Consumer Behavior Tset #!

What is meant by the phrase class to mass and how does it relate to upward-pull?

A movement by retailers to offer less expensive "new luxury" goods to less affluent segments. These products (e.g., expensive cup of coffee) and brands (lower-end Mercedes) retain a status appeal that draws its cache in part from usage by the upper classes. The "draw" of this aspirational influence creates the upward pull and allows class to mass to operate.

How do family members attempt to resolve conflict over purchase decisions?

A recent study revealed six basic approaches that individuals use to resolve purchase conflicts after they have arisen (most couples generally seek to avoid open conflicts): (1) Bargaining: trying reach a compromise; (2) Impression management: misrepresenting the facts in order to win; (3) Use of authority: claiming superior expertise or role appropriateness (the husband/wife should make such decisions); (4) Reasoning: using logical argument to win; (5) Playing on emotion: using the silent treatment or withdrawing from the discussion; and/or (6) Additional information: getting additional data or a third party opinion. While this study did not include children, it seems likely that they would use the same set of strategies.

How does an ascribed role differ from an achievement role?

A role is a prescribed pattern of behavior expected of a person in a given situation by virtue of the person's position in the situation. Ascribed roles are based on an attribute over which the individual has no control; achievement roles are based on controllable performance criteria.

What underlying cultural value determines most of the status dimensions in the United States?

Achievement.

What is an age cohort? Cohort analysis?

An age cohort or generation is a group of persons who have experienced a common social, political, historical, and economic environment. Cohort analysis is the process of describing and explaining the attitudes, values, and behaviors of an age group as well as predicting its future attitudes, values, and behaviors.

Describe the born-again Christian subculture.

Born-again Christians have been referred to as the Christian Right, Religious Right, Conservative Christians, Evangelical Christians, and Fundamentalist Christians. Born-again Christians are characterized by a strong belief in the literal truth of the Bible, a very strong commitment to their religious beliefs, having had a "born-again" experience, and encouraging others to believe in Jesus Christ. Born-again Christians tend to have somewhat lower education and income levels than the general population. They tend to have a more traditional gender role orientation. Born-again Christians are best known for their political stands on issues such as abortion, homosexual rights, and prayer in the schools. Their beliefs also influence their consumption patterns. They generally oppose the use of alcohol and drugs. They do not consume movies or television programs that are overly focused on sex or other activities that they consider to be immoral. In fact, various groups of born-again Christians have organized or threatened boycotts against advertisers that sponsor shows they find inappropriate or corporations whose policies and procedures (e.g., those relating to same-sex couples) run contrary to their beliefs.

What is cognitive age? How is it measured?

Cognitive age is defined as one's perceived age, a part of one's self-concept. It is most commonly measured by asking people what age they would associate with how they look, feel, and behave.

What do we mean when we say that children learn consumer skills, consumption-related attitudes, and consumptions-related preferences?

Consumer skills are those capabilities necessary for purchases to occur such as understanding money, budgeting, product evaluation, etc. Consumption-related preferences are the knowledge, attitudes, and values that cause people to attach differential evaluations to products, brands, and retail outlets. Consumption-related attitudes are cognitive and affective orientations toward marketplace stimuli such as advertisements, salespeople, warranties, etc. So, directly relevant behavior relates to learning necessary skills that involve shopping, buying, budgeting, evaluating, etc. Children also learn indirectly relevant behavior that relates to their attitudes, preferences, and values. This may lead them to prefer a prestigious brand (e.g., Calvin Klein) because it represents a certain status association they have learned.

What is meant by injurious consumption?

Consumption that has negative consequences for the long run well being of the consumer.

What is involved in creating satisfied customers?

Creating satisfied customers requires that customers continue to believe that the brand purchased offers superior value after they have used it. It must deliver as much or more value than customers originally expected.

What is a cultural value?

Cultural values are widely held beliefs that affirm what is desirable.

What is a cultural value? Do all members of a culture share cultural values?

Cultural values are widely held beliefs that affirm what is desirable. They impact our daily activities. They are not shared by all members. However, they are common to the main body of the culture even though there are significant variations between subcultures.

What is meant by the term culture?

Culture is that complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by an individual as a member of society. It is important to marketing because culture indicates the approved ways of solving product-related problems for consumers.

What trend(s) characterizes the level of income in the United States?

Cyclical: Growth in real (adjusted for inflation) per capita disposable income until stagnation in 1980s, followed by growth from 1995 to 2000, then a decline again early in this century, followed by slow growth from 2002 until the economic downturn in 2008. Given the age distribution of the United States, a greater proportion of disposable income will be among people over 50 years old. Many groups are not sharing in this growth and the resulting income gap is causing increasing concerns, as shown in the current expansion (beginning in mid-2009).

What are demographics? Why are they important to international marketers?

Demographics describe a population in terms of its size, structure, and distribution. Demographics differ sharply across countries and cause needs to differ, as well as influence the ability of consumers to fulfill needs.

What are demographics?

Describe a population in terms of its size, distribution, and structure.

How is enviropreneurial marketing related to new product success and market share? Link this to the value of green marketing in creating a competitive advantage.

Enviropreneurial marketing is environmentally-friendly marketing practices, strategies, and tactics initiated by a firm to achieve a competitive differentiation. Research shows that such a marketing approach leads to increased new-product success and increased market share. Thus, like green marketing, enviropreneurial marketing taps into the environmentally-conscious consumers' values and can improve firm performance particularly among those segments of consumer concerned with the environment.

Describe the three Hispanic generational groups identified by the Pew Hispanic Center.

First Generation Adults (63 percent) are those born outside the U.S. This generation has the lowest income and education, is most likely to identify themselves as Hispanic (including country of origin), is most likely to have Spanish as their primary language (72 percent), and is most likely to possess traditional values including a masculine view of the family decision hierarchy. Second Generation Adults (19 percent) are those born in the U.S. to immigrant parents. Compared to the First Generation, this generation has higher income and education, is more likely to identify themselves as Americans (though 62 percent still identify as Hispanic), are equally split between bilinguals and English as a primary language, and somewhat less likely to ascribe to traditional values. Third Generation (and beyond) Adults (17 percent) are those born in the U.S. to U.S. born parents. This group has the highest education and income, is most likely to identify as Americans (57 percent, versus 41 percent who identify themselves as Hispanic), is most likely to have English as the primary language (only 22 percent are bilingual; none are Spanish only), and also somewhat less likely to ascribe to traditional values.

What is gender identity?

Gender identity refers to the traits of femininity (expressive traits such as tenderness and compassion) and masculinity (instrumental traits such as aggressiveness and dominance). These traits represent the ends of a continuum and individuals have varying levels of each trait.

What is green marketing?

Green marketing generally involves one or more strategies: (1) developing products whose consumption, use, or disposition is less harmful to the environment than traditional versions of the product, (2) developing products that have a positive impact on the environment, or (3) tying the purchase of a product to an environmental organization or event.

What is guanxi?

Guanxi is literally translated as personal connections/relationships on which an individual can draw to secure resources or advantages when doing business as well as in the course of social life.

The household is described as "the basic consumption unit for consumer goods.'' Why?

Household units, not individuals, consume most consumer products. Additionally, the consumption patterns of individual household members are seldom independent of the other household members.

What factors influence involvement of a household member in a purchase decision?

How family members interact in a purchase decision is largely dependent on the culture and subculture in which the family exists, the role specialization of different family members, the degree of involvement each has in the product area of concern, and the personal characteristics of the family members. Relative income of spouses has emerged as an important determinant of who is the dominant decision maker for major household purchases and finances.

Why is population growth an important concept for marketers?

If the growth of the total population slows or stops, many industries will face stable or declining demand. This could lead to the failure of firms, increased diversification, a more highly competitive environment, and increased emphasis on export sales.

What values underlie green marketing?

Individual and environmental organizations often focus on a subset of five concerns: (1) solid waste disposal, (2) air/ water pollution, (3) resource depletion, (4) chemical additives, or (5) harm to nature. These concerns are primarily based on the environment-oriented value of admiring nature.

What is the difference between instrumental and terminal materialism?

Instrumental materialism involves the acquisition of products in order to achieve a goal (skis to allow skiing). Terminal materialism is the acquisition of products for the pleasure of owning the product (art, for example).

What trend(s) characterizes the level of education in the United States?

It continues to rise.

How large are the major ethnic subcultures in America? Which are growing most rapidly?

Non-European ethnic groups constitute a significant and growing part of our population (from 40 percent in 2020 to 48 percent by 2040). All are growing faster than the population as a whole, and one estimate puts Hispanic growth at the highest at 73 percent.

What does the statement "Culture sets boundaries on behaviors" mean?

Normally, the boundaries of behavior are outlined by the culture, and even some of these boundaries for certain kinds of behavior are vague. On the other hand, very important behaviors, such as the ways in which one person may force behavior in others, are very well defined. Consumptive behaviors also run the gamut from vague (purchase and use of food products for entertaining) to fairly specific (what clothes one should wear for specific occasions such as weddings or funerals).

What is a norm? From what are norms derived?

Norms are rules that specify or prohibit certain behaviors in specific situations and are based on orderived from cultural values.

What are some of the ethical issues involved in cross-cultural marketing?

Obvious issues include exporting potential harmful products such cigarettes as well as products or services that disrupt the local economy. Altering cultural values and the lifestyles of countries in ways that may diminish the overall quality of life in the country are also issues.

Describe the influence of education on the Internet use of African Americans. What are the marketing implications?

One recent estimate is that 87 percent of African American adults are online, which is only slightly lower than the overall rate of 89 percent. Factors like education play a major role (indeed education is a much larger determinant of Internet use than is ethnicity), with black college graduates having some of the highest Internet usage. Marketing to any segment with higher levels of education (including African Americans) currently requires higher focus on Internet marketing options.

Cultural values can be classified as affecting one of three types of relationships—other, environment, or self. Describe each of these, and differentiate each one from the others.

Other: Reflect a society's view of appropriate relationships between individuals and groups. Environment: Prescribe a society's relationship to its economic, technical, and physical environments. Self: Reflect the objectives and approaches to life that members of society find desirable.

What are the differences between a monochronic time perspective and a polychronic time perspective?

People are monochronic if they have a strong orientation toward the present and the short-term future. A person who is polychronic has a strong orientation toward the present and past. As a result of different time orientations, each type of person has a different orientation toward time, situations, and relationships.

What is a sanction?

Sanctions are penalties ranging from mild social disapproval to banishment from the group and are imposed on those who violate cultural norms.

What is meant by gender?

Sex and gender have traditionally been used interchangeably to refer to whether a person is biologically and/or physiologically male or female. However, research continues to evolve with arguments for sex/gender being interchangeable terms or sex referring to biological differences while gender involves cultural differences. In marketing we use the World Health Organization distinction nothing that sex and gender are different constructs. In terms of current marketing thought, overall we are more focused on a person's identity (that is gender) as that is part of the identify through which that person interacts with the world.

What are the major outcomes for the individual of the marketing process and consumers' responses to it?

Some level of need satisfaction and, on occasion, injurious consumption (consumption that harms the individual)

What is meant by the statement, "What exists is not a set of social classes but a series of status continua"?

Status continua reflect various factors that society values, such as income, education, and occupation. In our society, we judge or class people on various achievement-related continua.

What is meant by status crystallization? Is the degree of status crystallization relatively high or low in the United States? Explain.

Status crystallization reflects the degree of consistency of an individual on all relevant status dimensions. It is moderate in the United States where we find many examples of high education, lowincome (teachers), and so forth.

What is meant by subjective discretionary income? How does it affect purchases?

Subjective discretionary income (SDI) measures how much money consumers feel they have available for nonessential purchases. If consumers feel (subjective assessment) that their discretionary income is low, they may postpone an expensive vacation, purchase of season sports tickets, or the purchase of a new car.

How homogeneous are Asian Americans?

This is a very heterogeneous group with many languages, religions, and nationalities represented. In addition, they differ in terms of demographics and individual characteristics.

Generation Alpha

This newest generation of 28 million Americans was born starting in 2010. They are the children of Generation Y, and likely to be an only child to their Millennial parents. They are tech savvy. It is estimated that this group spends $18 billion a year on purchases for themselves and others. And over $10 billion is spent annually in the U.S. by companies advertising to children.

What are the differences between a traditional and a modern gender role orientation?

Traditional = a marriage with the husband assuming the responsibility for providing for the family, and the wife running the house and taking care of the children. Modern = a marriage or stable relationship where the partners share responsibilities - each may or may not work depending on individual circumstances and generally shares homemaking and child responsibilities.

Lower-upper

Very high incomes earned in the current generation, often through sports, entertainment, or entrepreneurship. The nouveaux riches may engage in conspicuous consumption (e.g., expensive, cars, homes, yachts, etc.). However, others live a more middle class lifestyle and invest.

What is an ethnic subculture?

We define ethnic subcultures broadly as those whose members' unique shared behaviors are based on a common racial, language, or nationality background.

Describe the consumer decision process.

Within the context of a situation, it involves some or all of the following sequence: problem recognition, information search, alternative evaluation and selection, outlet selection and purchase, and post purchase processes.

What trend(s) characterizes the occupational structure of the United States?

Women are increasing their participation in the labor force. Jobs are shifting to white-collar/technical and away from blue-collar.

What is a subculture?

a segment of a larger culture whose members share distinguishing values and patterns of behavior. The unique patterns of behavior shared by subculture group members are based on the social history of the group as well as on its current situation.

What are the seven key considerations in deciding whether or not to enter a given international market?

a. Is the geographic area homogeneous or heterogeneous with respect to culture? b. What needs can this product fill in this culture? c. Can enough of the group(s) needing this product afford the product? d. What values or patterns of values are relevant to the purchase and use of the product? e. What are the distribution, political and legal structure of this product? f. In what ways can we communicate about the product? g. What are the ethical implications of marketing this product in this country?

What is meant by each of the following as a form of nonverbal communication?

a. Time: The culture's overall orientation to time and the way in which the meaning of time varies. b. Space: The use people make of space and the meanings they assign to it. c. Symbols: Different colors, numbers, and shapes acquire different symbolic meanings across cultures. d. Relationships: The degree of rights and obligations imposed by relationships and friendships. e. Agreements: The need to rely (or not to rely) on an extensive and, generally, highly efficient legal system for ensuring that business obligations are honored and for resolving disagreements. f. Things: The assigning of meaning to the possession of various objects and the degree to which acquisition of goods themselves is valued. g. Etiquette: Generally accepted ways of behaving in defined social situations.

What is a product?

anything a consumer acquires or could acquire to meet a perceived need. It is useful to think of a product in terms of the benefits it provides. It includes both physical products and primary services such as haircuts.

What is a gender role?

are ascribed roles based on a person's gender. They are the behaviors considered appropriate for males and females in a given society.

Middle class

composed of white-collar workers (office workers, school teachers, low-level managers) and high-paid blue-collar workers (plumbers, factory supervisors). They generally live in modest homes and are more likely to get involved in "do it yourself" projects. With limited income, they must balance their desire for current consumption with aspirations for future security.

Upper-lower

contains people with low incomes, limited educations, no jobs (or at best menial ones), and who have come from families with similar backgrounds.

Upper-middle

generally comprised of families who have achieved social position by their occupation and career orientation. Careers (not jobs) are very important to these individuals. Respectable local leaders who live in the nice parts of town

describe the process of market segmentation.

has four steps: (1) identify product-related need sets, (2) group consumers with similar need sets, (3) describe each group (in terms of demographics, media preferences, and lifestyles), and (4) select attractive segments to serve.

Upper-upper

inherited wealth, highly educated but may not work, fine houses and original art, international travel, generally "out-of-sight" except to lead charities or enter politics.

What is a price? How does the price of a product differ from the cost of the product to the consumer?

is the amount of money one must pay to obtain the right to use the product. The cost of the product to the consumer includes the price plus other costs such as time and effort to acquire the product, finance charges, maintenance expenses and so forth.

What is marketing strategy?

is the answer to the question: "How will we provide superior customer value to our target market at a profit?" It is deciding how to meet the needs of a defined target segment. It involves structuring the marketing mix.

Generation Y

the 79 million children of the original baby boomers, born between 1977 and 1994. It is the first generation to grow up with virtually full-employment opportunities for women, with dual-income households the standard, with a wide array of family types seen as normal, with significant respect for ethnic and cultural diversity, with computers in the home and schools, and with the Internet. It has also grown up with divorce as the norm, AIDS, terrorism, visible homelessness, drug abuse, gang violence, and, until a few years ago, stagnant or declining purchasing power for many families.

Working class

the husband's occupation involves some degree of manual labor, either skilled or unskilled. Many did not complete high school. Job security is low. Working class aristocrats dislike the upper-middle class and prefer products and stores positioned at their social class level.

What is a marketing mix?

the product, price, communications, distribution, and services provided to the target market. An important part of the concept is that these elements are deliberately blended to achieve a defined impact on the target market.

Lower-lower

the very poor, least educated, and rarely employed. They live on social welfare on a day-to-day basis.

Generation X

was born between 1965 and 1976. It is a smaller generation than its predecessor or that coming after it, namely Generation Y. This generation reached adulthood during difficult economic times. They are the first generation to be raised in dual-career or single parent households. They are the first American generation to seriously confront the issue of "reduced expectations". This generation faced a world racked by "regional conflicts", terrorism, an environment that continues to deteriorate, and an AIDS epidemic that threatens their lives. However, this generation is highly educated, with more Xer women highly educated than their male counterparts. This generation appears to be more entrepreneurial and less prone to devote their lives to large corporations. This group is relatively high in technology use.

What are the major outcomes for the firm of the marketing process and consumers' responses to it?

(1) A product position or image in the minds of the consumers, (2) sales and profits, and (3) satisfied (at some level) customers.

What are the four major uses or applications of an understanding of consumer behavior?

(1) Developing marketing strategy, (2) Developing regulatory policy for marketing actions, (3) Social marketing, and (4) Understanding how societies function (informed individuals).

What are the major outcomes for society of the marketing process and consumers' responses to it?

(1) Economic impacts, (2) environmental impacts, and (3) social impacts.

Describe three emerging aspects that may make the Asian American population somewhat easier to target.

1. Geographic concentration seems to be increasing. 2. Immigration of increased skilled workers from Mandarin-speaking regions of Mainland China, resulting in a gradual shift to Mandarin from Cantonese in Chinese communication. 3. The youth trend, with roughly half of Asian Americans under the age of 35, and 21% under the age of 18.

What is a regional subculture? Give some examples.

It is a geographic region with behaviors and values that differ from other areas of the country. The distinct cultures within each region arose due to climatic conditions, the natural environment and resources, the characteristics of the various immigrant groups that have settled in each region, and significant social and political events. Many marketers break down the U.S. by regional subcultures (e.g., Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest) due to their distinct subcultures and resulting consumption patterns.

What is purchasing power parity?

It is a measure of the ability of consumers in different countries with various income levels to purchase a set of goods. Basically, it equates the income level in a country to the income in American dollars that could buy the same set of goods that the income will buy in its home country. It answers the question, "how much would it cost in US dollars to live the lifestyle that a given income will buy in another country?" This allows meaningful cross-country income comparisons.

What is a total product?

It is all aspects of the product including its price, package, distribution system, image, and so forth.

What is social marketing?

It is the applications of marketing strategies and tactics to alter or create behaviors that have a positive effect on the targeted individual and/or society as a whole.

What is customer value and why is it important to marketers?

It is the difference between all of the benefits derived from a total product and all the costs of acquiring those benefits. It is important because consumers choose those options that they believe will provide them the most value.

How is the field of consumer behavior defined?

It is the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society.

What is product position?

It is what consumers think of and feel about a brand in relation to competing brands.

What does an effective communications strategy require?

It requires sound answers to these questions: (1) Who exactly do we want to communicate with? (2)What effect do we want our communication to have on the target audience? (3) What message will achieve the desired effect on our audience? (4) What means and media should we use to reach the target audience? (5) When should we communicate with the target audience?

To what extent do Asian Americans use their native language?

It varies by national background with Vietnamese being highest and Japanese being lowest. Regardless, Asian Americans prefer in general to be communicated to "in-language" or in a bi-lingual manner.

What regions are the major sources of America's immigrants?

Latin America (42.8) and Asia (39.1%)

What is meant by consumer lifestyle?

Lifestyle is how the consumer lives including the products that they purchase, how they use them, and what they think of them. It is the sum of past decisions and future plans.

What are some of the major marketing implications of the changing role of women?

Many products are losing their traditional sex typing. There is an increased importance on convenience, more independence in purchase decisions, increased male involvement in shopping and household duties, increased importance of leisure, and increased affluence of dual-earner household

What ethical issues arise in marketing to the lower social classes?

Marketers frequently ignore these classes yet they have needs just as do other social groups. Marketers need to develop appropriate products and services for these groups. Marketers should not take advantage of the vulnerabilities (limited education and a frequent feeling of hopelessness) of these individuals but should not patronize them either. The debate focuses on the responsibility of individual firms versus that of the larger society (government).

What are the basic principles that should be followed in marketing to an African American market segment?

Marketing to African Americans should be based on the same principles as marketing to any other group. That is, the market should be carefully analyzed, relevant needs should be identified among one or more segments of the market, and the entire marketing mix should be designed to meet the needs of the target segments. At times, the relevant segment of the African American market will require a unique product; at others, a unique package, advertising medium, or message. However, it is critical that the decision on how to appeal to this market be based on a sound understanding of the needs of the selected segments

How is voluntary simplicity related to the materialism value? What are the marketing implications of voluntary simplicity? Do these implications vary by product class?

The U.S. continues to possess the characteristics of a consumption society. However, there is some evidence that the strong value on material possessions is moderating with some consumers due to role overload, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. These consumers are rethinking their priorities and consciously simplifying their lives. Although voluntary simplicity involves a small segment of the overall population, its growth holds economic and marketing consequences. For example, eBay and other outlets have helped to satisfy the demand for second-hand products. Marketers must track then needs of these consumers including increased demand for green products. Luxury products seem more likely to be affected by voluntary simplicity than are necessities, though within-category differences could also exist (voluntary simplicity increasing eating at home but decreasing meals at fancy restaurants).

Baby Boomer Generation

The baby boom generation refers to those individuals born during the dramatic increase in births between the end of World War II and 1964. There are about 75 million baby boomers. Most of this group grew up during the prosperous 1950s and 1960s. High education levels, high incomes, and dual-career households characterize baby boomers. Retirement is no longer in the distant future, and some have already made that step. However, surveys indicate that boomers plan to continue and expand the concept of "active retirement" begun by the depression generation. Numerous segmentation opportunities exist for this generation.

Describe the basic conflict between the environmental movement and many businesses.

The basic thrust of environmentalism is the "three Rs" - reduce, reuse, recycle. Two of the three core thrusts of the environmental movement thus conflict with the objective of most businesses, which is growth in sales and profits. This conflict between producing and conserving mirrors the conflict between the value Americans place on the environment and their materialistic orientation.

What determines the degree to which a subculture will influence an individual's behavior?

The degree to which an individual behaves in a manner unique to a subculture depends on the extent to which the individual identifies with the subculture and the extent to which the subculture engages in unique behaviors.

Depression Generation

The depression generation is the cohort group born between 1930 and 1945. Most have or soon will retire. There are about 25 million individuals in this group. Many have accumulated substantial wealth in the form of home equity and savings. Those who still work often dominate the top positions in both business and government. Many in this generation are still in good health and are quite active. Nonetheless, this generation is dealing with the physical effects of aging.

Why is the United States considered to be a secular society?

The educational system, government, and political process are not controlled by a religious group and most people's daily behaviors are not guided by strict religious guidelines. Nonetheless, roughly 77 percent of American adults claim a religious affiliation and a majority state that religion is important in their lives.

What forces seem to be creating a global teenage culture?

The emergence of worldwide mass media is the strongest influence. Entertainers and sports heroes as superstars and the universal appeal of a variety of sports are also important.

What is a social class system?

The hierarchical division of a society into relatively permanent and homogeneous groups with respect to attitudes, values, and lifestyles.

What is required to provide superior customer value?

The organization must do a better job of anticipating and reacting to customer needs than the competition. This requires knowledge of consumer behavior as well as technical and marketing skills.

What trend(s) characterizes the age distribution of the American population?

The population is aging with the most rapid growth occurring in the 60 + groups. There is also growth in the under 10 and 30-39 age segments, though to a lesser degree.

Pre-depression Generation

The pre-depression generation refers to those individuals born before 1930. Some 5 million Americans are in this generation. As a group, they are conservative and concerned with financial and personal security. High mortality among this group is shrinking its size rapidly.

Is the American culture more like a soup or a salad?

The traditional view was that America was a melting pot or a soup. Immigrants from various countries would come to America and quickly surrender their old languages, values, behaviors, and even religions. In their place, they would acquire American characteristics that were largely a slight adaptation of Western European, particularly British features. The base American culture was vast enough that new immigrates did not change the flavor of the mixture to any noticeable extent. While this view was a reasonable approximation for most Western European immigrates, it was never very accurate for African, Hispanic, or Asian immigrates. Nor did it accurately describe the experience of Native Americans. Today, America is often described as a salad rather than a melting pot or a soup bowl. When a small amount of a new ingredient is added to soup, it generally loses its identity completely and blends into the overall flavor of the soup. In a salad, each ingredient retains its own unique identity while adding to the color and flavor of the overall salad. The soup analogy is probably most accurate for European immigrants and nationality groups while the salad analogy most closely describes the experience of non-European immigrants and nationality groups. However, even in the salad bowl analogy, we should add a large serving of salad dressing that represents the core American culture and that blends the diverse groups into a cohesive society.

What are Piaget's stages of cognitive development?

There are four stages: (1) the period of sensori-motor intelligence (ages 0-2) - primarily motor behavior, (2) the period of preoperational thought ages (2-7) - development of language and rapid growth in conceptual capabilities, (3) the period of concrete operations (ages 7-11) - able to apply logical thought to concrete problems, and (4) the period of formal operations (ages12-15) - able to apply abstract logic.

Describe the Buddhist subculture.

There are nearly as many Buddhists in America as there are Muslims. They are primarily Asian American or white, although Asian Americans are more likely to be Christian (roughly 34 percent) than Buddhist (roughly 14 percent). Buddhists tend to be slightly above average in income and education, and they are concentrated in the West. There are a variety of Buddhist sects in America. All emphasize the basic idea that all beings are caught in samsara, a cycle of suffering and rebirth that is basically caused by desire and actions that produce unfavorable karma. Samsara can be escaped and a state of nirvana reached by following the Noble Eightfold Path. This combines ethical and disciplinary practices, training in concentration and meditation, and the development of enlightened wisdom.

How has the distribution of household types in the United States been changing? What are the implications of these shifts?

There is a trend toward smaller and nonfamily households with continued growth in the number of households. In addition, there is an increasing number of singles as a result of delayed marriage as well as in sole survivors of the 65 and overpopulation. This means that smaller sizes of many products will be important. The single-parent households will need products and services to support their demanding lifestyles.

What is happening to male and female gender roles in America?

They are becoming more similar, with the female role moving closer to the traditional male role.

Are the various ethnic subcultures homogeneous or heterogeneous?

They are very heterogeneous not only in terms of demographics but also in terms of their identification with their home culture and their use of English.

Generation Z

This generation was born between 1995 and 2009. They are best characterized as teens and tweens. They are also been labeled the Digital Natives, Generation @, and the Net Generation due to the fact that none of the members of this cohort can recall a time before computers, the internet and cell phones. This generation is dealing with global unrest, economic uncertainty, terrorism, the Virginia Tech massacre, cyber-bullying, and global warming. Ethnic diversity is high among this group. They embrace multiculturalism, having grown up with the first black president and the legalization of same-sex marriage.