Consumer Behavior Chapter Summaries Questions
and Answers High Level 2023
It is important for consumer researchers to understand the nature and power of attitudes. - -An
attitude is a predisposition to evaluate an object or product positively or negatively. We form
attitudes toward products and services, and these attitudes often determine whether we will
purchase or not.
Three components make up an attitude: beliefs, affect, and behavioral intentions.
Attitude researchers traditionally assumed that we learn attitudes in a fixed sequence: First we
form beliefs (cognitions) about an attitude object, then we evaluate that object (affect), and then
we take some action (behavior). Depending on the consumer's level of involvement and the
circumstances, though, his attitudes can result from other hierarchies of effects as well. A key to
attitude formation is the function the attitude holds for the consumer (e.g., is it utilitarian or ego
defensive?).
-We form attitudes in several ways. - -One organizing principle of attitude formation is the
importance of consistency among attitudinal components—that is, we alter some parts of an
attitude to be in line with others. Such theoretical approaches to attitudes as cognitive dissonance
theory, self-perception theory, and balance theory stress the vital role of our need for
consistency.
Multiattribute attitude models underscore the complexity of attitudes: They specify that we
identify and combine a set of beliefs and evaluations to predict an overall attitude. Researchers
integrate factors such as subjective norms and the specificity of attitude scales into attitude
measures to improve predictability.
-Persuasion involves an active attempt to change attitudes. - -The communications model
specifies the elements marketers need to transmit meaning. These include a source, a message, a
medium, a receiver, and feedback.
The traditional view of communications regards the perceiver as a passive element in the
process. New developments in interactive communications highlight the need to consider the
active roles a consumer plays when he or she obtains product information and builds a
relationship with a company. Advocates of permission marketing argue that it's more effective to
send messages to consumers who have already indicated an interest in learning about a product
than trying to hit people "cold" with these solicitations.
Two important characteristics that determine the effectiveness of a source are its attractiveness
and credibility.
Some elements of a message that help to determine its effectiveness include the following:
communication of the message in words or pictures; employment of an emotional or a rational
appeal; frequency of repetition; conclusion drawing; presentation of both sides of the argument;
and inclusion of fear, humor, or sexual references. Advertising messages often incorporate
elements from art or literature, such as dramas, lectures, metaphors, allegories, and resonance.
Reality engineering occurs when marketers appropriate elements of popular culture to use in
their promotional strategies.
The relative influence of the source versus the message depends on the receiver's level of
involvement with the communication. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) specifies that
, source effects are more likely to sway a less-involved consumer, whereas a more-involved
consumer will be more likely to attend to and process components of the actual message.
-The three categories of consumer decision making are cognitive, habitual, and affective. - -
Consumer decision making is a central part of consumer behavior, but the way we evaluate and
choose products (and the amount of thought we put into these choices) varies widely, depending
on such dimensions as the degree of novelty or risk related to the decision. We almost constantly
need to make decisions about products. Some of these decisions are important and entail great
effort, whereas we make others on a virtually automatic basis. Perspectives on decision making
range from a focus on habits that people develop over time to novel situations involving a great
deal of risk in which consumers must carefully collect and analyze information before making a
choice. Many of our decisions are highly automated; we make them largely by habit. The way
we evaluate and choose a product depends on our degree of involvement with the product, the
marketing message, or the purchase situation. Product involvement can range from low, where
purchase decisions are made via inertia, to high, where consumers form strong bonds with what
they buy.
-A cognitive purchase decision is the outcome of a series of stages that results in the selection of
one product over competing options. - -A typical decision involves several steps. The first is
problem recognition, when we realize we must take some action. This recognition may occur
because a current possession malfunctions or perhaps because we have a desire for something
new. Once the consumer recognizes a problem and sees it as sufficiently important to warrant
some action, he or she begins the process of information search. This search may range from
performing a simple memory scan to determining what he or she has done before to resolve the
same problem to extensive fieldwork during which he or she consults a variety of sources to
amass as much information as possible. The internet has changed the way many of us search for
information. Today, our problem is more likely to weed out excess detail than to search for more
information. Comparative search sites and intelligent agents help to filter and guide the search
process. We may rely on cybermediaries, such as web portals, to sort through massive amounts
of information as a way to simplify the decision-making process. In the evaluation of alternatives
stage, the options a person considers constitute his or her evoked set. Members of the evoked set
usually share some characteristics; we categorize them similarly. The way the person mentally
groups products influences which alternatives she will consider, and usually we associate some
brands more strongly with these categories (i.e., they are more prototypical). When the consumer
eventually must make a product choice from among alternatives, he uses one of several decision
rules. Noncompensatory rules eliminate alternatives that are deficient on any of the criteria we've
chosen. Compensatory rules, which we are more likely to apply in high-involvement situations,
allow us to consider each alternative's good and bad points more carefully to arrive at the overall
best choice. Once the consumer makes a choice, he or she engages in postpurchase evaluation to
determine whether it was a good one; this assessment in turn influences the process the next time
the problem occurs.
-We often rely on rules-of-thumb to make routine decisions. - -In many cases, people engage in
surprisingly little research. Instead, they rely on various mental shortcuts, such as brand names or
price, or they may simply imitate others' choices. We may use heuristics, or mental rules-of-
thumb, to simplify decision making. In particular, we develop many market beliefs over time.
and Answers High Level 2023
It is important for consumer researchers to understand the nature and power of attitudes. - -An
attitude is a predisposition to evaluate an object or product positively or negatively. We form
attitudes toward products and services, and these attitudes often determine whether we will
purchase or not.
Three components make up an attitude: beliefs, affect, and behavioral intentions.
Attitude researchers traditionally assumed that we learn attitudes in a fixed sequence: First we
form beliefs (cognitions) about an attitude object, then we evaluate that object (affect), and then
we take some action (behavior). Depending on the consumer's level of involvement and the
circumstances, though, his attitudes can result from other hierarchies of effects as well. A key to
attitude formation is the function the attitude holds for the consumer (e.g., is it utilitarian or ego
defensive?).
-We form attitudes in several ways. - -One organizing principle of attitude formation is the
importance of consistency among attitudinal components—that is, we alter some parts of an
attitude to be in line with others. Such theoretical approaches to attitudes as cognitive dissonance
theory, self-perception theory, and balance theory stress the vital role of our need for
consistency.
Multiattribute attitude models underscore the complexity of attitudes: They specify that we
identify and combine a set of beliefs and evaluations to predict an overall attitude. Researchers
integrate factors such as subjective norms and the specificity of attitude scales into attitude
measures to improve predictability.
-Persuasion involves an active attempt to change attitudes. - -The communications model
specifies the elements marketers need to transmit meaning. These include a source, a message, a
medium, a receiver, and feedback.
The traditional view of communications regards the perceiver as a passive element in the
process. New developments in interactive communications highlight the need to consider the
active roles a consumer plays when he or she obtains product information and builds a
relationship with a company. Advocates of permission marketing argue that it's more effective to
send messages to consumers who have already indicated an interest in learning about a product
than trying to hit people "cold" with these solicitations.
Two important characteristics that determine the effectiveness of a source are its attractiveness
and credibility.
Some elements of a message that help to determine its effectiveness include the following:
communication of the message in words or pictures; employment of an emotional or a rational
appeal; frequency of repetition; conclusion drawing; presentation of both sides of the argument;
and inclusion of fear, humor, or sexual references. Advertising messages often incorporate
elements from art or literature, such as dramas, lectures, metaphors, allegories, and resonance.
Reality engineering occurs when marketers appropriate elements of popular culture to use in
their promotional strategies.
The relative influence of the source versus the message depends on the receiver's level of
involvement with the communication. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) specifies that
, source effects are more likely to sway a less-involved consumer, whereas a more-involved
consumer will be more likely to attend to and process components of the actual message.
-The three categories of consumer decision making are cognitive, habitual, and affective. - -
Consumer decision making is a central part of consumer behavior, but the way we evaluate and
choose products (and the amount of thought we put into these choices) varies widely, depending
on such dimensions as the degree of novelty or risk related to the decision. We almost constantly
need to make decisions about products. Some of these decisions are important and entail great
effort, whereas we make others on a virtually automatic basis. Perspectives on decision making
range from a focus on habits that people develop over time to novel situations involving a great
deal of risk in which consumers must carefully collect and analyze information before making a
choice. Many of our decisions are highly automated; we make them largely by habit. The way
we evaluate and choose a product depends on our degree of involvement with the product, the
marketing message, or the purchase situation. Product involvement can range from low, where
purchase decisions are made via inertia, to high, where consumers form strong bonds with what
they buy.
-A cognitive purchase decision is the outcome of a series of stages that results in the selection of
one product over competing options. - -A typical decision involves several steps. The first is
problem recognition, when we realize we must take some action. This recognition may occur
because a current possession malfunctions or perhaps because we have a desire for something
new. Once the consumer recognizes a problem and sees it as sufficiently important to warrant
some action, he or she begins the process of information search. This search may range from
performing a simple memory scan to determining what he or she has done before to resolve the
same problem to extensive fieldwork during which he or she consults a variety of sources to
amass as much information as possible. The internet has changed the way many of us search for
information. Today, our problem is more likely to weed out excess detail than to search for more
information. Comparative search sites and intelligent agents help to filter and guide the search
process. We may rely on cybermediaries, such as web portals, to sort through massive amounts
of information as a way to simplify the decision-making process. In the evaluation of alternatives
stage, the options a person considers constitute his or her evoked set. Members of the evoked set
usually share some characteristics; we categorize them similarly. The way the person mentally
groups products influences which alternatives she will consider, and usually we associate some
brands more strongly with these categories (i.e., they are more prototypical). When the consumer
eventually must make a product choice from among alternatives, he uses one of several decision
rules. Noncompensatory rules eliminate alternatives that are deficient on any of the criteria we've
chosen. Compensatory rules, which we are more likely to apply in high-involvement situations,
allow us to consider each alternative's good and bad points more carefully to arrive at the overall
best choice. Once the consumer makes a choice, he or she engages in postpurchase evaluation to
determine whether it was a good one; this assessment in turn influences the process the next time
the problem occurs.
-We often rely on rules-of-thumb to make routine decisions. - -In many cases, people engage in
surprisingly little research. Instead, they rely on various mental shortcuts, such as brand names or
price, or they may simply imitate others' choices. We may use heuristics, or mental rules-of-
thumb, to simplify decision making. In particular, we develop many market beliefs over time.
