Consumer Behavior Ch. 4 (learning & memory)
example of a proposition
"Axe is cologne for macho men"
How do we learn to be consumers? (3 ways)
(1) Consumer socialization (2) parent's influence (3) TV's influence
3 types of parenting style/influences
(1) authoritarian: hostile, restrictive, emotionally uninvolved (2) neglecting: parents are detached from their children and don't have much control over what their kids do (3) indulgent: parents communicate more with their children about consumption-related matters & are LESS restrictive
attention (1) retention (2) production processes (3) motivation (4)
(1) consumers attention must be directed to the appropriate model and that person must be someone the consumer wants to emulate (2) the consumer must remember what the model says or does (3) the consumer must convert this information into actions (4) the consumer must be motivated to perform these actions
Cognitive Learning Theory: main 2 ideas
(1) internal learning processes (2) people are problem-solvers
5 stages of consumer development
(1) observing ~infants (2) making requests ~ 2 yrs (3) making selections ~ 4yrs (4) making assisted purchases ~5-6yrs (5) making independent purchases ~8 yrs
The Halo Effect
(A type of stimulus generalization) -people react to other similar stimuli much the same way they responded to the original stimulus
How do many classic advertising campaigns enhance recall? How does it work?
-they consist of product slogans repeated often -for this to work, the UCS must be repeatedly paired with the CS, or extinction occurs
classical conditioning component examples in Pavlov's dogs (3)
-unconditioned stimulus = dog food -conditioned stimulus = bell -conditioned response = salivation
Memory stages: (3)
1) encoding 2) storage 3) retrieval
psychologist who demonstrated the effects of instrumental learning
B.F. Skinner (used pigeons and other animals to dance and do tricks and systematically rewarded them) "positive reinforcement"
The other products we associate with an individual product will influence...what?
HOW we will remember that individual product
What does conditioning result in?
LEARNING
Products help us retrieve memories from our...
PAST.
example of Classical Conditioning??
Pavlov's dogs w/ bell, food, and salivation
schema
cognitive framework we develop through experience
Repetition effect
conditioning effects are more likely to occur after the conditioned stimulus & unconditioned stimulus have been paired a number of times
Markets can measure our _____ about products and ads.
memories
Modeling
the process of imitating the behavior of others
(schedule) variable-ratio
use by SLOT machines
children start accompanying their parents to the marketplace as early as _________ and begin to make independent purchases as early as __________.
-- one month old --four years old
proposition or belief
-a combination of meaning concepts (like "macho") that are stored as individual nodes into a larger unit -a proposition links two nodes together to form a more complex meaning
script
-a type of schema that is especially relevant to consumer behavior -a sequence of events an individual expects to occur -as consumers, we learn service scripts that guide our behavior in commercial settings
*3) short-term memory
-brief storage of information currently being used (limited capacity w/ duration of LESS than 20 sec) -"working" memory
what two theories are types of Behavioral Learning Theories?
-classical conditioning -instrumental (operant) conditioning
"chunking"
-combining of small information pieces into larger ones -a "chunk" is a configuration that is familiar and the person can think about it as a unit
positive reinforcement? e.g.?
-comes in the form of a reward -polarized sunglasses = better fishing
What consumer phenomena do the behavioral learning principles apply to?
-creating a distinctive brand image -linking a product to an underlying need
narrative:
-description of a product that is written as a story -often an effective way to convey product information
4 ways that marketers can strategically use "stimulus generalization"
-family branding -product line extensions -licensing -look-alike packaging
memory lapses (3)
-omitting facts -averaging (normalizing the memories by not reporting extreme cases) -telescoping (inaccurate recall of time)
benefits of gamification
-rapid and frequent feedback -reward for most or all efforts in the form of a badge or virtual product -friendly competition in a low-risk environment -manageable degree of uncertainty
Learning (3 things)
-relatively permanent change in behavior caused by experience -direct or observed -an ongoing process
negative reinforcement? e.g.?
-shows how a negative outcome can be avoided -ad showing how the person not wearing polarized sunglasses isn't as successful
4 steps to observational learning
1) attention 2) retention 3) production processes 4) motivation
Spreading Activation (5 types of meaning)
1) brand specific 2) ad specific 3) brand identification 4) product category 5) evaluative reactions
3 types of cognitive development
1) limited 2) cued 3) strategic
3 ways in which instrumental (operant) conditioning can occur
1) positive reinforcement 2) negative reinforcement 3) punishment
information processing perspective indicates that there are 3 distinct memory systems: how do they connect?
1) sensory memory 2) short-term memory 3) long-term memory & each plays a role in processing brand-related info.
T or F: We do not learn about products by observing others' behavior
FALSE: we do!
"gamification" -store and brand loyalty
Foursquare gives people virtual badges when they check in at a local cafe or restaurant; can compete for "mayor" of a location
stimulus generalization e.g. in Pavlov's Dogs?
Stimuli similar to a conditioned stimulus may evoke similar responses e.g.: Pavlov noticed in later studies that his dogs would sometimes drool when they heard noises that vaguely sounded like a bell, such as jingling keys.
T or F: marketers may resurrect popular characters to evoke fond memories of the past
TRUE (e.g.: nostalgia, retrobrand)
T or F: people tend to give "yes" responses to questions regardless of the question
TRUE (results in faulty recognition test)
T or F: Both classical and instrumental conditioning processes help consumers learn about products
True
T or F: There is a difference between classical and instrumental conditioning
True
In observational learning situations, learning occurs as a result of: (what type of learning? ______ process)
VICARIOUS rather than direct experience (complex process)
Brand Equity
a brand has strong positive associations in a consumer's memory and, as a result, commands a lot of loyalty
"gamification" -endowed progress effect
a carwash gave one set of customers a buy 8 get 1 free card while a second set of customers got a 10-wash card that had been punched twice
decay
a process in which the structural changes that learning produces in the brain simply go away
Classical conditioning
a stimulus that elicits a response is paired with another stimulus that initially does not elicit a response on its own
product line extensions
addition of related products to an established brand
too MUCH exposure leads to (e.g.)
advertising wear out (Izod croc on clothes)
Licensing
allows companies to rent well known names
multiple-intelligence theory
an influential perspective that argues for other types of intelligence like athleticism or musical ability, beyond the traditional math and verbal skills that psychologists typically use to measure IQ
retro brand:
an updated version of a brand from a prior historical period (e.g. the Mini Cooper, PT cruiser, and VW Beetle)
The process of stimulus generalization is critical to:
branding and packaging decisions that try to capitalize on consumer's positive associations with an existing brand or company name
incidental learning
casual, unintentional acquisition of knowledge
3) strategic cognitive dev.
children 12 and older spontaneously employ storage-and-retrieval strategies
2) cued cognitive dev.
children between the ages of 6 & 12 employ these strategies but ONLY when prompted to do so
1) limited cognitive dev.
children who are younger than age 6 do NOT employ storage-and-retrieval strategies
stimulus discrimination
conditions may weak over time, especially when an unconditioned stimulus does NOT follow a stimulus similar to a conditioned stimulus (rxns weaken and soon will disappear)
cognitive theories focus on:
consumers as problem solvers who learn when they observe relationships
Distinctive packaging designs
create strong associations with a particular brand ("look-alike packaging")
spacing effect
describes the tendenct for us to recall printed material more effectively when the advertiser repeats the target item periodically, rather than presenting it repeatedly in a short time period
a marketing message may activate our brain ______ or _________.
directly OR indirectly
What do psychologists who subscribe to the "behavioral learning theory" NOT focus on?
do NOT focus on internal thought processes
gamification creates a:
dynamic digital environment (whether in-store, on a laptop, or on tablet/phone) that resembles a sophisticated videogame platform
family branding
enables products to capitalize on the reputation of a company name
How do companies that make generic or private-level brands want to communicate a quality image?
exploit the linkage of distinctive packaging designs by putting their products in similar packages to those of popular brands
when exposure decreases=
extinction occurs (extinction = association is forgotten)
"gamification"
fast growing strategy that turns routine actions into experiences as it adds gaming elements to tasks that might otherwise be boring or routine
pioneering brand
first brand to enter a market
learned associations with brands...
generalize to other products
hybrid ad
include a program tie-in
the process of consumer socialization begins with:
infacnts
encoding stage
information enters in a way the system will recognize
*4) elaborative rehearsal
information subjected to elaborative rehearsal or deep processing (i.e. the meaning is considered) is transferred to long-term memory -allows us to move from short to long-term
*2) attention
information that passes through an additional gate is transferred to short-term memory
instrumental conditioning refers to ___________ behaviors & classical conditioning works to condition responses to ________ behaviors.
instrumental (operant) = VOLUNTARY classical = INVOLUNTARY
storage stage
integration of this knowledge with what is already in memory and "warehouse" it until it is needed
longterm memory and short term memory are __________ systems.
interdependent
how can marketers attach our fond memories to new products?
introduce "retro brands"
conditioning results in...
learning
repetition increases
learning
Behavioral learning theories assume that:
learning takes place as the result of responses to external events
Evaluative Reactions meaning:
memory stored as POSITIVE or NEGATIVE emotions
Product Category meaning:
memory stored in terms of how the product works or where it should be used
Brand Identification meaning:
memory stored in terms of the BRAND NAME
more exposures =
more brand awareness
"gamification" -social marketing
more than 75 utilities use a service form a company called "Opower" that awards badges to customers when they reduce their energy consumption; customers can compare their progress with their neighbors and brag on FB
highlighting effect
occurs when the order in which consumers learn about brands determines the strength of association between these brands and their attributes
punishment
occurs when unpleasant events follow a response
(schedule) variable interval reinforcement
one doesn't know when the reward will be offered and because you don't know exactly when to expect the reinforcement, you have to respond at a consistent rate
mixed emotions
positive and negative components in an emotion
example of "incidental learning"
recognize brand names & hum product jingles (even for products we don't use)
Ad-Specific meaning:
refers to memories stored in terms of the MEDIUM or CONTENT of the AD itself
Brand Specific meaning:
refers to memory stored in terms of the claims the brand makes
illusion of truth effect
refers to the phenomenon of people remembering a claim is true when they have been told the claim is false
(schedule) fixed ratio reinforcement
reinforcement only occurs after a fixed number of response
episodic memories:
relate to events that are PERSONALLY relevant
responses we make to instrumental (operant) conditioning are:
related to obtaining a goal
*5) long-term memory
relatively permanent storage of information (unlimited capacity w/ long or perm. duration)
Conditioning Issues (4)
repetition stimulus generalization stimulus discrimination extinction
interference
results in the occurrence of "forgetting" because as we learn additional information, it displaces the previous information
Our brains process information about brands to...
retain them in memory
An example of "frequency marketing"?
rewards programs
follower brands
ride on the coattails of "pioneering brand" because the first product's introduction is likely to be distinctive, so at that point in time, no competitors divert our attention
Von Restorff effect
shows that almost any technique that increases the novelty of a stimulus also improves recall
"gamification" -employee performance
some restaurants enlist a service called "Objectives Logistics" to rank the performances of waiters on a leaderboard, rewarding the good ones with plum shifts and more lucrative tables .
What do psychologists who subscribe to the "behavioral learning theory" focus on?
stimulus-response connections
*1) sensory memory
temporary storage of sensory information (high capacity w/ short duration of 1 sec)
activation models of memory explain:
that depending on the nature of the processing task different levels of processing occur that activate some aspects of memory rather than others
salience
the "salience" of a brand refers to its prominence or level of activation in memory
activation models of memory: the MORE effort it takes to process information....
the MORE LIKELY it is that information will transfer into long-term memory.
what is observational learning?
the consumer acquires and performs the behavior earlier demonstrated by a model
nostalgia
the emotions where we view the past with longing, referencing the good old days
(Schedule) fixed interval reinforcement
the first response made brings the reward and then on a specific set interval, future rewards are given
Instrumental (operant) conditioning
the individual learns to perform behaviors that produce positive outcomes and to avoid those that yield negative outcomes
Retrieval is:
the process whereby we recover information from long term memory (can be affected by many things aka HOW the marketer presents the info.)
Explain why "made-up" brand names such as Malboro, Coca-Cola, or Reebok exert such powerful effects on consumers?
the transfer of meaning from an unconditioned stimulus to a conditioned stimulus (Malboro man and cigarette association is so strong that sometimes they don't even have to include the brand name in ads)
extinction occurs when....
there is NO reinforcement (in other words) the conditioning is NOT activated because it has NOT been reinforced
when marketers play on nostalgia...
they want us to attach our fond memories to new products
marketers need to determine the most effect reinforcement schedule to use because:
this decision relate to the amount of effort and resources they must devote when they reward consumers who respond to their requests as the company hopes.
components of classical conditioning
unconditioned stimulus conditioned stimulus conditioned response
retrieval stage
we access the desired information
state-dependent retrieval
we are better able to access information if our internal state is the same at the time of recall as when we learned the information
Social default
when we are preoccupied with other demands, we are likely to mimic others' behaviors
When does observational learning occur?
when we watch the actions of others and note the reinforcements they receive for their behaviors
unipolar emotions
wholly positive or wholly negative emotions