MAR3503 Consumer Behavior UF Exam 1

consumer behavior

The totality of consumers' thoughts, feelings, and decisions about the consumption, acquisition, and disposition of goofs, services, activities, and ideas

What does it mean to consume?

Why do people buy products?

people buy products to satisfy their needs

-the need or desire to make purchases and then disposes of the product

Where do we find consumer researchers and which fields contribute to the study of CB?

You'll find consumer researchers just about anywhere you find consumers. They work for manufacturers, retailer, governments, colleges...

You find people training in a wide range of disciplines from psychophysiology to literature do consumer research

What is the absolute threshold? How does it vary?

The minimum amount of simulation that a person can detect on a given sensory channel.

Can vary from person to person or by age ex. hearing

What is attention?

Attention is the extent to which processing activity is devoted to a particular stimulus.

Can depend on both the characteristic of the stimulus and the recipient (your mental state)

Name the individual factors and stimulus (source) factors that influence attention paid by consumers.

Individual factors- Our previous experiences, our psychological state, and our physiological state.

Stimulus factors- size, color, position, and novelty

What perceptual filters affect our attention?

Perceptual vigilance- we consciously or unconsciously attend to stimuli that relate to our current needs

Perceptual defense- people don't see what they don't want to see (if the stimuli is threatening, we won't process it )

Adaptation- people no longer pay attention over time as the stimuli becomes too familiar

What is perception?

Perception is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret sensations

Based on:

Beliefs, Expectations, Familiarity, Experience, and Prior exposure

Sensations

refers to the immediate response of our sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers, skin) to basic stimuli such as light, color, sound, odor, and texture

What are the 3 stages of perception?

Exposure-Attention-Interpretation

How does our perception of taste work?

Taste is affected by other factors such as color or scent

Example: Haribo gummy bears

Tastes and smells- our perception of chemicals in the air or in our food. they are separate senses with their own rector organs but intimately entwined

sensory marketing has become very important

because of the importance of multiple senses, companies think carefully about the impact of sensations on product experiences.

Haribo gummy bear taste test

the impact of color on taste is something candy companies are definitely aware of and have figured out that it is a way to save money

strawberry- green

raspberry- red

orange- orange

pineapple- colorless

lemon- yellow

Tastes and smells- our perception of chemicals in the air or in our food. they are separate senses with their own rector organs but intimately entwined

this works because-

our brains have experience processing sensory cues together

for example:

our brain associates

the yellow color

a lemon scent

and a slightly acidic taste with each other

when you receive two of these three sensory cues, your brain will fill in the rest

human perception is active and subjective

What is hedonic consumption? What are some examples of this?

Multisensory, fantasy, and emotional aspects of consumers' interactions with products.

Example: respondents evaluated products more harshly when they stood on a tile floor rather than a carpeted floor

Example 2: fans of romance movies rate them higher when they watch them in a cold room (they compensate for the low physical temperature with psychological warmth the movie provides)

What does the text tell us about colors' influence, odor and touch (p. 79-83)?

Odors can stir up emotions, create a calming feeling, invoke memories, or even relieve stress.

Touch can create a greater level of attachment, touching a product encourages the customer to imagine they own it and research shows that people value things more highly if they own them

What is unaided recall? How is different than aided recall?

Unaided recall is when a consumer is asked to independently think of what they have seen without being prompted for this information

Aided recall is when the consumer is prompted, making it easier to remember the information

Why are firms pursuing more sensory marketing? What are some examples we discussed?

Sensory marketing is where companies think carefully about the impact of the sensations on our product experiences. Firms are pursuing this because of the huge role our senses play in what we experience.

Example: luxury hotels have specific sounds, scents, and complimentary bathrobes that promote the idea or relaxation while on vacation

What is JND (the differential threshold)? How do marketers use JND? When do they want to stay below the JND and when do they want to go above it?

JND (Just-noticeable difference) which is the minimum difference we can detect between two stimuli. Marketers use JND when they are updating packaging, changing size, or price.

When marketers want to ensure product improvements like making the item a large size, they make sure the changes are at or just ABOVE the JND

On the other hand, when they don't want customers to notice a difference (ex. Making product smaller) they keep changes right UNDER the JND

What is pettiness? Describe the studies conducted by Kim, Zhang and Norton (2018). What did the results show?

Venmo example

Pettiness is when someone pays intentional attentiveness to trivial details

The Venmo study tried to figure out whether or not paying someone an exactly amount through Venmo was considered petty.

The results showed that intentionality matters

We like the person who paid us back less because they aren't petty about it and counting every cent

Exchange v. communal relationships (ongoing reciprocal relationship)

What is constructivism?

Human learning and our perceptions are actively constructed. We build upon our sensations, prior information, goals, and expectations. Our expectations are based on the context in which we are operating.

What are the Gestalt principles we discussed in class? How do they affect perception?

Gestalt means "whole" but refers to how people look for meaning and patterns in the stimuli in the environment

Interpreting meaning from the totality of a set of stimuli, rather than individual stimulus

Closure- the tendency to see/ fill in the "missing" elements to an incomplete picture

Similarity & grouping- objects with shared visual characteristics are automatically perceived as related

Figure-ground- one part of the stimuli will dominate, and the others will recede into the background

These principles help to increase attention and promote retention

What is perceptual confirmation? What are the key takeaways from the Dartmouth-Princeton case study? In the article, "They Saw a Game", how did each college's students react? What percent of Princeton students vs Dartmouth students actually saw the game as having been "Rough & Dirty"?

Perceptual confirmation- we tend to perceive and interpret ambiguous information to be in line with our own expectations and beliefs

Dartmouth-Princeton case study showed that the "game" was actually many different game and that each version of the events were just as real to a particular person as other versions were to other people.

Confirmation bias- where people select, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms their existing ideas

"Rough and dirty"

Princeton students- %93

Dartmouth students- %42

What is subliminal perception and how well does it work?

Refers to a stimulus below the level of the consumer's awareness

There is no proof that this process has any effect on consumer behavior

Almost 2/3 of U.S. consumers believe in the existence of subliminal advertising

What is classic conditioning?

When we learn connections over time between brands and the product and the ads or spokesperson or setting attached to them. Ex. Pavlov and the dogs salivating

Pavlov's experiment

classical conditioning experiment, making a dog associate the sound of a ringing bell to that of food - making the dog salivate at the sound

Occurs when a stimulus that elicits a physiological response naturally is paired with another stimulus that initially does not elicit its own response

*requires repetition

Food (UCS)--> salivation (UCR)

Bell (CS) + Food (UCS)--> salivation (UCR)

Bell (CS)--> salivation (CR)

issue= extinction

extinction

if you don't repeatedly pair the connection will fade

Marketers using Pavlov's experiment

marketers consistently pair brands and products with cues that over time will induce natural physiological reactions (ex. hunger or thirst)

ex. Mcdonalds logo making you hungry

(UCS)- smell of the food

(UCR)- hunger

(CS)- mcdonals logo/packaging

(CR)- hunger

What are the UCS, UCR, CS and CR?

UCS (unconditioned stimulus)- naturally capable of causing the response (ex. Food that causes salivation naturally)

UCR (unconditioned response)- not the natural response (ex. Salivation that occurs naturally)

CS (conditioned stimulus)- did not initially cause response (ex. Bellthe dogs learn over time that the bell accompanies meat)

CR (conditioned response)- new response (ex. Ring of bell causes dogs to salivate= learned response)

How is evaluative conditioning an extension of classical conditioning?

Evaluative conditioning- the positive or negative valence of a stimulus is transferred to another object.

Result- transfer of affect (emotion)

Example- pens and music experiment

What is instrumental conditioning?

Learning to perform behaviors that produce positive outcomes and to avoid those behaviors that produce negative outcomes- trial and error- reward/punishment linked to a specific behavior

What is the difference between punishment, positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement?

Punishment- introduces negative feedback to behavior so the likelihood of emitting behavior decreases (ex. social punishment) (gets ridiculed if you wear a gross smelling fragrance)

Positive reinforcement- rewards "good" behavior (ex. Receives compliment for wearing nice perfume)

Negative reinforcement- when something unpleasant is removed if you perform a certain behavior- likelihood of emitting behavior increases (ex. Using our product will make the pain go away) (sits home alone on a Friday night because she did not wear the perfume)

How do marketers use schedules of reinforcement? What are examples of each?

Schedules of reinforcement (an extension of instrumental conditioning) - how long and how frequently we will perform a behavior depends upon the consequences of the behavior

5 types:

Continuous- ex. Target red card 5% off every time you shop

Fixed interval- rewards behavior after a set period of time ex. Nordstrom sale 1 time a year

Variable interval- wait a variable amount of time then reward behavior ex. Athlete

Fixed ratio- reward after a fixed number of "correct" behaviors ex. Loyalty programs or punch cards

Variable ratio- reward after a variable number of correct behaviors ex. Slot machines

What is frequency marketing (see the text)? Pg. 118

A popular technique that rewards regular purchasers with prizes that get better as they spend more

What is observational / social learning? What 4 conditions must be met?

Observational learning- "monkey see monkey do"- a cognitive type of learning that occurs when we watch the actions of others and note the reinforcements they receive for their behaviors

4 conditions:

The consumers attention must be directed to the appropriate model, whom, for reasons of attractiveness, competence, status, or similarity, he or she must want to emulate

The consumer must remember what the model says and or does

The consumer must convert this information into actions

The consumer must be motivated to perform these actions

What is gamification? Why does it work?

Turns routine actions into experiences as it adds gaming elements to tasks that might otherwise be boring or routine. Since young people have grown up playing games these activities have structured their learning styles and influenced the platforms to which they gravitate to. Example buy 10 get one free punch cards

What is sensory memory?

Sensory memory stores the information we receive from out senses (temporary storage and lasts for a couple of seconds at most) also considered automatic with little attention or interpretation.

Sensations that capture our attention and warrant further investigation pass on to our short-term memory for investigation

What is chunking?

chunking is the grouping together of similar or meaningful piece of information- can be small or large but it just needs to be remembered as a whole (we can typically remember 7 chunks ex. Phone numbers)

What is the serial position curve? What are serial position effects, i.e. primacy and recency effects? Explain how they occur.

Our ability to recall items/words varies with their position within the list. Items in the middle of a series are harder to remember than the beginning or the end.

Rule of Primacy- earlier items in a list are usually remembered well because you had time to transfer it to long term memory

Rule of Recency- later items in a list are remembered well because they are still in short term memory.

What is spreading activation (see text)? Pg. 133

Spreading activation allows us to shift back and forth among levels of meaning. The way we store a piece of information in memory depends on the type of meaning we initially assign to it. (Determines how and when something activates meaning)

How do marketers assist with the transfer to LTM?

Marketers assist in elaborative rehearsal (allows information to more from STM to LTM) when they devise catchy slogans or jingles that consumers repeat on their own.

What are the 3 basic memory processes?

Encoding, storage stage, and retrieval

What are retrieval cues?

Cues that help memory recall -

A match between the environmental context, mood, level of arousal, and alcoholic state incurred at the time of viewing an ad or exposure to a brand AND the time of purchase could aid retrival of the brand or product

Name 2 ways to help short-term memory

Chunking and repetition?

How quickly does memory decay?

The steepest rate of decay occurs in the first 24hrs and levels off over time

What are two types of memory interference? (PPT)

Retroactive interference- new memories replace old memories

Proactive interference- old knowledge interferes with ability to learn something new

What is nostalgia?

Bittersweet emotion arising when we view the past with both sadness and longing. Predominantly a positive emotion and arises from fond memories mixed with yearning.

What do people feel nostalgic about?

Childhood, close relationships, atypical events, adolescence, and early adulthood

What is the reminiscence bump?

enhanced memory for adolescence and young adulthood found in people over 40

What are the behavioral and psychological impacts of experiencing nostalgia?

Research has shown that nostalgia can be used to mobilize and energize us

However, when we are feeling nostalgic, we are more likely to: pay more for products, help others, value money less, give away money, and put less effort into obtaining money

Nostalgia restores psychological equilibrium, boosts self-esteem, perceives life as more meaningful, and creates a feeling of social connectedness.

How do marketers use nostalgia to boost sales / consumption?

Marketers often introduce retro brands or films/tv shows that harken to past times

When you walk into Disney and smell the popcorn smell pumped by the smellitizer, and the smell "reminds" you that you're hungry and you seek out popcorn, what two types of memory are involved?

Smell (sensory memory) and short term memory

When people are seeking information for learning a new skill, what percentage of people consider watching others perform the skill to be first-sought, easiest to process and most-effective?

63% first sought, 75% easy process, 72% most effective

What are the 6 conditions of experiment 1 (vicarious learning) and what were the results?

Watch condition- watched video 1 time or 20 times (2 conditions)

Read condition- read extra info for 5 seconds or 60 seconds (2 conditions)

Think condition- imagine attempting the trick for 5 seconds or 60 seconds (2 conditions)

Results: there was a special impact of watching the video several times on perceived ability to do the trick versus the other conditions

What was the effect of watching the moondance 1x or 20x on predicted performance and on judged performance?

People had higher expectations if they watched the video 20x but there was no boost in performance if they watched it 20x.

What two methods did the authors use to attempt to attenuate (reduce the affect of.. ) the results? Which one(s) worked?

In the first method they cropped the man doing the trick out of the video

Results of first method: only the group that saw the performer do the trick 20x had inflated perceptions of skills acquisition.

In the second method they had participants watch a video on juggling bowling pins (write step-by-step, given details about pins, allowed to hold the bowling pin)

Results of second method: when the participants were given the bowling pins to hold the likelihood of being able to successfully juggle the bowling pins was reduced.

Why do observers watching others perform a task experience overconfidence the more times they watch the observer?

Watching others gives us "vivid, direct access to the performer's actions and hence provides insight about what exactly to do".

"The observation elicits automatic simulations of real-time feelings of the experience particularly if:

We have past experience with what we are watching, the task is simple, and we notice more details.

This allows us to think we can do it- overconfidence

What is an attitude?

An attitude is a lasting, general evaluating of people (including oneself), objects, advertisements, or issues. (a learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner in relation to some object)

What is an attitude object?

anything toward which one has an attitude

Can be a person, object, brand, service

What are the three functions of attitudes we discussed in class?

Utilitarian function- consumers seek personal benefit- we develop attitudes based on objective benefits (ex. Lululemon leggings- quality, luxury, status)

Value expressive function- attitudes can help consumers express their core values, self-concept, and beliefs to others

Ego-defensive function- attitudes help consumers defend their self-image from external threats or insecurities- making us feel better about ourselves (consumers often have positive attitudes towards products that restore their self-concept)

What are the 3 levels of commitment to an attitude?

Affect-the way a consumer feels, the consumer's subjective positive/negative emotions or feelings about the attitude object.

Behavior- a consumer's intended action related to the attitude object or a consumer's tendency to respond in a particular way

Cognition- the beliefs a consumer had about an attitude object and whether it provides value and meets needs

What is the mere exposure effect? Mere exposure is described as a two-factor model - what does that mean?

The Mere exposure effect- people have more positive attitudes towards stimuli that they have previous exposure to, without necessarily recognizing the stimulus.

The two-factor model of mere exposure is that each exposure has a positive and a negative side:

(Fine line between familiarity and boredom)

Repetition increases familiarity and reduces uncertainty about the stimuli BUT, each exposure increases boredom (wear-out). To combat this, you can shorten the ads or alter the content.

What are some issues with attitudes?

Behavior may not be intentional (ex. Impulse buying)

Attitudes and behaviors may be specified at a different level of abstraction

Attitudes predict behavior less well over long periods of time

Attitudes towards and attitude object may be different than attitudes towards the behavior

What is the 3-B principle?

Beauty, baby, and beast (David Ogilvy)

How does association work in forming/affecting brand attitudes?

Attitude towards an unfamiliar product is influenced by attitude towards a familiar target that is associated with it

How do symmetry and asymmetry affect brand attitudes?

Symmetrical- perceived as ethical, less stimulating and arousing (visually and mentally), perceived ad more sophisticated

Asymmetrical- perceived as unethical, more arousing, more extensive visual exploration, perceived as an exciting brand (consumers like it when it actually has an exciting personality)

The "Mere exposure" effect shows that increased exposer leads to_____

increase liking

because stimuli is easier to process if they were processed before

you become more familiar and it is interpreted as a preference or liking

What is the source's role in the communications model?

Source=Who

Must be credible or attractive to receiver

What are characteristics of a credible source?

Source credibility relates to consumers' beliefs that a person is competent and will provide info we need to evaluate competing productsExpertise, trustworthiness, and objectivity

Describe the Fundraiser Effectiveness study and its findings.

An experiment at a university's call center, there were 3 speakers to 3 different fundraising shifts. Speaker number 1spoke about the difference the fundraisers were making, speaker 2 spoke about the importance of fundraising to the university. The third speaker was a beneficiary and said that without fundraising he wouldn't be at that university. The results found that those who listened to the beneficiaries' message significantly increased their fundraising from $2500 to $9700. The beneficiary was seen as a more trustworthy and credible source.

What is the sleeper effect?

Anytime we receive a persuasive message before we find out the source. Over time the memory of the message stays awhile - there is a delayed increase in the persuasion of the message over time. Example: negative political campaigns

What is the difference between a reporting bias and a knowledge bias?

Reporting bias- when a source has the required knowledge, but we question his/her willingness to convey it accurately

Knowledge bias- implies that a source's knowledge about a topic is not accurate

What is a halo effect?

The halo effect occurs when we assume that persons who ranks high on one dimension excel on others as well. We are more comfortable when all our judgements about a person correspond.

"Beautiful is good"- people that are attractive are seen as more intelligent, professional, and happier.

What are refutational arguments?

Refutational arguments are arguments that first raise a negative issue and then dismiss it. This approach increases source credibility because it reduces reporting bias. (non-credible sources can be persuasive when they are arguing against their own self-interest)

Why do firms use non-human spokespersons?

Spokes characters like the Pillsbury doughboy help to boost viewers' recall of claims tht ads make and yield higher brand attitudes.

What is the Elaboration Likelihood model? When do we take the central route to persuasion and when do we take the peripheral route to persuasion?

Assumes that under conditions of high involvement, we take the central route to persuasion. (When we find the information to be relevant or interesting, we pay careful attention to it) Under low involvement conditions, we take a peripheral route instead. (When we are not really motivated to think about the marketer's arguments, we are likely to use other cues to decide how to react, such as packaging)

Why is reciprocity so powerful? How is it used by marketers and compliance experts?

Reciprocity is a universal social norm that is described as a feeling of obligation to repay when you receive something from someone else. It is so powerful because it applies to uninvited favors and we can face social punishment ("leech") which leads to compliance. Marketers give free samples and free trials to increase the likelihood of a purchase. It's not really "free", marketers realize that in accepting the gift it will trigger an urge inside you to repay the debt.

What is the door-in-the-face phenomenon?

To increase your changes of receiving the answer you want from someone you ask a big question first and when they say no you follow it up with your original question- making them feel obligated or more likely to accept your request. (if people see the second request as a concession, they will feel inclined to respond with a concession of their own)

What types of people do we like?

We tend to like people who are similar to us and people that like us. (Physical appearance, social status, similarity, and personality)

What are the six major psychological principles that can influence people to change their minds or comply with a request? Be specific.

Reciprocity: We are more likely to give if first we receive.

Scarcity: Like people, items are more attractive when they aren't available.

Authority: We believe an authoritarian source much more readily than one that is less authoritative.

Consistency: People try to not contradict themselves in terms of what they say and do about an issue.

Liking: We agree with those we like or admire.

Consensus: We consider what others do before we decide what to do.