CONSUMER BEHAVIOR chapter 3

behaviorist approach to learning

(also referred to as the behavioral learning perspective). This approach suggests that because the brain is a "black box," the focus of inquiry should be on the behavior itself.

JND

(just noticeable difference) represents how much stronger one stimulus has to be relative to another so that someone can notice that the two are not the same.

Weber's Law

(just noticeable difference) represents how much stronger one stimulus has to be relative to another so that someone can notice that the two are not the same.

Extinction

For example, consumers may become accustomed to receiving free tea and cookies at a local nail salon every time they get their nails done.

mere association effect

This effect occurs when meaning transfers between two unrelated stimuli that a consumer gets exposed to simultaneously.

information processing prespective

With this approach, the focus is on the cognitive processes associated with comprehension, including those leading to consumer learning.

psuedo set framing

an intuitive psychological process that motivates consumers to complete sets, whether the sets are real or imagined

instrumental response

behavior is conditioned through reinforcement.

Posotive reinforcers

come in many forms in the consumer environment and often take the form of some type of reward.

intentional learning

consumers deliberately set out to specifically learn information devoted to a certain subject.

unintentional learning

consumers simply sense and react (or respond) to the environment.

sensation

describes a consumer's immediate autonomic response to this information.

discriminative stimuli

differentiate one stimulus from other stimuli because they signal the presence of a reinforcer.

selective attention

involves paying attention to only certain stimuli.

selective exposure

involves screening out most stimuli and exposing oneself to only a small portion of stimuli.

orientation reflex

is a natural response to a threat from the environment. In this way, the orientation reflex represents a protective behavior.

selective distortion

is a process by which consumers interpret information in ways that are biased by their previously held beliefs.

shaping

is a process through which the desired behavior is altered over time, in small increments.

Involunatry attention

is autonomic, meaning that it is beyond the conscious control of the consumer and occurs as the result of exposure to surprising or novel stimuli.

subliminal persuasion

is behavior change induced or brought about based on subliminally processing a message.

attention

is the purposeful allocation of information-processing capacity toward developing an understanding of some stimulus.

preattentive effects

learning that is developed in the absence of attention.

sensory marketing

meaning they actively seek to engage consumers' senses as a primary aspect of the value proposition.

explicit memory

memory for information one is exposed to, attends to, and applies effort to remember.

contrast

occurs when a stimulus does not share enough in common with existing categories to allow categorization. An icy, bright red, alcoholic, sweet beverage served in a salt-rimmed glass shares very little in common with the "morning beverage" category.

Assimilation

occurs when a stimulus has characteristics such that individuals readily recognize it as an example of a specific category. A hot, brown coffee served in a ceramic mug fits the "morning beverage" category easily.

accommodation

occurs when a stimulus shares some, but not all, of the characteristics that allow it to fit neatly into an existing category. At this point, the consumer will begin processing, which allows exceptions to rules about the category. An iced coffee may require some adjustment for a consumer used to hot coffee as a morning beverage.

absolute threshold

of perception, the minimum strength needed for a consumer to perceive a stimulus.

Learning

refers to a change in behavior resulting from the interaction between a person and a stimulus

classicla conditioning

refers to a change in behavior that occurs simply through associating some stimulus with another stimulus that naturally causes a reaction.

Perception

refers to a consumer's awareness and interpretation of reality.

Anthropomorphism

refers to a design that gives humanlike characteristics to inanimate objects.

involvment

refers to the personal relevance a consumer feels towards a particular product.

exposure

refers to the process of bringing some stimulus within the proximity of a consumer so that it can be sensed by one of the five human senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, or sound).

subliminal processing

refers to the way in which the human brain senses low-strength stimuli, that is, stimuli that occur below the level of conscious awareness.

Punishers

represent stimuli that decrease the likelihood that a behavior will occur again

implicit memory

represents an intuitive process that stores information concerning stimuli to which one is exposed without the need for attention.

mere exposure effect

represents another way that consumers can learn unintentionally.

JMD

represents the smallest amount of change in a stimulus that would influence consumer consumption and choice.

Nudge Marketing

represents ways consumers can be influenced through subtle stimuli that do not involve deep, intentional, cognitive processing.

grounded cognition

suggests that bodily sensations influence thoughts and meaning independent of effortful thinking.

conditioned stimulus

that did not lead to the response before it was paired with the powder)

unconditioned stimulus

that naturally led to a salivation response

cognitive organization

we refer to the process by which the human brain assembles the sensory evidence into something recognizable.