4201 Consumer Behavior Exam
3|Verified Q’s and A’s
Nuclear family - -describes a household with a father, mother, and children
- Extended family - -a family that extends beyond the nuclear family,
including relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
- Household - -a broader term that includes a single person living alone or a
group of individuals who live together in a common dwelling, regardless of
whether they are related
- Family life cycle - -different stages of family life, depending on the age of
the parents, the number of parents or grandparents present, the age and
number of children living at home, and so on (households can differ in terms
of stage in the family life cycle)
- household decision roles - -roles that different members play in a
household decision (how household members influence decision processes -
household members may perform a variety of tasks or roles in acquiring and
consuming a product or service)
- instrumental - -household decision roles can be instrumental, meaning
that they relate to tasks affecting the buying decision, such as when and how
much to purchase
- expressive - -household decision roles can be expressive, which means
they indicate family norms, such as choice of color or style (roles that involve
an indication of family norms)
- husband-dominant decision - -made primarily by the male head-of-
household (e.g., the purchase of lawn mowers and hardware)
- wife-dominant decision - -made primarily by the female head-of-household
(e.g., children's clothing, women's clothing, groceries, and toiletries)
- autonomic decision - -equally likely to be made by the husband or the
wife, but not by both (e.g., men's clothing, luggage, toys and games,
sporting equipment, and cameras)
- syncratic decision - -made jointly by the husband and wife (e.g., vacations,
refrigerators, TVs, living room furniture, financial planning services, and the
family car)
, - social class hierarchy - -the grouping of members of society according to
status, high to low
- overprivileged - -families with an income higher than the average in their
social class (have funds to buy more than basic necessities)
- class average - -families with an average income in a particular class (can
afford the type of symbols expected for their status, such as a house or
appropriate clothing)
- underprivileged - -families below the average income in their class (have
trouble meeting class expectations)
- trickle-down - -trends that start in the upper classes and then are copied
by lower classes
- status float - -trends that start in the lower and middle classes and move
upward
- inherited status - -status that derives from parents at birth
- earned status - -status acquired later in life through achievements
- status crystallization - -when consumers are consistent across indicators
of social class income, education, occupation, etc.
- upward mobility - -raising one's status level (usually by educational or
occupational achievement)
- downward mobility - -losing one's social standing (a lowering of one's
social class)
- social class fragmentation - -the disappearance of class distinctions (due
to several factors)
- conspicuous consumption - -an attempt to offset deficiencies or a lack of
esteem by devoting attention to consumption (the acquisition and display of
goods & services to show off one's status)
- conspicuous waste - -visibly buying products and services that one never
uses (ex: wealthy individuals may buy pianos that no one plays)
- voluntary simplicity - -consciously limiting acquisition and consumption to
live a less material life
3|Verified Q’s and A’s
Nuclear family - -describes a household with a father, mother, and children
- Extended family - -a family that extends beyond the nuclear family,
including relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
- Household - -a broader term that includes a single person living alone or a
group of individuals who live together in a common dwelling, regardless of
whether they are related
- Family life cycle - -different stages of family life, depending on the age of
the parents, the number of parents or grandparents present, the age and
number of children living at home, and so on (households can differ in terms
of stage in the family life cycle)
- household decision roles - -roles that different members play in a
household decision (how household members influence decision processes -
household members may perform a variety of tasks or roles in acquiring and
consuming a product or service)
- instrumental - -household decision roles can be instrumental, meaning
that they relate to tasks affecting the buying decision, such as when and how
much to purchase
- expressive - -household decision roles can be expressive, which means
they indicate family norms, such as choice of color or style (roles that involve
an indication of family norms)
- husband-dominant decision - -made primarily by the male head-of-
household (e.g., the purchase of lawn mowers and hardware)
- wife-dominant decision - -made primarily by the female head-of-household
(e.g., children's clothing, women's clothing, groceries, and toiletries)
- autonomic decision - -equally likely to be made by the husband or the
wife, but not by both (e.g., men's clothing, luggage, toys and games,
sporting equipment, and cameras)
- syncratic decision - -made jointly by the husband and wife (e.g., vacations,
refrigerators, TVs, living room furniture, financial planning services, and the
family car)
, - social class hierarchy - -the grouping of members of society according to
status, high to low
- overprivileged - -families with an income higher than the average in their
social class (have funds to buy more than basic necessities)
- class average - -families with an average income in a particular class (can
afford the type of symbols expected for their status, such as a house or
appropriate clothing)
- underprivileged - -families below the average income in their class (have
trouble meeting class expectations)
- trickle-down - -trends that start in the upper classes and then are copied
by lower classes
- status float - -trends that start in the lower and middle classes and move
upward
- inherited status - -status that derives from parents at birth
- earned status - -status acquired later in life through achievements
- status crystallization - -when consumers are consistent across indicators
of social class income, education, occupation, etc.
- upward mobility - -raising one's status level (usually by educational or
occupational achievement)
- downward mobility - -losing one's social standing (a lowering of one's
social class)
- social class fragmentation - -the disappearance of class distinctions (due
to several factors)
- conspicuous consumption - -an attempt to offset deficiencies or a lack of
esteem by devoting attention to consumption (the acquisition and display of
goods & services to show off one's status)
- conspicuous waste - -visibly buying products and services that one never
uses (ex: wealthy individuals may buy pianos that no one plays)
- voluntary simplicity - -consciously limiting acquisition and consumption to
live a less material life
