Chapter 4: Learning, Remembering, and Knowing Flashcards
What is learning
It refers to the acquisition of information, behaviors or abilities. It can happen through direct experience or by observing others, it is an ongoing process
What is incidental learning
Incidental learning happens unconsciously or unintentionally through repeated exposure, experiences, and associations. (unintentional acquisition of knowledge)
Explain the learning theories
- Behavioral learning theories: assume that learning takes place as the result of responses to external events.
- Cognitive theories: perspectives that regard learning as a set of internal mental processes that acquire and construct knowledge from observing what others say and do
Define conditioning
Conditioning is a process of learning that occurs through associations between stimuli and responses.
What are the two types of conditioning
- Classical Conditioning (Pavlov): a stimulus that elicits a response is paired with another stimulus that initially does not elicit a response on its own. Overtime the second stimulus causes a similar response because we associate it with the first stimulus
- Operant Conditioning (Instrumental Conditioning) – involves learning behaviours through rewards and punishments. Example: Coca-Cola uses promotional rewards to encourage purchases. .
[Coca-Cola effectively uses classical conditioning to create emotional brand associations, and operant conditioning to drive consumer behavior through rewards and promotions. This combination strengthens brand loyalty and increases sales.]
Explain the marketing applications of repetition
- Repetition increases learning
- More exposures = increased brand awareness
- When exposure decreases, extinction occurs
- However, too much exposure leads to advertising wear out
Explain the marketing applications of classical conditioning principles: the halo effect
Stimulus generalization: stimuli to a conditioned stimulus evokes an unconditioned response
- Family branding (product capitalize on the reputation of a company name)
- Product line extensions (related products to an established brand, Samsung from phones > vr headsets)
- Licensing (companies ‘rent’ well-known names hoping that the learned associations will rub off onto other kinds of products)
- Look-alike packaging (similar packaging evokes similar responses among customers who assume that this “me too” product shares other characteristics of the original product)
Explain consumer confusion
It is how likely that one company’s logo, product design or package is similar to another that the typical shopper would mistake one for the other
In what three ways does instrumental conditioning occur
- Positive Reinforcement: it is provided in the form of a reward. (sponsorships, free samples at events, loyalty programs.)
- Negative Reinforcement: shows how a negative outcome can be avoided. Red Bull is often marketed as a solution to fatigue or mental exhaustion, making consumers buy it to avoid tiredness and stay alert.
- Punishment: occurs when unpleasant events follow a response. If Red Bull were to lose credibility (e.g., failing to deliver an energy boost), consumers might switch to competitors.
Loyalty programs are a popular way for marketers to apply _____ conditioning
Instrumental
What are the four types of reinforcement
> Reinforcement: positive reinforcement (add something positive to increase behavior) and negative reinforcement (remove something negative to increase behavior)
> Punishment: punishment (add something negative to decrease behavior) and extinction (remove something positive to decrease behavior)
Explain observational learning
Occurs when you watch the actions of others and note the reinforcements they receive for their behaviors
What consists of cognitive theories
- Internal mental processes
- Observational learning > modeling (the process of imitating the behavior of others)
- How kids develop cognitive skills > theory of mind (refers to knowing and being aware of one’s own and other people’s mental states and understanding what they think and feel)
What are the three developmental stages
- limited: children who are younger than age 6 do not employ storage and retrieval strategies
- queued: children between the ages of 6 and 12 employ these strategies but only when prompted to do so
- strategic: children 12 and older spontaneously employ storage and retrieval strategies
Define memory
A process of acquiring information and storing it over time so that it will be available when we need it
Explain the different types of memory
Sensory memory > temporary storage of information received from the senses, its capacity is low and takes a few seconds
Short-term memory > brief storage of information currently being used, its capacity is limited and takes less than 20 seconds
Long-term memory > relatively permanent storage of information, its capacity is unlimited and takes a long time or is permanent.
What is the memory process
- encoding stage: information enters in a way the system will recognize
- storage stage: integrate this knowledge with what is already in memory and store it until it is needed
- retrieval stage: we access the desired information
What makes us forget
- Decay: the structural changes that learning produces in the brain simply go away
- Interference: as we learn additional information it replaces the previous information (retroactive interference)
- Motivated forgetting: sometimes we just want to forget
- Memory efficacy: the belief that we will be able to remember things that we experience right now
What helps us to remember
> Salience: refers to a brands prominence in our memory
- von Restoff Effect (any technique that increases the novelty of a stimulus & also improves recall, e.g. mystery ads)
- Mixed emotions (ads with both positive and negative components)
- Unipolar emotions (ads that are either positive or negative)
> Visual vs verbal cues: pictures can act as memory markers (reminders of events or experiences) and memory preservation
> Creating a narrative: stories help people to construct mental representations of the information we see or hear
How do we measure consumers memories for marketing messages
Recognition vs recall: recognition is always better than recall because recognition is prompted while recall isn’t
How do we organize what we know
- Associative network: contains many bits of related information
- Knowledge structures: spider webs filled with pieces of data
What is the process of spreading activation
- Brand-specific: knowledge is stored in terms of claims the brand makes (its luxurious)
- Ad-specific: memory is stored in terms of the medium or content of the marketing communication itself (instagram influencers styling the item)
- Brand identification: memory is stored in terms of the brand name
- Product category: memory is stored in terms of how the product works or where it should be used
- Evaluative reactions: memory is stored as positive or negative emotions (that looks very stylish)
What are the levels of categorization
- superordinate category
- basic level (typically items that have a lot in common with each other)
- subordinate category (individual brands)
Explain the marketing applications of consumers’ knowledge structures
- Position a product
- Identify competitors
- Create an exemplar product
- Locate products in a store
- Create distinctive associations
Explain frequency
It rewards regular purchasers with prices that get better as they spend more
