Artificial Emotions Among Salespeople: Understanding the Impact of Surface Acting

Although marketing researchers have long been aware of acquiescence response bias (ARB), there are conflicting views regarding its prevalence in and impact on marketing data. In this article, the effects of ARB on survey data are evaluated in four studies using a method of identifying ARB developed by the authors. Results of this investigation indicate that a significant portion of survey respondents may exhibit ARB, though there is wide variance in the incidence of ARB. However, even when ARB is present to a substantial extent, its effects on the psychometric properties of sound construct measures are minimal. This implies that ARB may not be as serious an issue for marketing researchers as has been suggested in prior research. Implications for marketing researchers are put forth, as are directions for future research.