The dimensional stability of the standards used in the disconfirmation paradigm

Disconfirmation judgments are defined as the difference between a consumer's consumption experiences and the comparison standards brought to mind at the time of judgment. Although disconfirmations are one of the most strongly related antecedents of customer satisfaction (CS), little is known about the dimensional stability of the standards used in the disconfirmation paradigm. The most commonly used standards in the measurement of disconfirmations, and the focal constructs in this research, are goals, expectations, and norms. Using three datasets in retail service settings, the authors investigated whether these standards are changed in the process of measuring disconfirmation judgments. The results of the structural equation models indicate that while consumers can generate comparison standards that are distinct, consumers appear to assimilate disconfirmation judgments into a single construct. One implication for retailers is that when using direct measures of disconfirmations in surveys, there appears to be little difference in the ability of these standards to predict customer satisfaction. (c) 2005 New York University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.