. model to the analysis of factors that have a bearing on the choice of the source of information as regards the purchase of new cars, finding evidence of only four of the originally proposed paths. This article describes a computer-based experiment made available through the Internet, with controlled task difficulty level, in which the choice of new cars is simulated. The results obtained also provide evidence of four of the relationships proposed by DUHAN et al. Taken collectively, the three studies indicate the frailty of the relationships postulated between "prior knowledge" and the connection variables ("task difficulty" and the "importance of instrumental and affective information"). It is suggested that the paths proved by DUHAN alone might be verified in the two latter studies by segmenting the consumers' behavioral profile, a hypothesis that arises as a possibility for future research.
Automobiles; Gathering of Information; Recommendation Sources; Internet; Purchase Process
