Learning & Memory - Exam Review Flashcards

Learning and Memory Overview

  • Instructor: Prof. Daniel He
  • Date: 20 February 2025

Recap of Key Topics

  • Exposure
  • Attention
  • Perception
  • Learning & Memory
  • Attitudes
  • Choice & Decision

Slogans in Marketing

  • “The Ultimate Driving Machine”
  • “Just Do It”
  • “The Best A Man Can Get”
  • “A Great Way to Fly”

What is Learning?

  • Definition: A relatively permanent change in an individual's knowledge or behavior due to experience.
  • Importance for Marketers:
    • New products
    • New brands
    • New brand image/positioning
  • Incidental Learning: A significant amount of consumer learning occurs without intention or direct effort.

Types of Learning

  1. Social Learning:
    • Modeling
    • Observational/Vicarious learning
  2. Belief Change:
    • Abstraction and categorization
    • Information search & knowledge acquisition
  3. Low-Level Associations:
    • Classical conditioning (concurrent associations)
    • Operant conditioning (evaluative associations)

Classical Conditioning Explained

  • Dog Training Example:
    1. Before Conditioning:
    • Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): Food
    • Unconditioned Response (UCR): Salivation
    • Neutral Stimulus (NS): Bell (no response)
    1. During Conditioning:
    • Bell (NS) + Food (UCS) → Salivation (UCR)
    1. After Conditioning:
    • Bell (CS) → Salivation (CR)

Long-Term Memory Types

  1. Explicit Memory:
    • Semantic: Facts and knowledge
    • Episodic: Experienced events
  2. Implicit Memory:
    • Associations and conditioning
    • Procedural: Motor skills and dispositions
    • Cultural values

Basic Model of Memory

  • Phases:
    • Encoding:
      • Visual, Acoustic, Olfactory, Semantic
    • Storage:
      • Short Term Memory (STM): Sequential
      • Long Term Memory (LTM): Associative
    • Retrieval:
      • Activation of stored information

Associative Network Model of Long-Term Memory

  • Components of LTM:
    • Nodes: Concepts, words, images
    • Links: Associations between nodes
  • Network Variability:
    • Different individuals have unique networks; not all links are equally strong.

Example of an Associative Network

  • Concepts:
    • Fruit: sweet, healthy
    • Snacks: chips, crackers, nuts, junk

Spreading Activation

  • Activation of a node depends on the strength of the link between the retrieval cue and the node.
  • Product-brand and brand-features links are crucial for memory retrieval.
  • Consumers' memory influences their buying behavior and the consideration set.

Threats to Retrieval

  • Forgetting: Weakened links due to lack of exposure.
  • Extinction: New links can replace old associations.

Principles of Stickiness in Marketing Messages

  • Stickiness Factors:
    • Simple: Improves encoding.
    • Unexpected: Enhances memory retention through surprise.
    • Concrete: Uses vivid language for clarity.
    • Credible: Builds trust, improving encoding and storage.
    • Emotional Stories: Engages emotions for better retrieval.

Attention and Awareness

  • Study on Change Blindness: Demonstrates limitations in noticing changes in visual scenes when attention is divided.

Ways to Enhance Memory in Presentations

  • Focus on Core Ideas: Simplify messages; one or two main takeaway points are most effective.
  • Use of Analogies: Facilitate understanding through relatable comparisons.

Evidence for Effectiveness of Stickiness Principles

  • Studies Show:
    • Unexpected pairings are more memorable than expected ones.
    • Concrete examples enhance emotional responses.

Application Exercise

  • Consider how emotional storytelling can be leveraged in marketing strategies.

Conclusion

  • Adherence to the principles of stickiness is essential in crafting effective marketing messages that enhance learning and memory retention.
  • Next Steps:
    • Reading Assignment: Cialdini (2001).
    • Prepare for midterm break and group literature review.