MKT 3230 Chapter 3: Learning and Memory

Learning

refers to a relatively permanent change in behaviour that is caused by experience

Behavioural Learning Theories

• learning takes place as the result of responses to external events, as opposed to internal thought processes

• e.g. classical conditioning

• instrumental conditioning

Classical Conditioning

• a stimulus that elicits a response is paired with another stimulus that initially does not elicit a response on its own

• uses unconditioned stimulus, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response

• focuses on visual, smell, and other cues that induce physiological responses related to consumer needs

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

something you have a natural response to

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

causes a response when paired with UCS

Conditioned Response

happens when conditioned stimulus is learned

Associative Learning

• consumers learn associations between stimuli simply

• e.g. healthy means expensive, credit card means larger payment

Stimulus Generalization

• tendency for stimulus similar to a conditioned stimulus to evoke similar, unconditioned responses

• e.g. licensing, look-alike packaging, family branding, product line extensions

Stimulus Discrimination

only buying brand names

Masked Branding

• deliberately hides a product’s true origin

• e.g. Apple’s “designed in USA and assembled in China” vs “made in China”

Instrumental Conditioning

individual learns to perform behaviours that produce positive outcomes and to avoid those that yield negative outcomes

Reinforcement Schedules

• fixed ratio (e.g. rewards program)

• variable ratio (e.g. contests)

• fixed interval (e.g. seasonal sales)

• variable interval (e.g. promotions based on availability)

Frequency Marketing

reinforces the behaviour of regular purchasers by giving them prizes with values that increase along with the amount purchased

Cognitive Learning Theory

• focuses on internal mental processes and views people as problem solvers, who actively use information from the world around them to master their environment

• learning can be unconscious

• e.g. observational learning

Observational Learning

people watch the actions of others and note the reinforcements they receive for their behaviours (modelling and shaping)

Memory

• acquiring information and storing it over time so that it will be available when needed

• internal and external memory

Role of Memory in Learning

• info passes through stages before being committed to memory

  • sensory memory

  • attention

  • short-term memory

  • elaborative rehearsal

  • long-term memory

• we encode information to help us retain it later (e.g. sensory meaning, semantic meaning, narratives)

Sensory Memory

• temporary storage of sensory information

• high capacity

• duration is less than 1 second for vision, or a few seconds for hearing

Attention

information that passes through an attentional gate is transferred to short-term memory

Short-Term Memory

• brief storage of information currently being used (e.g. chunking)

• limited capacity

• duration is less than 20 seconds

Elaborative Rehearsal

information subjected to deep processing (e.g. its meaning is considered) is transferred to long-term memory

Long-Term Memory

• relatively permanent storage of information

• unlimited capacity

• duration is long or permanent

Levels of Knowledge

• one node → meaning concepts

• two (or more) connected nodes → proposition/belief

• two or more propositions → schema

Analogical Learning

marketer inform the consumer about a product using an analogy

Measuring Memory for Marketing Stimuli

• recognition vs recall measures

• problems with memory measures (e.g. response biases, accuracy of consumer recall, memory/facts vs feelings)