Chapter 6
Consumer Attitude
Formation and Change
Shamshul Anaz Kassim
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Business Management
UiTM Perlis
Attitudes
A learned
predisposition to
behave in a
consistently
favorable or
unfavorable manner
with respect to a
given object.
What are Attitudes?
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The attitude “object”
Attitudes are a learned predisposition
Attitudes have consistency
Attitudes occur within a situation
Structural Models of Attitudes
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Tricomponent Attitude Model
Muliattribute Attitude Model
The Trying-to-Consume Model
Attitude-toward-the-Ad Model
Figure 8.2 A Simple Representation of
the Tricomponent Attitude Model
Conation
Affect
Cognition
The Tricomponent Model
• Cognitive Component
– The knowledge and perceptions that are acquired by a
combination of direct experience with the attitude
object and related information from various sources.
• Affective Component
– A consumer’s emotions or feelings about a particular
product or brand.
• Conative Component
– The likelihood or tendency that an individual will
undertake a specific action or behave in a particular
way with regard to the attitude object.
Multiattribute
Attitude
Models
Attitude models that
examine the
composition of
consumer attitudes
in terms of selected
product attributes or
beliefs.
Multiattribute Attitude Models
• The attitude-toward-object model
– Attitude is function of evaluation of productspecific beliefs and evaluations
• The attitude-toward-behavior model
– Is the attitude toward behaving or acting with
respect to an object, rather than the attitude
toward the object itself
• Theory-of-reasoned-action model
– A comprehensive, integrative model of attitudes
AttitudeTowardBehavior
Model
A model that proposes
that a consumer’s
attitude toward a
specific behavior is a
function of how
strongly he or she
believes that the action
will lead to a specific
outcome (either
favorable or
unfavorable).
Theory of
Reasoned
Action
A comprehensive theory
of the interrelationship
among
attitudes,intentions, and
behavior.
Figure 8.4 A Simplified Version of the
Theory of Reasoned Action
Beliefs that
the behavior
leads to
certain
outcomes
Evaluation
of the
outcomes
Beliefs that
specific
referents
think I
should or
should not
perform the
behavior
Attitude toward
the behavior
Subjective
norm
Intention
Behavior
Motivation
to comply
with the
specific
referents
Theory of
Trying to
Consume
An attitude theory
designed to account
for the many cases
where the action or
outcome is not certain
but instead reflects
the consumer’s
attempt to consume
(or purchase).
Table 8.6 Selected Examples of Potential
Impediments That Might Impact Trying
POTENTIAL PERSONAL IMPEDIMENTS
“I wonder whether my fingernails will be longer by the time of my wedding.”
“I want to try to lose fifteen pounds by next summer.”
“I’m going to try to get tickets for a Broadway show for your birthday.”
“I’m going to attempt to give up smoking by my birthday.”
“I am going to increase how often I go to the gym from two to four times a
week.”
“Tonight, I’m not going to have dessert at the restaurant.”
POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPEDIMENTS
“The first ten people to call in will receive a free T-shirt.”
“Sorry, the shoes didn’t come in this shipment from Italy.”
“There are only three bottles of champagne in our stockroom. You better
come in sometime today.”
“I am sorry. We cannot serve you. We are closing the restaurant because of a
problem with the oven.”
AttitudeTowardthe-Ad
Model
A model that proposes that
a consumer forms various
feelings (affects) and
judgments (cognitions) as
the result of exposure to
an advertisement, which,
in turn, affect the
consumer’s attitude
toward the ad and attitude
toward the brand.
Figure 8.6 A Conception of the
Relationship among Elements in an
Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model
Exposure to an Ad
Judgments about
the Ad (Cognition)
Feelings from the
Ad (Affect)
Beliefs about the
Brand
Attitude toward
the Ad
Attitude toward
the Brand
Issues in Attitude Formation
• How attitudes are learned
• Sources of influence on attitude formation
• Personality factors
Strategies of Attitude Change
1. Changing the Basic Motivational Function
2. Associating the Product With an Admired
Group or Event
3. Resolving Two Conflicting Attitudes
4. Altering Components of the Multiattribute
Model
5. Changing Beliefs About Competitors’
Brands
Four Basic Attitude Functions
• The Utilitarian Function
When a product has been useful or helped us in the past, our attitude toward it
tends to be favorable. (brand equity)
• The Ego-defensive Function
Suggest that consumer want to protect their self-concepts from inner feelings of
doubt
• The Value-expressive Function
Suggest that attitudes express consumers’ general values, lifestyles and outlook.
• The Knowledge Function
Suggests that consumers have a strong need to know and understand the people
and products with which they come into contact.
Elaboration
Likelihood
Model
(ELM)
A theory that suggests
that a person’s level of
involvement during
message processing is
a critical factor in
determining which
route to persuasion is
likely to be effective.
Why Might Behavior Precede
Attitude Formation?
• Cognitive Dissonance
Theory
• Attribution Theory
Form Attitude
Behave (Purchase)
Form Attitude
Cognitive
Dissonance
Theory
Holds that discomfort or
dissonance occurs when
a consumer holds
conflicting thoughts
about a belief or an
attitude object.
Postpurchase
Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance
that occurs after a
consumer has made a
purchase
commitment.
Consumers resolve
this dissonance
through a variety of
strategies designed to
confirm the wisdom
of their choice.
Attribution
Theory
A theory concerned
with how people assign
casualty to events and
form or alter their
attitudes as an outcome
of assessing their own
or other people’s
behavior.
Issues in Attribution Theory
• Self-perception Theory
– Foot-In-The-Door Technique
• Attributions Toward Others
• Attributions Toward Things
• How We Test Our Attributions
SelfPerception
Theory
A theory that suggests
that consumers
develop attitudes by
reflecting on their own
behavior.
Defensive
Attribution
A theory that suggests
consumers are likely
to accept credit for
successful outcomes
(internal attribution)
and to blame other
persons or products for
failure (external
attribution).
Criteria for Causal Attributions
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Distinctiveness
Consistency Over Time
Consistency Over Modality
Consensus