CHAPTER 7
1. ____ is a critical stage in the decision process because it motivates the consumer to action.
a. Problem recognition
b. Internal search
c. External search
d. Information storage
e. Purchase
ANS: A
2. Buick put out a computer disk with pictures and information about new cars. Buick hoped that
by viewing this information, consumers would realize that now might be a good time to buy a
car. That is, they hoped consumers would enter into a state of
a. problem recognition.
b. internal search.
c. postpurchase evaluation.
d. information storage.
e. behavioral intentions.
ANS: A
3. The ____ is the consumer's perception of the way we want things to be.
a. desirable stimulation level
b. ideal state
c. actual state
d. optimal stimulation level
e. real condition
ANS: B
4. The ____ is the consumer's perception of the way things actually are.
a. desirable stimulation level
b. ideal state
c. actual state
d. optimal stimulation level
e. real condition
ANS: C
5. The greater the discrepancy between the ideal state and the actual state,
a. the lower the recall for marketing communications.
b. the higher the ability to process information about the product.
c. the lower the number of support arguments to marketing communications about the ideal
state.
d. the more likely the consumer is to act.
e. the less likely the consumer is to act.
ANS: D
6. Problem recognition occurs in
a. acquisition only.
b. disposition only.
c. acquisition and consumption.
d. acquisition and disposition.
e. acquisition, consumption, and disposition.
ANS: E
, 7. Both expectations and aspirations influencing ideal state are stimulated by ____ and by
aspects of our own culture.
a. our own personal experience
b. the style of encoding of information
c. homophily
d. the firing of semantic networks
e. diagnosticity
ANS: A
8. Many consumers might have the desire to wear an expensive watch (e.g., a Rolex) or buy an
expensive car in order to gain the admiration of others. This can be thought of as an example
of
a. problem recognition determined by beliefs.
b. ideal state formed by aspirations.
c. internal search influenced by beliefs.
d. external search influenced by beliefs.
e. problem recognition determined by values.
ANS: B
9. Graduating from college, getting a job, or getting married can change the possessions that we
desire to have. This can be best thought of as an example of
a. how age changes our information processing.
b. a periodic and random transformation of our purchases over time.
c. changes in our personal circumstances influencing the ideal state.
d. external information search transformed by changing beliefs.
e. the problem recognition process as influenced by marketer-driven factors over time.
ANS: C
10. All of the following could be examples of factors that are likely to influence a consumer's
perception of the actual state except
a. the depletion of needed products.
b. product malfunction.
c. hunger.
d. a neighbor's aspirations.
e. that Mother's Day is tomorrow and you have not bought anything yet.
ANS: D
11. Seeing an ad informing you of the rapidly increasing number of burglaries in your
neighborhood awakens you to the need for a burglar alarm. This could best be thought of as
a. aspirations leading to a change in the ideal state.
b. high MAO leading to an increase in short-term memory.
c. low MAO leading to a decrease in short-term memory.
d. simple expectations leading to a formation of the ideal state.
e. external stimuli leading to a change in the actual state.
ANS: E
12. Every season fashion designers introduce new "in" colors. One autumn green may be an in
color, while the next autumn purple may be popular. The fashion industry stimulates
consumer problem recognition by
a. creating a new ideal state.
b. creating dissatisfaction with consumers' actual state.
c. creating new evaluations.
d. creating new beliefs.
e. repositioning clothing brands.
, ANS: A
13. PC Corps realizes that two years is too long for consumers to use a PC before buying a new
one. They can stimulate problem recognition earlier by eliciting dissatisfaction with the actual
state or by
a. creating a new ideal state.
b. creating a new actual state.
c. eliciting dissatisfaction with the ideal state.
d. decreasing MAO to create dissatisfaction with the ideal state.
e. increasing clutter that will block processing of the actual state.
ANS: A
14. Thirty years ago, consumers did not think much about the performance of their athletic shoes.
Today we are continually bombarded with newer and better products that will make us run
faster and jump higher. This can best be thought of as an example of marketers
a. creating a new actual state.
b. creating a new ideal state.
c. creating dissatisfaction with the actual state.
d. attaching new associations to a schema.
e. strengthening existing associations.
ANS: B
15. Whether targeting real or ideal states, it is important for marketers to ____ in order to avoid
the consumer's consideration of other alternatives.
a. detach affect from the attitudes toward the product
b. detach cognitions from the attitudes toward the product
c. narrow the discrepancy between the ideal and actual states
d. position the product as the solution to the consumer's problem
e. narrow the discrepancy between the expectations and aspirations
ANS: D
16. Typically, the next step in consumer decision making after problem recognition is
a. external information search.
b. prepurchase intentions.
c. brand choice.
d. behavior.
e. internal information search.
ANS: E
17. Internal information search is
a. searching for information from within one's reference group.
b. examining online web information before going to other sources.
c. surprisingly restricted to external sources of influence.
d. searching one's closet before going shopping.
e. the process of recalling stored information from memory.
ANS: E
18. It is likely that only a small subset of stored information will be recalled at any one time. Thus,
all of the following are internal search issues that would be of interest to consumer
researchers except
a. the length of attention span for marketing communications messages.
b. the extent to which consumers might search memory for information about a brand.
c. what is recalled.
d. the process by which information is recalled.
e. the process by which feelings are recalled.
1. ____ is a critical stage in the decision process because it motivates the consumer to action.
a. Problem recognition
b. Internal search
c. External search
d. Information storage
e. Purchase
ANS: A
2. Buick put out a computer disk with pictures and information about new cars. Buick hoped that
by viewing this information, consumers would realize that now might be a good time to buy a
car. That is, they hoped consumers would enter into a state of
a. problem recognition.
b. internal search.
c. postpurchase evaluation.
d. information storage.
e. behavioral intentions.
ANS: A
3. The ____ is the consumer's perception of the way we want things to be.
a. desirable stimulation level
b. ideal state
c. actual state
d. optimal stimulation level
e. real condition
ANS: B
4. The ____ is the consumer's perception of the way things actually are.
a. desirable stimulation level
b. ideal state
c. actual state
d. optimal stimulation level
e. real condition
ANS: C
5. The greater the discrepancy between the ideal state and the actual state,
a. the lower the recall for marketing communications.
b. the higher the ability to process information about the product.
c. the lower the number of support arguments to marketing communications about the ideal
state.
d. the more likely the consumer is to act.
e. the less likely the consumer is to act.
ANS: D
6. Problem recognition occurs in
a. acquisition only.
b. disposition only.
c. acquisition and consumption.
d. acquisition and disposition.
e. acquisition, consumption, and disposition.
ANS: E
, 7. Both expectations and aspirations influencing ideal state are stimulated by ____ and by
aspects of our own culture.
a. our own personal experience
b. the style of encoding of information
c. homophily
d. the firing of semantic networks
e. diagnosticity
ANS: A
8. Many consumers might have the desire to wear an expensive watch (e.g., a Rolex) or buy an
expensive car in order to gain the admiration of others. This can be thought of as an example
of
a. problem recognition determined by beliefs.
b. ideal state formed by aspirations.
c. internal search influenced by beliefs.
d. external search influenced by beliefs.
e. problem recognition determined by values.
ANS: B
9. Graduating from college, getting a job, or getting married can change the possessions that we
desire to have. This can be best thought of as an example of
a. how age changes our information processing.
b. a periodic and random transformation of our purchases over time.
c. changes in our personal circumstances influencing the ideal state.
d. external information search transformed by changing beliefs.
e. the problem recognition process as influenced by marketer-driven factors over time.
ANS: C
10. All of the following could be examples of factors that are likely to influence a consumer's
perception of the actual state except
a. the depletion of needed products.
b. product malfunction.
c. hunger.
d. a neighbor's aspirations.
e. that Mother's Day is tomorrow and you have not bought anything yet.
ANS: D
11. Seeing an ad informing you of the rapidly increasing number of burglaries in your
neighborhood awakens you to the need for a burglar alarm. This could best be thought of as
a. aspirations leading to a change in the ideal state.
b. high MAO leading to an increase in short-term memory.
c. low MAO leading to a decrease in short-term memory.
d. simple expectations leading to a formation of the ideal state.
e. external stimuli leading to a change in the actual state.
ANS: E
12. Every season fashion designers introduce new "in" colors. One autumn green may be an in
color, while the next autumn purple may be popular. The fashion industry stimulates
consumer problem recognition by
a. creating a new ideal state.
b. creating dissatisfaction with consumers' actual state.
c. creating new evaluations.
d. creating new beliefs.
e. repositioning clothing brands.
, ANS: A
13. PC Corps realizes that two years is too long for consumers to use a PC before buying a new
one. They can stimulate problem recognition earlier by eliciting dissatisfaction with the actual
state or by
a. creating a new ideal state.
b. creating a new actual state.
c. eliciting dissatisfaction with the ideal state.
d. decreasing MAO to create dissatisfaction with the ideal state.
e. increasing clutter that will block processing of the actual state.
ANS: A
14. Thirty years ago, consumers did not think much about the performance of their athletic shoes.
Today we are continually bombarded with newer and better products that will make us run
faster and jump higher. This can best be thought of as an example of marketers
a. creating a new actual state.
b. creating a new ideal state.
c. creating dissatisfaction with the actual state.
d. attaching new associations to a schema.
e. strengthening existing associations.
ANS: B
15. Whether targeting real or ideal states, it is important for marketers to ____ in order to avoid
the consumer's consideration of other alternatives.
a. detach affect from the attitudes toward the product
b. detach cognitions from the attitudes toward the product
c. narrow the discrepancy between the ideal and actual states
d. position the product as the solution to the consumer's problem
e. narrow the discrepancy between the expectations and aspirations
ANS: D
16. Typically, the next step in consumer decision making after problem recognition is
a. external information search.
b. prepurchase intentions.
c. brand choice.
d. behavior.
e. internal information search.
ANS: E
17. Internal information search is
a. searching for information from within one's reference group.
b. examining online web information before going to other sources.
c. surprisingly restricted to external sources of influence.
d. searching one's closet before going shopping.
e. the process of recalling stored information from memory.
ANS: E
18. It is likely that only a small subset of stored information will be recalled at any one time. Thus,
all of the following are internal search issues that would be of interest to consumer
researchers except
a. the length of attention span for marketing communications messages.
b. the extent to which consumers might search memory for information about a brand.
c. what is recalled.
d. the process by which information is recalled.
e. the process by which feelings are recalled.
