Memory
• The persistence of
learning over time
• Retrieval: The process
of remembering or
accessing what was
previously stored
MKT 450
• Sensory
• Working (WM)—
encoded and kept for
further use
• Long Term Memory
(LTM)
• Episodic
(autobiographical)
memory
• Semantic memory
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
2
More Memory Issues
• Implicit vs. explicit
• Memory enhancement
– Recognition
– Recall
– Elaboration
MKT 450
• Some communication
strategies to enhance
memory
–
–
–
–
Chunking
Rehearsal
Recirculation
Elaboration
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
3
Knowledge
• Information already
learned and stored
• Knowledge structure:
How knowledge is
stored and organized
• Schema: Associations
between entities (e.g.,
brands, product
categories,
experiences)
MKT 450
• Associative Network of
Knowledge—
knowledge elements—
when accessed--trigger
other elements
• Priming: Increased
sensitivity to
associations due to
prior implicit memory
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
4
Specific Schemas
• Brand image:
associations with the
brand
• “Brand Personality:”
The way the brand
would have been
described if it were a
person
(anthropomorphism)—
e.g.,
– Sincerity
– Competence
– Ruggedness
MKT 450
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
5
Associate Network of Knowledge
SANDWICH
PEANUT
BUTTER
MITT
ROMNEY
FAT
PEANUTS
REPUBICAN
PARTY
ELEPHANT
7 BLIND MEN
TRUNK
ZOO
GIRAFFE
MEDICINE
TIGER
MKT 450
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
6
Scripts
• Knowledge of steps
needed to carry out an
activity
– Make it easier to carry
out routine activities with
limited conscious
involvement
– For novel or infrequent
experiences, lack of a
script can make these
difficult
MKT 450
• Practical implications
– Inclusion of specific
brand names as defaults
(e.g., for oil change,
drive to Jiffy Lube which
will use Pennzoil when
changing your oil and
filter)
– Advertisements to make
an activity easier
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
7
Categorization
• Taxanomical structure
where exemplars are
organized into
categories
• Levels
–
–
–
–
MKT 450
• In general, the basic
category level is
recognized faster than
superordinate and
subordinate
Superordinate
Basic
Subordinate
Category members
(exemplars)
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
8
Graded Structure
• Some exemplars are
“better” examples of
category than others
– E.g., for the category of
dog, a Germen
Shepherd is a better
example than a
Yorkshire Terrier
– Better examples are
retrieved more easily
MKT 450
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
9
Prototypicality
• The “perfect” example
• May not correspond
with reality
• Often more abstracted
(simplified)
MKT 450
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
10
Blurring of product category and
brand name distinctions
• Some commonly used
category descriptors
and verbs not intended
to refer to the specific
brand
– Xerox (photo copy)
– Kleenex (facial tissue)
– To “FedEx” a package
(possibly with another
carrier)
MKT 450
• Implications of brand
name misuse
– Possible loss of
trademark protection in
extreme cases
(“genericide”)
– Default choice in the
product category
– Positioning against the
prototype
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
11
Knowledge flexibility
• Goal derived
categories--e.g.,
– Things to eat and do
while on a diet
– Baby care items
• Influences on
categorization
– Culture (“Women, fire,
and dangerous things”)
– Expertise
• Construal level: The
generality or specificity
with which a goal is
described
MKT 450
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
12
Memory and retrieval
• Sources of failure
– Decay (knowledge has
been left unaccessed for
a long period of time)
•
•
•
•
Geographical directions
Lock combinations
Foreign languages
Activities and associated
needs (including brand
information)
– Interference
• Proactive: Existing
knowledge interferes with
learning new info
• Retroactive: New
knowledge dominates
over earlier knowledge
• Timing
– Primacy
– Recency
• Retrieval errors
MKT 450
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
13
Stimuli Characteristics and
Memory
• Some stimuli are better
remembered
–
–
–
–
MKT 450
Salience
Prototypicallity
Redundancy
Medium of processing
(combination of sensory
input)
• Retrieval cues
– Stimuli that facilitate
activation of memory
• Situations (goals)
• Colors and shapes
• Fit with product function
(e.g., Mr. Clean)
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
14
Consumer characteristics and
memory
• Mood (congruence)
• Expertise
MKT 450
MEMORY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND CATEGORIZATION
Lars Perner, Instructor
15