Ch. 6 - Consumer Attitude Formation and Change

Question 1

Attitude

Answer 1

A learned predisposition to behave in a consistently favorable or unfavorable way toward a given object (product, brand, service, price, package, ad, etc.).

Question 2

Word-of-mouth

Answer 2

A method in which consumers learn attitudes

Question 3

Need for cognition

Answer 3

High: those who crave information and enjoy thinking
form positive attitudes in response to promotions that include a lot of detailed, product-related information.

Low: those who don’t
form positive attitudes in response to ads that feature attractive models, celebrities, or other peripheral cues about the product.

Question 4

Tri-component attitude model

Answer 4

A model describing the structure of attitudes, it maintains that an attitude consists of three components.

Cognitive
Affective
Conative

Question 5

Cognitive Component

Answer 5

The first component of the Tri-Component Model of attitudes. It represents the person’s knowledge and perceptions of the features of the attitude object, which, collectively, are the beliefs that the object possesses or does not possess specific attributes.

Question 6

Affective Component

Answer 6

The second component of the Tri-Component Model of attitudes. It represents the person’s emotions and feelings regarding the attitude object, which are considered evaluations because they capture the person’s overall assessment of the attitude object (i.e., the extent to which the individual rates the attitude object as “favorable” or “unfavorable,” “good” or “bad”).

ex: if person visiting shopping center feels particularly joyous during shopping there, he will spend more time doing so and recall with great pleasure the time spent at the shopping center

Question 7

Likert Scale

Answer 7

The most popular form of attitude scale, where consumers are asked to check numbers corresponding to their level of “agreement” or “disagreement” with a series of statements about the studied object. The scale consists of an equal number of agreement/disagreement choices on either side of a neutral choice.

Question 8

Semantic Differential Scale

Answer 8

A measure consisting of a series of bipolar adjectives (such as “good/bad,” “hot/cold,” “like/dislike,” or “expensive/inexpensive”) anchored at the ends of an odd-numbered (e.g., five- or seven-point) continuum.

Question 9

Conative Component

Answer 9

The third component of the Tri-Component Model of attitudes. It represents he likelihood that an individual will behave in a particular way with regard to the attitude object. In consumer behavior, the conative component is treated as an expression of the consumer’s intention to buy.

Question 10

What are the two primary strategies for changing consumers’ attitudes?

Answer 10

Changing an offerings overall image
Referring to specific product attributes

Question 11

Comparative Advertising

Answer 11

An advertising appeal where marketers proclaim that their products are better than competing brands named in the ads.

A means by which to change attitude towards competitors

Question 12

Two-sided message

Answer 12

A message that acknowledges competing products and/or the negatives of one’s own product or brand

Question 13

Multiattribute attitude models

Answer 13

Models that portray consumers’ attitudes as functions of their assessments of the objects’ prominent attributes.

Question 14

Attitude-toward-object model

Answer 14

A model stating that a consumer’s attitude toward a product or brand is a function of the presence of certain attributes and the consumer’s evaluation of those attributes.

Used in the development of new products, changing positioning, etc.

Question 15

Attitude-toward-behavior model

Answer 15

A model stating that a consumer’s attitude toward a specific behavior is a function of how strongly he or she believes that the action will lead to a specific outcome (either favorable or unfavorable).

ex: Consumer looking for a new car likes Lexus cars (i.e., positive attitude toward the object), but not be ready or willing to buy an expensive Lexus (i.e., a negative attitude toward the behavior associated with the object).

Question 16

TRA

Answer 16

Theory of reasoned action

Like the tri-component model, Incorporates the cognitive, affective, and conative components.

An approach to studying attitudes that measures the “subjective norms” that influence a person’s intention to act, which include his (or her) beliefs as to what relevant others (e.g., family, friends, roommates, co-workers) might think of the person’s contemplated action

Question 17

What two factors underlie subjective norms

Answer 17

Normative beliefs that the individual attributes to relevant others
Motivation to comply with the preferences of the relevant others

Question 18

Theory of trying to consume

Answer 18

represents cases where the outcome of a contemplated action (e.g., a purchase), stemming from a positive attitude, is uncertain but is still being pursued by the consumer. Two types of obstacles that may prevent the desired outcome

Personal impediments: trying to find the right tie for less than $50 or a person trying to lose weight but loves cookies

Environmental impediments: the reality that “just the right tie” costs more than $50, or realizing that one cannot continue eating cookies and lose weight, and that there are no low-calorie cookies that taste good

Question 19

Attitude-toward-the-ad-model

Answer 19

A model maintaining that a consumer forms various feelings (affects) and judgments (cognitions) as the result of exposure to an advertisement, which, in turn, affects the consumer’s attitude toward the ad and beliefs and attitudes toward the brand advertised.

Question 20

Attitudes-toward-social-media posts

Answer 20

The attitudes-toward-social-media-posts model proposes that consumers form attitudes about a brand when they see and hear posts about the brands on social media.

Question 21

Functional approach

Answer 21

An approach to changing attitudes by appealing to the reasons (or motivations) behind people’s attitudes. These reasons are called “functions.”

Utilitarian function, ego-defensive function, value-expressive function, knowledge function

Question 22

Utilitarian function

Answer 22

Reflects the utilities that brands provide. When a product enabled us to perform certain tasks in the past, our attitude toward it tends to be favorable.

One strategy for changing attitudes in favor of a product is by demonstrating to consumers that the product possesses a utilitarian purpose(s) that they may not have considered.

Paper towels spread germs, but Lysol wipes kill them

Question 23

Ego-defensive function

Answer 23

maintains that people form attitudes in order to protect themselves from sensing doubt and to replace uncertainty with feelings of security and confidence.

ex: ad for dentures that tells consumers that they can feel secure, smile, and eat because their brand of denture cream will not let their dentures fall out.

Question 24

Value expressive function

Answer 24

maintains that attitudes reflect consumers’ values and beliefs, and that marketers can create ads that either support or refute these notions.

ex: nutrition-conscious consumers believe that prepared salads are healthy and low in calories. An ad that refutes that belief stating these salads can be fattening because of salad dressing and added ingredients challenges the consumer’s belief.

Question 25

Knowledge function

Answer 25

peoples’ attitudes reflect strong needs to understand the characters of the people, events, and objects they encounter. Therefore, many firms use ads centered on the consumer’s need to know.

ex: new allergy medication might include a bar graph demonstrating the product’s superiority by contrasting its allergy-symptom–relief abilities with those of other allergy medications.

Question 26

ELM

Answer 26

Elaboration likelihood model

proposes that attitudes can sometimes be changed by either one of two different routes to persuasion—a central route or a peripheral route—and that the cognitive elaboration related to the processing of information received via each route is different.

Question 27

Central route to persuasion

Answer 27

A promotional approach maintaining that that highly involved consumers are best reached and persuaded through ads focused on the product’s attributes.

Considered thought and cognitive processing

for high-involvement purchases
comparative ads

Question 28

Peripheral route to persuasion

Answer 28

A promotional approach maintaining that uninvolved consumers can be best persuaded by the ad’s visual aspects rather than its informative copy (i.e., the product’s attributes).

requires relatively little thought and information processing

for low involvement purchases
non-comparative ads

Question 29

Utilitarian products

Answer 29

Instrumental purposes, used practically

Question 30

Hedonic products

Answer 30

designed to bring pleasure

Question 31

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 31

when a consumer holds conflicting thoughts about a belief or an attitude object

ex: after consumers have made a commitment to buy an important and pricy object—for example, made a down payment on a new house or an expensive car—they often begin to feel cognitive dissonance when they think of the unique, positive qualities of the alternatives not selected (“left behind”)

Question 32

Post-purchase dissonance

Answer 32

Cognitive dissonance that occurs after a purchase.

attitude change is the outcome of behavior

Question 33

How do consumers reduce their post-purchase dissonance?

Answer 33

Rationalize their decisions.

Seek advertisements that support their choices (while avoiding dissonance-creating competitive ads).

Try to “sell” friends on the positive features of the purchase made (i.e., “the consumer as a sales agent”).

Look to satisfied owners for reassurance (e.g., meet homeowners in the community where the newly purchased house is located).

Question 34

Attribution theory

Answer 34

A theory focused on how people assign causality to events and form or alter their attitudes after assessing their own or other people’s behavior.

ex: “I contributed to the American Red Cross because it really helps people in need,” or “He tried to persuade me to buy an iPhone, rather than a Galaxy, because he’d make a bigger commission.” In attribution theory, the underlying question is why: “Why did I do this?” “Why did he try to get me to switch brands?”

Question 35

Self-perception attribution

Answer 35

A mental interpretation that reflects the way people see themselves when they form causalities about prior events, which consists of internal and external attributions.

In the external attribution Anna might think, “My great video is beginner’s luck,” whereas in the internal attribution she might think, “The video is good because of me.”

Question 36

Defensive attribution

Answer 36

Behavior or thoughts that occur when people accept (or take) credit for success (internal attribution), but assign failure to others or outside events (external attribution).

Question 37

Foot-in-the-door technique

Answer 37

getting people to agree to large requests after convincing them to agree to a small and modest request first

Question 38

door-in-the-face technique

Answer 38

a large, costly first request that is likely to be refused is followed by a second, more realistic, and less costly request.