Individual determinants of consumer behaviour Flashcards
The consumer attributes
the attributes of a person that refer to what people are and they are central to
consumer behaviour
- concept of self
- personality
- motivation
- perception
- attitude
The concept of self or self-concept
The overall idea a person has about who he/she is and includes cognitive
and affective judgments about itself
Multi-dimensional construct, incorporating how a person views itself in
terms of several different aspects (e.g., social, religious, spiritual, physical,
emotional)
“congruent” vs “incongruent”
-
The individualistic model of self
Based on the concept of separated self where intergenerational
interdependence is not required for family livelihood
The collectivistic model of self
Behaviour is a consequence of being responsive to others with whom one is
interdependent.
Individual behaviour is situational and sensitive to social context (e.g.
different behaviour at work and in personal relationships)
The Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSQ) by
Goñi, Madariaga, Axpe & Goñi (2011)
- the scale is made up of 22 statements, divided into four subcategories:
- Self-fulfillment
- Autonomy
- Honesty
- Emotional self-concept
Self-concept is related to several other “self” constructs
• self-esteem - a person’s overall sense of
his/her value or worth
• self-image - self-image refers to how you perceive yourself
• extended self - the interrelationship between consumers’ self-image and their possessions in a way that possessions are considered extensions of the self
• virtual self
Self-esteem in individualistic cultures
In individualistic cultures self-esteem is natural and valid barometer of
human worth and psychological health
Self-esteem in collectivistic cultures
Interdependent self highlights the importance of fitting in, restraining
ourselves and maintaining social harmony
The six dimensions of a person’s self-image
- Physical dimension: how a person evaluates his or her appearance
- Psychological dimension: how a person evaluates his or her personality
- Intellectual dimension: how a person evaluates his or her intelligence
- Skills dimension: how a person evaluates his or her social and technical
skills - Moral dimension: how a person evaluates his or her values and principles
- Sexual dimension: how a person feels he or she fits into society’s
masculine/feminine norms
Different kind of self-image
- Actual self-image - how consumers in fact see themselves
- Ideal self-image - how consumers would like to see themselves
- Social self-image - how consumers feel others see them
- Ideal social self-image - how consumers would like others to see them
- Expected self-image - how consumers expect to see themselves at some
specific future time - „Ought-to” self image - characteristics that consumer believes it is his/her
duty or obligation to possess
The Extended Self (individualistic vs collectivistic)
In individualistic cultures product
ownership can express uniqueness
and independence
In collectivistic cultures product
ownership may have the function
of demonstrating life stage and
group identity
Personality
The sum of the qualities and characteristics of being a person
Inner psychological characteristics that both determine and reflect how a person responds to his or her environment
It enables consumer categorisation
Personality (individualistic vs collectivistic)
• Western individualists view personal traits as fixed so they can be used to
predict behaviour
• in collectivistic cultures use of personal traits for predicting behaviour is not
so strong because their behaviour depends on situational factors and
upholding „face”
Specific personality traits
• Consumer innovativeness
• how receptive a person is to new consumer-related experiences
• Consumer materialism
• the degree of the consumer’s attachment to „worldly possessions”
• Consumer ethnocentrism
• the consumer’s likelihood to accept or reject foreign-made products
• Need for uniqueness
• people for whom conformity to others’ expectations or standards, either in
appearance or in their possessions, is something to be avoided
Motivation
Driving force within individuals that impels them to action
produced by a state of tension, which exists as a result of an unfulfilled need
Motivation process (important)
Unfulfilled need –> tension –> drive –> (Personality, perception, learning, attitudes, cognitive process) –> Behaviour –> Goal or need fulfilment –> Tension reduction
Needs
- Innate needs - primary needs of motives
* Acquired needs - secondary needs
Goals
sought-after results of motivated behaviour
Motives
Rational motives
Emotional motives
Maslow’s theory
• individuals’ seek to satisfy lower-level needs before higher–level needs
emerge
• there is some overlap between each level, as no need is ever completely
satisfied
Culture-related consumer needs and motives
• the status motive
• avoiding loss of face - consumption of luxury goods is regarded
as a behaviour that can enhance one’s face
• green motives, the environment
• purity
• convenience
Perception
The process by which an individual selects, organizes and interprets
stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world.
People learn ‘rules of seeing’
Dynamics of Perception
• Perceptual exposure - the immediate and direct response of the sensory organs (eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin) to stimuli
• Perceptual selection - people who are used to behaviour and phenomena in their own culture tend to expect similar in other cultures
• Perceptual organization - the perceived characteristics of even the simplest stimulus are viewed as a function of the whole to which the stimulus appeals to belong to – Gestalt psychology
• Perceptual interpretation - • uniquely individual because it is based on what individuals expect to see in
the light of their previous experiences, on the number of plausible explanations they can envision, and on their motives and interests at the time
of perception
Perceived risk
The uncertainty that consumers face when they cannot foresee the
consequences of their purchase decision
Types of perceived risk
Functional risk - the risk that the product will not preform as expected
Physical risk - the risk to self and others that the product may pose
Financial risk - the risk that the product will not be worth its cost
Social risk - the risk that the poor product choice may result in social
embarrassment
Psychological risk - risk that a poor product choice will bruise consumer’s ego
Time risk - the risk that the time spent in product search may be spent in vain if
the product does not perform as expected
Attitude
A learned predisposition to behave in a consistently favorable or unfavorable
way with respect to a giving object
Fishbein behavioural intention model
• Fishbein behavioural intention model (theory of reasoned action) which
says that a person’s behavioural intentions are determined by
• an attitudinal or personal component
• a normative or social component
Tricomponent attitude model
- Cognitive component
- Affective component
- Conative component
