Lecture 4 Flashcards
Cognitions & Emotions
Do intuitions (automatic processes from Gawronski &
Creighton) and/or emotions (from Watson & Spence)
improve or hinder consumer decision making?
System I thinking
Intuition: automatic processing
- Similarity, contiguity
- Effortless (works well under time
pressure /cognitive load) - Also requires at least some time
- Resembles the homo economicus
(Economics Approach):
“Humans make rational, well-informed
decisions to maximize utility”
System II thinking
Reasoning: controlled/conscious processing
- Logic, rule governed
- Effortful (does not work well under time pressure/ cognitive load)
- Requires time
- Relates to nudging & use of heuristic decision strategies
(Communication Approach)
Generalized dual process theories
Thinking in general
Phenomenon-specific dual process
theories
For a specific research area (attitudes/persuasion/prejudice)
Formalized dual process theories
In formulas how thinking systems work together (mathematical equations for proportions)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of/ criticisms on generalized dual process theories?
+ Not limited to one research field - applicable to everything
- Very strong in creating lists
that do not necessarily hold
(e.g. cognitive ≠ intuition?) - Cannot be disconfirmed: can
explain everything after findings have been presented (difficult to empirically disprove)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of/ criticisms on phenomenon-specific dual process theories?
+ Very helpful in developing
specific research fields
- Some errors in models (equals
2 types of information (e.g.,
expertise, attractiveness) with
2 processes) - All own terminology, no cross-
referencing (re-inventing the
wheel every time)
Can you give an example of an error in the phenomenon-specific dual process theories?
An expert in wine; when making a decision he will use the reasoning system (because the knows a lot). Non-experts don’t know anything and use intuition.
But being an expert or not doesn’t mean you will use that particular thinking system
What are the advantages and disadvantages of/ criticisms on formalized dual process theories?
+ Acknowledges that two systems can both be active (in balance)
- Using formulas suggests that
we exactly know which findings reflect what system - Creates the illusion that we do not need to empirically
test the 2 systems anymore
How do the two systems
together influence
consumer behaviour?
Explain the example of the study in which they used a calculation condition and feeling condition and how much they were willing to pay for 5 or 10 Madonna CDs?
In the calculation condition they first asked e.g.
If a consumer bought 30 books for $340, then, by your
calculations, on average, how much did the consumer pay for each book?
In the feeling condition they first asked e.g.
When you hear the name “George W. Bush,” what do you
feel?
In the calculation condition people paid more for the 10 CDs than 5. In the feeling condition they paid more for 5 CDs than 10 CDs.
Explain the study of choosing between the chocolate cake and the fruit salad
One group had to remember a 7-digit number and the other group a 2-digit number and walk to the other room while having to choose between the chocolate cake and the fruit salad.
The people who had to remember the 7-digit number (intuition) chose more the chocolate cake than the 2-digit (reasoning) group.
How do emotions influence
consumer behaviour?
How would an ashamed person act while:
- Making a donation
- Gift-giving
- Listen to advice
- More donations to charity
- More gift giving
- More listening to advice
How would a proud person act while:
- Gift-giving
- Listen to advice
- Stuff to show off
- More gift giving
- Less listening to advice
- More high status consumption
Are emotions the same as intuition?
- Emotions are universally recognized
- Different emotions have different effects on consumer behaviour
- We are (often) conscious of how these emotions
influence our consumer behaviour
So emotions ≠ intuition!
What are emotions?
- Episodic, short-lived experiences
- Concern certain event/object
- Thus: different from moods!
Emotions consist of:
- Subjective feeling states
- Physiological reactions
- Facial expressions
- Cognitive evaluations
What do we need to know how emotion influences consumer behaviour?
- Need to know consumer goals
- Need to know emotion theory (specific emotion)
- Need to know relevant or irrelevant emotion
How can goals affect emotion?
Goals x situation (context) –> attitudes and emotions –> attitudes
Goal attainment –> happy
Emotion theories: categories approach
Active vs passive and negative vs positive
Emotion theories: dimensions approach
Pleasant/unpleasant, certainty/uncertainty etc, high effort/low effort etc.
Emotion theories: cognitive appraisal (specific emotions) approach
Event (problem) –> (goals –> cognitive appraisal –> emotion –> response (behaviour)
Example: getting a kitten –> happy or angry
What are relevant emotional influences?
- Relevant for consumer decision at hand
- Cause of emotion is related to the consumer decision
- Shows function of emotion
- Emotion = useful signal
E.g. collection and make you angry and you donate
What are irrelevant emotional influences?
- Not relevant to current decision
- Cause of emotion is unrelated to the consumer decision
- Spill-over effect, should logically not occur
- Emotion = disruptive signal
E.g. you are angry after a fight and don’t donate
What is necessary to understand consumer behaviour?
Dual processes and emotions
