Chapter 8

Walker was gathering information on plasma and LCD TVs because he wanted to purchase one for his household. He bought several electronic product magazines, visited several electronics stores, searched the Internet, and paid attention to the ads in the newspaper to learn more about this product. However, he was confronted with so much information that he could not attend to all of it. In fact, he it got to the point that he would not attend to it and became frustrated. This is an example of _____.

information overload

Which of the following is considered an individual factor affecting attention?

motivation

Sam doesn't know much about digital video recorders, so when he went shopping for one, he decided on the model that had the highest price and the best warranty as well as one he had seen a lot of advertising for. Sam used these factors as _____.

quality signals

_____ refers to the capacity of individuals to attend to and process information.

Ability

For a period of time, Energizer Batteries used mock commercials for seemingly boring, mundane products. A few seconds into the mock commercial, viewers heard the distinctive drumbeat of the Energizer Bunny before it marched across the screen. Several viewers said that when they heard the drums, they looked at and attended to the commercial because they liked the bunny. However, over time, viewers stopped paying attention to the commercial. What theory suggests that if a stimulus doesn't change, over time we adapt or habituate to it and begin to notice it less?

Adaptation level theory

_____ represents the density of stimuli in the environment.

Clutter

_____ occurs when a stimulus is placed within a person's relevant environment and comes within range of their sensory receptor nerves.

Exposure

List four factors that are involved with the nature of perception

Exposure Attention Interpretation Memory

Is a series of activities by which stimuli are perceived, transformed into information, and stored.

Information processing

____ is separating a stimulus object from other objects.

Isolation

_____ refers to the fact that stimuli positioned close together are perceived as belonging to the same category.

Proximity

_____ occurs when one fast-forwards through a commercial on a prerecorded program, and _____ involves switching channels when a commercial appears.

Zipping; zapping

What is meant by the term "Hemispheric Lateralization"

distention between functions of right and left hemisphere

Which of the following stages of the information-processing model constitute perception?

exposure, attention, and interpretation

The manufacturer of the Little Giant Ladder runs a commercial that is 60 minutes long. The inventor of the ladder shows the versatility and uniqueness of this ladder, and several "regular" people demonstrate how easy it is to use. In fact, this ladder is over 20 ladders in one because of the many different ways it can be configured. Viewers can call the 800 number or visit the Web site to purchase this product. This is an example of a(n) _____. infomercial

infomercial