In one of my early posts I discussed research that found that people tend to choose dogs that "resemble" them (see here). Specifically, individuals were able to match dog owners with their pets at a rate above chance level. In today's post, I'd like to discuss a similar study albeit in this case, individuals were asked to match car owners with their cars. This is perhaps a less impressive task than matching a dog to its owner, as in this case there are clear visible cues that can be used to narrow down the car choices. For example, all other things equal, one might reasonably expect that an older person is more likely to own a luxury sedan than say a young male. Notwithstanding such telling demographic cues, it would still be quite incredible if individuals were capable of matching cars to their owners. In case you think that this is too easy a task, think of the malleability of some brand stereotypes. For instance, the archetype of the Harley Davidson rider of the 1960s is very different from many of the baby boomer yuppies that now own such motorcycles. Hence, if you thought that only "rough-looking bearded guys" own Harley Davidson bikes, you would be wrong given the more recent market realities for this particular brand.
In a paper published in 2006, Georg W. Alpers and Antje B. M. Gerdes, two German psychologists, set out to test this intriguing idea namely whether individuals could match car owners to their cars. Separate photos were taken of car owners and of their cars. In total, 60 such pairings were collected for the study. Twenty judges were then shown photos of the car owners with their cars and another randomly generated car (from the list of 60 cars). For each of the triads (photo of car owner with two car photos, one of which is truly the car of the owner), the judges had to choose which of the two cars was owned by the particular individual in question. Forty-one of the 60 pairs were correctly matched above chance level to their owners; eleven pairs were incorrectly classified, and eight pairs yielded a tied matching.
Which cues were being read in yielding such accurate pairings of car owners to their actual cars? Of the various visible cues, the judges accurately surmised owners' ages and income levels, and these were subsequently used to match the cars with their owners. Interestingly, the physical attractiveness of the car owners did not predict which car they owned. Hence, the "hot looking guy drives a hot car" stereotype did not seem to operate for this particular sample. Thus, demographic variables were the driving factors (no pun intended) behind individuals' abilities in matching cars to their rightful owners. I suppose that a more interesting study would be one wherein these demographic variables are held constant. For example, given two young men of roughly equal age and income levels, can we predict which one might own car A versus car B simply by looking at the two men in question? Might it be the case that a high testosterone man is more likely to drive a muscle car? This is certainly an interesting question to ponder.
The findings of Alpers and Gerdes strike me as particularly interesting in that they highlight how consumers use products as extensions of themselves, a topic that I addressed in chapter 3 of my book, The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption. Specifically, I drew links to Russell Belk's notion of an extended self (as captured by the products that we purchase and the meanings that we subsequently attach to these) and to Richard Dawkins' idea of an organism's extended phenotype. In a sense, a man's Ferrari is 
akin to the Satin Bowerbird's bower (see image). Both are "extensions" of the males in question, these being used to attract the ladies as part of an elaborate courtship ritual. Ferraris are as irresistible as well-crafted and well-decorated bowers.
Hence, the next time that you are on the market for a new car, think carefully about your decision, as there is a litany of meanings that are likely to be inferred by the car that you drive. I suppose that you knew this already but now you have the science to back it up!
Source for Images:
http://www.realmanmag.com/images/2009corvette.jpg
http://www.fluffyfeathers.com/images/20090223160015_12711-satin%2...
