Individual determinants of consumer behaviour

Question 1

The consumer attributes

Answer 1

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

Question 2

The concept of self or self-concept

Answer 2

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)

Question 3

“congruent” vs “incongruent”

Answer 3

-

Question 4

The individualistic model of self

Answer 4

Based on the concept of separated self where intergenerational
interdependence is not required for family livelihood

Question 5

The collectivistic model of self

Answer 5

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)

Question 6

The Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSQ) by

Goñi, Madariaga, Axpe & Goñi (2011)

Answer 6

• the scale is made up of 22 statements, divided into four subcategories:
• Self-fulfillment
• Autonomy
• Honesty
• Emotional self-concept

Question 7

Self-concept is related to several other “self” constructs

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

Self-esteem in individualistic cultures

Answer 8

In individualistic cultures self-esteem is natural and valid barometer of
human worth and psychological health

Question 9

Self-esteem in collectivistic cultures

Answer 9

Interdependent self highlights the importance of fitting in, restraining
ourselves and maintaining social harmony

Question 10

The six dimensions of a person’s self-image

Answer 10

1. Physical dimension: how a person evaluates his or her appearance
2. Psychological dimension: how a person evaluates his or her personality
3. Intellectual dimension: how a person evaluates his or her intelligence
4. Skills dimension: how a person evaluates his or her social and technical
   skills
5. Moral dimension: how a person evaluates his or her values and principles
6. Sexual dimension: how a person feels he or she fits into society’s
   masculine/feminine norms

Question 11

Different kind of self-image

Answer 11

1. Actual self-image - how consumers in fact see themselves
2. Ideal self-image - how consumers would like to see themselves
3. Social self-image - how consumers feel others see them
4. Ideal social self-image - how consumers would like others to see them
5. Expected self-image - how consumers expect to see themselves at some
   specific future time
6. „Ought-to” self image - characteristics that consumer believes it is his/her
   duty or obligation to possess

Question 12

The Extended Self (individualistic vs collectivistic)

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Personality

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Personality (individualistic vs collectivistic)

Answer 14

• 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”

Question 15

Specific personality traits

Answer 15

• 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

Question 16

Motivation

Answer 16

Driving force within individuals that impels them to action

produced by a state of tension, which exists as a result of an unfulfilled need

Question 17

Motivation process (important)

Answer 17

Unfulfilled need –> tension –> drive –> (Personality, perception, learning, attitudes, cognitive process) –> Behaviour –> Goal or need fulfilment –> Tension reduction

Question 18

Needs

Answer 18

• Innate needs - primary needs of motives

* Acquired needs - secondary needs

Question 19

Goals

Answer 19

sought-after results of motivated behaviour

Question 20

Motives

Answer 20

Rational motives

Emotional motives

Question 21

Maslow’s theory

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

Culture-related consumer needs and motives

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

Perception

Answer 23

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’

Question 24

Dynamics of Perception

Answer 24

• 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

Question 25

Perceived risk

Answer 25

The uncertainty that consumers face when they cannot foresee the
consequences of their purchase decision

Question 26

Types of perceived risk

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Attitude

Answer 27

A learned predisposition to behave in a consistently favorable or unfavorable
way with respect to a giving object

Question 28

Fishbein behavioural intention model

Answer 28

• 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

Question 29

Tricomponent attitude model

Answer 29

• Cognitive component
• Affective component
• Conative component