CONSUMER BEH EXAM 2
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109 Terms
Attitude
an individual’s overall evaluative stance toward an attitude object.
Attitude Object
Product, brand, person, or issue.
Tri-component / multi-component theory
The ABC model (affect, behavior, cognition)
Affective component
Emotional responses, feelings, or mood states generated by the attitude object.
Behavioral intent
The individual’s intention or predisposition to act toward the attitude object, specifically to approach or avoid it.
Cognition
Mental representations, beliefs, knowledge, and evaluations of specific attributes associated with the attitude object.
Cognitive Consistency
Individuals prefer consistency across affect, behavior, and cognition but real-world components can become misaligned.
Misalignment
actual behavior is driven by whichever component is dominant (stronger affective drive vs. stronger cognitive valuation)
Four Functions of attitudes
Proposed by Daniel Katz (1960), the functionalist approach argues that attitudes are formed based on psychological motivations or functions they fulfill for an individual.
Knowledge Function
Default for almost all attitudes; provides structure, order, and understanding to make sense of the world and environmental interactions.
Utilitarian Function*
Driven by the desire to maximize rewards and positive outcomes while minimizing punishments or negative outcomes. Consumers form positive attitudes toward objects associated with social approval or personal benefit.
Value-Expressive Function*
Allows consumers to express fundamental aspects of their central self-concept, identity, and core values to the outside world.
Ego-Defense Function*
Protects an individual’s self-esteem from threats or enhances personal self-worth.
Heider’s Balance Theory
explains how consumers maintain cognitive consistency across a network of interrelated attitudes involving three elements; the person (P), another person (O), and an attitude object (X).
Rules for balance
Individuals achieve psychological balance by either Mimicking friends or opposing enemies.
Mimicking friends
Liking what friends like (+,+,+) or disliking what friends dislike (+,-,-)
Opposing enemies
Disliking what enemies like (-,+,-) or liking what enemies dislike (-,-,+).
Unbalanced Triads
Disagreeing with a friend or agreeing with an enemy produces psychological discomfort (dissonance).
Dissonance Resolution
Balance must be restored by either reframing the interpersonal relationship (turning a friend into an enemy or vice versa) or reevaluating the attitude object.
Marketing Application (celebrity Endorsements)
Brands hire liked celebrities (+) so that when that celebrity endorses/likes the brand (+), consumers adopt a positive attitude (+) toward the brand to maintain a balanced triad.
Downside to celebrity endorsements
If a celebrity suffers a scandal, public dislike (-) turns the endorser into an enemy, causing consumers to reject the brand to preserve balance.
Multi-attribute Model
Addresses single-item measurement flaws by evaluating an attitude object across all relevant attributes, weighted by attribute importance. Attitude object= ∑(importance weight x Performance rate)
Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)
Asserts that behavior is directly driven by behavioral intention, which is determined by two factors. (1) Personal Attitude toward performing the specific behavior. (2) Subjective/ Social norms (perceived pressure from reference groups weighted by the motivation to comply).
Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)
Asserts that behavior is directly driven by behavioral intention, which is determined by three factors. (1) Personal Attitude toward performing the specific behavior. (2) Subjective/ Social norms (perceived pressure from reference groups weighted by the motivation to comply). (3) Perceived Behavioral Control- the consumer’s perception of whether they possess the resources, time, and availability to execute the behavior.
High perceived control
TRA and TPB are statistically equivalent in predicting behavior (ex
Low Perceived Control
TPB must be used because lack of perceived control overrides positive personal attitude and social pressure (ex
Yale method
Persuasion modeled as a 3-step sequential process. Attention -> Comprehension -> Acceptance. Failure at any stage halts the persuasion attempt.
Source Factors
Responsible for capturing attention.
Credibility
Driven by domain-specific expertise, perceived trustworthiness, and objectivity.
Attractiveness & Halo Effect
Attractive sources generate a halo effect where high performance on physical attractiveness leads consumers to assume superior performance on intelligence, friendliness, and trustworthiness.
Message factors
include one-sided and two-sided arguments
One-sided arguments
messages only present pro-arguments.
Two-sided arguments
Messages acknowledge drawbacks before refuting them, significantly increasing source credibility.
Two-sided argument drawbacks
They are cognitively complex; if the audience lacks cognitive ability or willingness to process them, one-sided arguments must be used to ensure comprehension.
Audience Factors
Include cognitive ability (determines comprehension), willingness to process, self-esteem, and susceptibility (lower self-esteem correlates with higher susceptibility to persuasion).
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
Developed in marketing to address resource constraints. Defines two distinct routes to persuasion based on audience ability and motivation.
ELM audience determinants Central route
Requires both cognitive ability and Willingness/ motivation
ELM audience determinants Peripheral route
Triggered if either cognitive ability or willingness/motivation is lacking.
ELM core focus Central route
Evaluates argument quality and logical strength.
ELM core focus Peripheral route
Evaluates peripheral cues (source credibility, celebrity status, physical attractiveness)
ELM Attitude shift Central Route
Enduring, stable, highly predictive of behavior, and resistant to counter-arguments.
ELM Attitude shift Peripheral Route
Temporary, impressionable, and easily disrupted by future appeals.
Reciprocity
Exploits social norms of fairness, providing an uninvited favor or token gift. This creates a psychological indebtedness, promoting compliance with subsequent requests.
Consistency & foot-in-the-door technique
Securing compliance with a small initial request alters self-perception; when a larger request follows, consumers comply to maintain behavioral consistency over time.
Social proof/ Consensus
Individuals look to the behaviors of others under uncertainty to dictate correct action.
Authority
automatic deference to perceived authority figures or status symbols, demonstrated by Milgram's obedience studies, where 70% of subjects administered lethal shocks when ordered by an experimenter.
Likeability
Increased compliance toward liked, familiar, or relatable individuals
Scarcity
Restricting resource availability or offering limited-time promotion (example, Starbucks pumpkin chai) serves as a signal of high quality and value, accelerating purchasing power.
Fear appeals
Follows a inverted U-shaped relationship with persuasion. Moderate fear captures attention and motivates action; excessive fear triggers perceptual defense, causing consumers to screen out or reject the message entirely.
Negative comparison ads
direct attacks on named competitors backfire because consumers view them as unfair norm violations, creating emotional sympathy for the attacked brand.
Attitude inoculation
Protecting established attitudes from future counter-persuasion by exposing consumers to weak counter-arguments and allowing them to practice refuting them (built like a vaccine).
Psychological Reactance
A boomerang effect occurring when high-pressure or overly directive commands threaten a consumer’s perceived freedom of choice. To assert autonomy, consumers explicitly perform the opposite of the commanded behavior.