CHAPTER 12 IN REVIEW
Decision Making II: Alternative Evaluation and Choice
Chapter Summary
Glossary Terms
Understand the difference between evaluative criteria and
determinant criteria.
The attributes that consumers consider when evaluating alternative solutions to a problem
are evaluative criteria. These criteria include features or benefits associated with a potential
solution. Determinant criteria are the factors that have the biggest impact on actual
consumer choice. Both evaluative and determinant criteria influence decision making.
Comprehend how value affects the evaluation of
alternatives.
Value is at the heart of the alternative evaluation process. Consumers seek benefits that
are associated with a potential solution to a problem. Benefits come from the features
or characteristics of the alternatives under consideration. From the value perspective,
consumers seek solutions that will deliver benefits while minimizing associated costs.
affect-based evaluation evaluative
process wherein consumers evaluate
products based on the overall feeling
that is evoked by the alternative
attribute correlation perceived
relationship between product features
attribute-based evaluation evaluative process wherein alternatives are
evaluated across a set of attributes that
are considered relevant to the purchase
situation
benefit perceived favorable results
derived from a particular feature
bounded rationality idea that consumers attempt to act rationally within
their information processing constraints
compensatory rule decision-making
Explain the importance of product categorization in the
evaluation of alternatives process.
Categorization is important because product categories provide the framework from
which consumers evaluate alternative solutions to a problem. When new information
about a viable alternative is presented, this information is compared to information that is
stored as knowledge in a consumer’s perceived product category. This information allows
the consumer to make better inferences about the alternative solution.
Subordinate
determinant criteria criteria that
are most carefully considered and
directly related to the actual choice that
is made
Video Game
Portable
Console
conjoint analysis technique used to
develop an understanding of the attributes that guide consumer preferences
by having consumers compare product
preferences across varying levels of
evaluative criteria and expected utility
conjunctive rule noncompensatory
decision rule where the option selected
must surpass a minimum cutoff across all
relevant attributes
Superordinate and Subordinate
Categorization
Superordinate
rule that allows consumers to select
products that may perform poorly on
one criterion by compensating for the
poor performance on one attribute by
good performance on another
disjunctive rule noncompensatory
decision rule where the option selected
surpasses a relatively high cutoff point
on any attribute
Arcade
elimination-by-aspects rule
Features
Price:
Graphics:
Resolution:
Console Size:
XBOX 360
Playstation 3
Nintendo Wii
New Console
Game
Moderate
Excellent
1080i
Medium
High
Excellent
1080p
Big
Low
Moderate
480p
Very Small
?
?
?
?
noncompensatory decision rule where
the consumer begins evaluating options
by first looking at the most important
attribute and eliminating any option that
does not meet a minimum cutoff point
for that attribute and where subsequent
evaluations proceed in order of importance until only one option remains
evaluative criteria attributes that
consumers consider when reviewing
alternative solutions to a problem
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C H A P T E R T W E LV E
D E C I S I ON M A K I N G I I : A LT E R N AT IVE E VA LU AT IO N A N D C H O IC E
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Chapter 12 Decision Making II: Alternative Evaluation and Choice
feature performance characteristic of
an object
judgments mental assessments of the
presence of attributes and the consequences associated with those attributes
lexicographic rule noncompensatory decision rule where the option
selected is thought to perform best on
the most important attribute
noncompensatory rule decisionmaking rule in which strict guidelines
are set prior to selection and any option
that does not meet the guidelines is
eliminated from consideration
perceptual attributes attributes
that are visually apparent and easily
recognizable
product categories mental repre-
Distinguish between compensatory and noncompensatory
rules that guide consumer choice.
The attitude-toward-the-object model is a compensatory model. This type of model
allows an alternative to be selected even if it performs poorly on a specific attribute.
Noncompensatory models focus on strict guidelines that are set before alternative
evaluation. The major noncompensatory rules are the conjunctive, disjunctive, lexicographic,
and elimination-by-aspects rule. The conjunctive rule is a rule in which an option that is
selected must surpass a minimum cutoff across all relevant attributes. The disjunctive rule is
used when an option that surpasses a relatively high cutoff point on any attribute is selected.
The lexicographic rule leads the consumer to select the option that performs best on the
most important attribute. The elimination-by-aspects rule is used when the consumer
begins evaluating options by first looking at the most important attribute and eliminating
any option that does not meet a minimum cutoff point for that attribute. The process
continues as the consumer considers the next most important attribute and so on, until
only one option is left to be chosen.
sentations of stored knowledge about
groups of products
signal attribute that consumer uses to
infer something about another attribute
underlying attributes attributes
Noncompensatory Decision Approaches
that are not readily apparent and can
be learned only through experience or
contact with the product
Attribute
Importance
Chevy
Aveo Belief
Ratings
Ford
Focus Belief
Ratings
Honda
Fit Belief
Ratings
Hyundai
Accent
Belief Ratings
Gas mileage
10
5
7
9
8
Low price
9
8
6
7
10
Styling
8
9
8
4
4
Wa ra ty
r n5
4
8
9
8
Service
6
5
6
7
3
Handling
7
6
5
3
3
Note: Belief ratings are performance judgments scaled from 1 = very poor to 9 = very good. Importance ratings are scaled so that 10 = most
important, 9 = next most important, and so on.
Source: Wright, Peter (1975), “Consumer Choice Strategies: Simplifying Vs. Optimizing,” Journal of Marketing Research, 12 (1), 60–67.
CHAP TER TW ELVE
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DE CISION M AKING II: ALT E RNAT IV E E VALUAT ION A N D C H OI C E
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