Exploring the nature of linkages between consequences and values

Abstract Laddering is one of the many ways of studying the linkages between consequences stemming from consumer choice and the personal values that may be related to that choice. This paper discusses seven issues related to laddering, both in terms of its use as an approach to gathering data and in terms of interpreting the output from laddering interviews: direction, number, and strength of linkages, degree of specificity, where in the ladder is the respondent's main focus, which links should be at the top of the ladder, and relation of values to choice behavior.