Unit 8 - Social class and household influences

Question 1

Families changed from a model of extended family (three generations living together and often included not only the grandparents, but aunts, uncles and cousins),

Answer 1

to a model of nuclear family (a mother, a father and one more children (perhaps with a dog).

Question 2

The family is defined as:

Answer 2

“The persons within a private or institutional household who are related as husband and wife or as parent and never-married child by blood or adoption”.

Question 3

household

Answer 3

one person living alone, three room-mates or two lovers

Question 4

family lifecycle FLC

Answer 4

recognising that family needs and expenditures change over time

Question 5

A lifecycle approach to the study of the family assumes that

Answer 5

pivotal events alter role relationships and trigger new stages of life that modify our priorities (birth of a first child, departure of the last child from the house, death of a spouse, divorce, retirement of the principal wage earner…).

Question 6

Two basic types of decisions are made by families:

Answer 6

1. Consensual purchase decision

2. Accommodative purchase decision

Question 7

Consensual purchase decision:

Answer 7

the group agrees on the desired purchase, differing only in terms of how it will be achieved. The family will probably engage in problem-solving and consider alternatives until the means for satisfying the group’s goal is found.

Question 8

Accommodative purchase decision:

Answer 8

group members have different preferences or priorities and cannot agree on a purchase that will satisfy the minimum expectations of all involved.

Question 9

Family decisions are often characterised by

Answer 9

an accommodative rather than a consensual decision.

Question 10

Autocratic decisions:

Answer 10

made by one spouse

example:
men - selecting a car
women - decorating decisions

Question 11

Syncratic decisions:

Answer 11

those made jointly

example: holiday destination, home, appliances

Question 12

Family Financial Officer (FFO)

Answer 12

who keeps track of the family’s bills and decides how any surplus funds will be spent.

Question 13

Four factors appear to determine the degree to which decisions will be made jointly or by one or other spouse:

Answer 13

1. Sex-role stereotypes. Couples who believe in traditional sex-role stereotypes tend to make individual decisions for sex-typed products (masculine or feminine products).
2. Spousal resources. The spouse who contributes more resources to the family has the greater influence.
3. Experience. Individual decisions are made more frequently when the couple has gained experience as a decision-making unit.
4. Socio-economic status. More joint decisions are made by middle-class families than in either higher or lower class families.

Question 14

Women are still primarily responsible for the continuation of the family’s

Answer 14

kin network system: coordinating visits among relatives, phoning and writing to family members, sending greeting cards, making social engagements…

Question 15

muddling through

Answer 15

A couple reaches rather than makes a decision.

Question 16

Parental yielding:

Answer 16

it occurs when a parental decision maker is influenced by a child’s request and ‘surrenders’.

Question 17

Consumer socialisation has been defined as

Answer 17

the process ‘by which young people acquire skills, knowledge, and attitudes relevant to their functioning in the marketplace’.

Question 18

Influence of parents:

Answer 18

They deliberately try to instil their own values about consumption in their children.

Question 19

observational learning

Answer 19

Grown-ups serve as significant models for observational learning.

Question 20

Influence of television:

Answer 20

Children watch a lot of television. As a result, they are constantly bombarded with messages about consumption.

Question 21

An age cohorts consists of

Answer 21

people of similar ages who have undergone similar experiences. They share many common memories about cultural heroes (Clint Eastwood vs Zac Efron), important historical events (September the 11th) and so on.

Question 22

The appeal of nostalgia

Answer 22

Because consumers within an age group confront crucial life changes at roughly the same time, the values and symbolism used to appeal to them can evoke powerful feelings of nostalgia.

Question 23

Idealism vs pragmatism:

Answer 23

teenagers tend to view adults as hypocrites, while they see themselves as being sincere.

Question 24

Altruism:

Answer 24

mature consumers want to give something back to the world.

Question 25

A better yardstick to categorise the elderly is

Answer 25

perceived age, or how old a person feels.

Question 26

The mature market has different sub-segments:

Answer 26

• ‘Older’ group (aged 55-64)
• ‘Elderly’ group (aged 65-74)
• ‘Aged’ group (aged 75-84)
• ‘Very old group’ (+85)

Question 27

Social power:

Answer 27

describes the capacity to alter the actions of others.

Question 28

Referent power is

Answer 28

important to many marketing strategies because consumers voluntarily modify what they do and buy in order to identify with a referent.

Question 29

Coercive Power

Answer 29

We exert coercive power when we influence someone because of social or physical intimidation.

Question 30

A reference group is

Answer 30

an actual or imaginary individual or group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual’s evaluations, aspirations, or behaviour.

Question 31

Two dimensions that influence the degree to which reference groups are important are:

Answer 31

• Whether we will consume the item publicly or privately

* Whether it is a luxury or a necessity.

Question 32

We call this normative influence –

Answer 32

that is, the reference group helps to set and enforce fundamental standards of conduct.

Question 33

In contrast, a Harley-Davidson club or Real Madrid fan club exerts comparative influence,

Answer 33

whereby decisions about specific brands or activities are affected.

Question 34

How can we predict which people you know will become part of your identificational membership reference group? Several factors make it more likely:

Answer 34

• Propinquity: As physical distance between people decreases ad opportunities for inter-action increase, relationships are more likely to form.
• Mere exposure: we come to like persons or things simply as a result of seeing them more often. Greater frequency of contact, even if unintentional, may help to determine one’s set o local referents.
• Group cohesiveness: Refers to the degree to which members of a group are attracted to each other and how much each values their group membership. As the value of the group to the individual increases, so too does the likelihood that the group will influence their consumption decisions.

Question 35

de-individuation

Answer 35

You may have observed that people sometimes behave more wildly at fancy dress parties or partying than they would normally do.

Question 36

Social loafing:

Answer 36

it happens when we do not devote as much effort to a task because our contribution is part of a larger group effort.

Question 37

Conformity

Answer 37

refers to a change in beliefs or actions as a

reaction to real or imagined group pressure.

Question 38

Reasons for conformity

Answer 38

• Cultural pressures: different cultures encourage conformity to a greater or lesser degree.
• Fear of deviance: the individual may have reason to believe that the group will apply sanctions to punish non-conforming behaviours.
• Commitment: the more people are dedicated to a group and value their membership in it, the ore motivated they are to do what the group wants.
• Group unanimity, size and expertise: as groups gain in power, compliance increases. It is often harder to resist the demands of a large number of people than just a few.
• Susceptibility to interpersonal influence: this trait refers to an individual’s need to have others think highly of them.
• Environmental cues: A study reported that people are more likely to conform when they make decisions in a warm room.