Question

If volkswagen owners see themselves as being more economical and conservative than do owners of the buick regal, ________ is probably at work.

Answer 1

I believe the answer is: self-image congruence model
In self-image congruence model, we assume that consumers would choose a product that reflected their personal value.
This make the consumers think that buying the product could be used as a statement to define the type of persons they are.