Chapter 4- Comprehension, Memory, and Cognitive Learning Flashcards
comprehension
the way people cognitively assign meaning to (ie. understand) things that they encounter
what are 3 factors related to consumer consumption?
internal factors, cognitive and affective elements, signal theory
internal factors
internal factors within the consumer powerfully influence the comprehension process.
cognitive and affective elements
the process of comprehension involves both thoughts and feelings
signal theory
every message sends signals, tells us that communications provide information in ways beyond the explicit or obvious content
physical characteristics of a message
the elements of a message that are directly/tangible elements/parts of a message that can be sensed; consumers prefer objects that are consistent with the golden ratio of 1.62
message congruity
represents the extent to which a message is internally consistent and fits surrounding information, figure, and ground
figure
object that is intended to capture a person’s attention aka the focal image
ground
the background; the contrast btwn the two represent the psychological figure-ground distinction
figure-ground distinction
note that each message can be separated into the focal point (figure) and the background (ground)
message source
a source’s attractiveness functions in much the same way as likeability; source influences comprehension to varying degrees based upon characteristics like likeability, attractiveness, expertise, trustworthiness, congruence
expertise
refers to the amount of knowledge that a source is perceived to have about a subject
trustworthiness
refers to how honest and unbiased a source is perceived to be
support arguments
thoughts that further support a message
intelligence/ability
intelligent, well educated, consumers are more likely to accurately comprehend a message than are less intelligent or less educated consumers;
marketers should communicate information pertaining to product warnings, usage instructions, or assembly directions in a way that those w/ relatively low intelligence can understand
prior knowledge
the human brain matches incoming information w/ pre-existing knowledge or prior knowledge provides resources or a way through which other stimuli can be comprehended ie. superstition
involvement
the highly involved consumer will click through more information than a less involved consumer
familiarity/ habituation
consumers tend to like familiarity, however in terms of comprehension, familiarity may lower a consumer’s motivation to process a message
habituation
the process by which continuous exposure to a stimulus affects the comprehension of , and response to some stimulus
adaptation level
the level of a stimulus to which a consumer has become accustomed
expectations
beliefs about what will happen in a future situation–what consumers expect to experience has an impact on their comprehension of the environment ie. how packaging influences consumer’s comprehension of products
physical limitations
a consumer’s physical limitations can also influence our comprehension
brain dominance
refers to the phenomenon of brain lateralization (left/right brain), R dominant tend to be visual processors (image>audio), whereas L dominant tend to deal better w/ verbal processing (words) & this influences metaphor comprehension among other things
information intensity
refers to the amount of info available for a consumer to process w/in a given environment
framing
a phenomenon in which the meaning of something is influenced by the information environment
prospect theory
hypothesizes that the way information is framed differently affects risks assessments and associated consumer decisions
priming
terms that refers to whether we are thinking about something using a concrete or abstract mindset; concrete: giving $10, abstract: thinking of a trip to Italy
timing
refers to the amount of time a consumer has to process the message and the point in time at which the consumer receives the message, the way time or age influences the interpretation of things is sometimes called zeitgeist
memory
the psychological process through which ppl record and store knowledge
multiple state theory of memory
theory that explains memory as utilizing three different storage areas w/in the human brain: sensory, workbench, and long term
sensory memory
(short term memory) area in memory system where info is stored and encoded for placement in long-term memory and eventually retrieved for future use
mechanisms in sensory memory
iconic storage: storage of visual information as an exact representation of the scene
echoic storage: storage of auditory info as an exact representation of the sound–all sights, sounds smells, tactile sensations, and tastes are recorded as exact replicas in the mind of the consumer
workbench memory
(limited capacity/working memory) the area in the memory system where info is stored and encoded for placement in long-term memory and eventually retrieved for future use
mechanisms in workbench memory
encoding: a process in which info is transferred from workbench memory to long-term memory and eventually retrieved for permanent storage
retrieval: the process by which info is transferred back into work-bench memory for additional processing when needed
what are 4 mental processes that help us remember things?
- repetition- a process in which a thought is held in short-term memory by mentally repeating the thought
- dual coding- a process in which two different sensory “traces” are available to remember something; a trace is a mental path by which some thought becomes active
- meaningful encoding- a process that occurs when pre-existing knowledge is used to assist in storing new info
- chunking- a process of grouping stimuli by meaning so that multiple stimuli can become a single memory unit
long-term memory
a repository for all info that a person has encountered:; this portion of memory has unlimited capacity and unlimited duration
mechanisms in long-term memory
semantive coding: the stimuli are connected to meaning that can be expressed verbally
memory trace: mental path by which some thought becomes active
spreading activation: way cognitive activation spreads from one concept (or note) to another ie. Tabasco & hot
mental tagging: a tag is a small piece of coded data that helps us get that particular piece of knowledge onto the workbench
rumination: refers to the unintentional, spontaneous, recurrent memory of past and sometimes long-ago events that are not necessarily triggered by anything in the environment, these thoughts frequently include consumption related activities
nostalgia: a mental yearning to relive the past
elaboration
the extent to which a person continues processing a message even after she develops an initial understanding in the comprehension stage
personal elaboration
ppl imagine themselves associating w/a stimulus being processed, provides the deepest comprehension and greatest chance of accurate recall
associate network
(semantic network) a network of mental pathways linking all knowledge within memory
declarative knowledge
a terms used in psychology to refer to cognitive components that represent facts
schema
a portion of an associative network that represents a specific entity and thereby provides it with meaning
exemplar
a concept within schema that is the single best representative of some category; they can vary person to person based on their experiences
prototypes
schema that is the best representative of some category but that is not represented by an existing entity; conglomeration of the most associated characteristics of a category
script
a schema representing an event; consumers derive expectations for service encounters from these scritps
episodic memory
the memory for past events, or episodes, in one’s life
social identity
the idea that individual is defined in part by the groups to which one belongs
