Psychology of Consumer Behavior: Personality, Attitudes, Memory, and Brand Perception

Personality

Totality of thoughts, emotions, intentions, tendencies, and behaviors that a person consistently exhibits.

Personality Traits

Distinguishable characteristics or tendencies that motivate various consumer behaviors.

Five Factor Model

Extroversion, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Stability, Conscientiousness.

Extroversion

Talkative, outgoing, social.

Agreeableness

Cooperative, kindhearted, sympathetic.

Openness to Experience

Creative, open to new ideas, imaginative, risk-taking.

Stability

Calm, even-keeled, avoids mood swings and risk.

Conscientiousness

Precise, efficient, organized, thoughtful.

Brand Image

Combination of associations consumers make with a brand; the picture consumers have in their mind.

Brand Personality

Human characteristics associated with a brand; helps differentiate products.

Formation of Brand Image/Personality

Clarity (credible), Favorability (likeable), Originality (unique).

Anthropomorphism

Giving human-like characteristics to animals or objects (e.g., mascots).

Self-Concept

Totality of thoughts and feelings an individual has about themselves.

Self-Congruency Theory

Consumers prefer brands whose image aligns with their self-concept (Similarity Attraction Paradigm).

Attitude

Relatively enduring overall evaluation of objects, products, services, issues, or people.

ABC Approach to Attitudes

Affective (feelings), Behavioral (actions), Cognitive (beliefs).

Functions of Attitudes

Utilitarian - maximize rewards; Knowledge - simplify decisions; Value-Expressive - express beliefs.

Theory of Reasoned Action (TORA)

Behavior is influenced by attitudes and subjective norms. Formula: Personal Attitudes + Social Norms = Behavior.

Consumer Attitudes Toward Ads

Utilitarian Value (informational, cognitive) and Hedonic Value (emotional, affective).

Persuasion

Attempt to change attitudes and behaviors by influencing perception.

Consumer Learning

Change in behavior from interaction with a stimulus.

Learning Process

Exposure → Attention → Perception → Comprehension → Meaning.

Exposure

Consumer comes into proximity of a stimulus (sees, hears, smells).

Attention

Purposeful mental focus on a stimulus.

Perception

Awareness and interpretation of reality.

Comprehension

Deriving meaning from perceptions.

Selective Attention

Choosing what to notice.

Selective Exposure

Avoiding something entirely.

Factors Affecting Attention

Personal relevance, Pleasantness, Surprise, Ease of processing.

Intentional Learning

Actively processing information.

Unintentional Learning

Subconscious reaction (e.g., Classical Conditioning - learning by reinforcement).

Stimulus Categorization

Assimilation - fits; Accommodation - adjust category; Contrast - doesn't fit.

Meaning and Value

Meaning gives significance; without meaning, there's no value.

Message Construction

Design and layout of message affect persuasiveness.

Message Design Effects

How appeal and layout affect persuasion.

Source Effects

Message source characteristics (credibility, likability). Match-Up Hypothesis - source should match the product.

Serial Position Effect

Placement of info affects recall (Primacy = early info, Recency = late info).

Factors Affecting Learning

Message, receiver, and environmental characteristics influence learning.

Shaping

Gradual alteration of behavior over time (e.g., loyalty programs, gamification).

Subliminal Marketing

Unconscious persuasion; research shows it's ineffective.

Memory

Process by which knowledge is recorded, stored, and retrieved.

Multiple Store Theory of Memory

Sensory → Short-Term (Workbench) → Long-Term.

Sensory Memory

Stores sensory info: Iconic (visual), Echoic (auditory), Olfactory (smell), Gustatory (taste), Haptic (touch).

Episodic Memory

Memories of personal experiences (e.g., nostalgia).

Short-Term (Workbench) Memory

Temporary storage while processing info. Affected by duration, capacity, significance.

Long-Term Memory

Unlimited capacity for storage and recall; requires meaningful encoding.

Encoding Techniques

Repetition, Chunking, Dual Sensory Coding (using multiple senses).

Recall vs Recognition

Recall - retrieve without cue; Recognition - identify when re-exposed.

Associative Network

Mental links between related knowledge (semantic network).

Schema

Portion of associative network representing an entity (gives it meaning).

Declarative Knowledge

Factual information about something.

Exemplar

Best representative of a category.

Prototype

Collection of best traits.

Script

Schema for an event or experience.

Marketer Tips for Memory Encoding

Keep messages simple and meaningful; maintain, protect, and adapt brand image.