Consumer Behaviour Exam Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering consumer behavior concepts including market segmentation, personality theories, lifestyle dimensions, self-concept, and the Veblenian model.

Geographic and Geodemographic Segmentation

Segmentation focusing on where consumers live and the characteristics of those locations, including region, climate, and population density.

Demographic Segmentation

Segmentation considering personal, objective attributes such as age, sex/gender, education, occupation, religion, race, nationality, income, family size, and stage in the family life cycle.

Behavioural Segmentation

Segmentation examining how consumers interact with products, including attitudes, knowledge, benefits sought, user status, user rate, loyalty status, readiness to buy, and purchase occasions.

Psychographic Segmentation

Segmentation that delves into internal psychological drivers, specifically focusing on personality and lifestyle factors.

Personality

The inner psychological characteristics—unique qualities, attributes, traits, and mannerisms—that determine and reflect how an individual responds to their environment.

Biological / Hereditary Factors

Foundational elements of personality development including physique, "chemique," and the nervous system.

Sociological / Environmental Factors

Social interactions and environments including home, school, language, and culture that shape personality.

Psychological Factors

Internal mental constructs influencing personality such as intelligence, motivation, emotion, attitude, interests, and sentiments.

Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

A theory suggesting that human drives are largely unconscious and that consumer choices are often driven by hidden psychological motives rather than rational calculations.

Neo-Freudian Theory

A theory emphasizing the fundamental role of social relationships in the formation and development of personality, such as striving to overcome inferiority or anxiety.

Compliant (Neo-Freudian Orientation)

Individuals who move toward others; seeking acceptance, affection, and approval through their consumer choices.

Aggressive (Neo-Freudian Orientation)

Individuals who move against others; admiring power and force, and using purchases to demonstrate superiority and compete.

Detached (Neo-Freudian Orientation)

Individuals who move away from others; desiring self-sufficiency, independence, and freedom from obligations.

Trait Theory

A theory focused on the empirical measurement of personality in terms of specific, identifiable psychological characteristics called traits.

Innovativeness

The degree to which a person likes to try new things; crucial for targeting early adopters.

Materialism

The amount of emphasis placed on acquiring and owning products.

Self-consciousness

The degree to which a person deliberately monitors and controls the self-image projected to others.

Need for Cognition

The degree to which a person likes to think deeply and seeks out detailed brand information.

Frugality

The tendency to deny short-term purchasing whims, choosing resourcefully to use what is already owned.

Gestalt Theory

The premise that people organize environmental stimuli into groups and perceive them as unified, holistic wholes rather than separate, discrete sensations.

Lifestyle

A reflection of how a person lives, spends time and money, and interacts with their environment; an operational expression of personality and values.

AIO Dimensions

Psychographic dimensions used to measure lifestyle, consisting of Activities, Interests, and Opinions.

Sustenance-Driven Consumers

A motivational group in the Taylor Nelson 'Monitor' Model primarily motivated by material security and basic survival.

Aimless (Sustenance-Driven)

Young unemployed or drifters living day-to-day with short-term motivation.

Survivors (Sustenance-Driven)

Traditionally minded, working-class people focused on practical, durable, and reliable goods.

Belongers (Sustenance-Driven)

Conservative, family-oriented people who seek stability and respond to traditional community values.

Outer-Directed Consumers

Individuals highly motivated by the desire for status, prestige, and external recognition who favor brands offering social approval.

Inner-Directed Consumers

Individuals motivated by personal growth, self-expression, and individual values rather than external validation.

Social Resisters (Inner-Directed)

Caring individuals motivated by ideals of fairness and corporate social responsibility.

Experimentalists (Inner-Directed)

Hedonistic, individualistic consumers seeking a high quality of life and novel experiences.

Self-Explorers (Inner-Directed)

Consumers focused on personal growth and authenticity; less materialistic than experimentalists.

Self-concept

The totality of thoughts and feelings an individual maintains about her- or himself; an acquired construct that develops over time.

Actual Self

How a person actually perceives her- or himself.

Ideal Self

How a person would like to be.

Social Self

How a person believes others perceive her or him.

Ideal Social Self

How a person would like others to perceive her or him.

Expected Self

An intermediate image fallback between the actual and ideal self.

Situational Self

A person's self-image strictly tied to a specific situation.

Extended Self

The self-concept inclusive of the impact of personal possessions.

Possible Self

What a person would like to become, could become, or is afraid of becoming.

Thorstein Veblen

The American economist and social critic who developed the Veblenian model of consumer decision-making based on social status.

Conspicuous Consumption

The practice of purchasing high-priced, prestigious, or rare goods explicitly to signal social status and gain admiration.

Pecuniary Emulation

The underlying psychological motivation to imitate, match, or surpass the consumption patterns of higher social classes or peer groups.

Conspicuous Leisure

The public display of wealth and social standing through non-productive, non-essential activities.

Culture

The shared values, beliefs, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize an entire society and dictate consumer priorities.

Subculture

Smaller, distinct groups within a larger culture that share unique values, beliefs, and behaviors based on factors like age, religion, or hobbies.