Consumer Behavior Topic 7
Attitudes and Attitude Formation
A learned predisposition to behave in a consistently favorable or unfavorable way with
respect to a given objective.
a. an attitude has an object (i.e., how you feel about a professor, a subject, a drink)
and can be abstract or specific
b. attitudes are learned (i.e., bigotry)
c. attitudes have direction – they can intensify in either direction – degree
favorable (+) or negative (-); strength of feelings – measure sureness of feelings
and intensity
d. attitudes have consistency – an interval consistency among attitudes (i.e., if a
bigot, then hate ALL) however cognitive dissonance may come into play (i.e., if
hate all purple haired people and then meet one that you like, then have to say this
one is different); sometimes a situation will impact attitudes (i.e., McDonald’s is
ok for lunch but not for dinner); a situation can deal with time or social setting
Controversy – a relationship between attitudes and behavior: Attitude-Behavior
Relationship:
A classic study from the 1930’s conducted by Lapierre (1934) – he traveled
across the US with a Chinese couple (in that era there was great prejudice against
the Chinese) and stayed at hotels and ate at restaurants with them. Afterwards he
sent questions to the same restaurants and hotels asking if they would serve a
Chinese customer and 90% said they would not serve the Chinese but in reality,
they had done so. So in behavior, they were service hence attitudes and behaviors
may not correspond.
Fishbein model (Martin Fishbein was a psychologist and sociologist before entering
marketing field) – studied how people make choices as a means by which
marketers might predict choices – it was popular in the 1970s to explain how
attitudes work
Fishbein was not just interested in attitudes towards what is purchased because
attitudes may not predict what is ought, but also considering behavior. For
example, attitude toward behavior model may predict what people actually buy
(i.e., they ay love a BMW but it is not a feasible purchase).
In order to get a better correspondence between attitude and behavior the
considerations have to be more specific – a specific action, a specific time period
– not just general attitudes (i.e., attitudes towards a Cadillac vs. attitudes towards
owning a Cadillac) – this is called Measurement Correspondence
Components of attitudes:
a. cognitive component – deals with knowledge and beliefs
b. affective component – deals with emotions feelings
c. conative – has to do with actions – intent such a intention to buy
Fishbein teaches us that this is not just theory – that attitudes also go into behavior
– and has many implications for us, especially in how to change attitudes. His
Theory of Reasoned Action says “use your brain”.
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) considers if a decision is made through a
central or a peripheral path in our thinking – do we think before we act?
Sometimes we behavior rationally but sometimes we will respond emotionally.
Ways to change a consumer’s motivational function:
a. ego defenses – protect ego/inner feelings by using defense mechanism
– rationalize projection – as in Aesop’s fable of the fox and the grapes
– the fox can not reach the grapes so after numerous tries, he says
“they are sour anyway” – has defended his ego by saying they aren’t
worth it rather than he is inadequate at reaching them
b. perfumes/cosmetics – work on self worth, a way to improve ego
c. value expressive – attitude (i.e., if conservative, then negative about
certain things (i.e., abortion) if anti-societal then may go punk and
dress in a particular way that is value expressive
d. knowledge function – to simplify the work – if you believe all beers
are alike, this simplifies choices – we do this with individuals – we
stereotype them; ads work with this tendency (i.e., “all aspirins are
alike” and then tell us why they are NOT alike)
e. social adjustment – help maintain or disrupt relationships with others –
if Republican, then agree with policies to maintain relationship
Attitude formation in general (not Fishbein) – where do attitudes come from?
One school says attitudes come from conditioning (association when we pair
things from cognitive learning).
With cognitive learning then we may learn from our own experiences our friends
and even relatives, media. Our personality also plays a role – if we are high in
need for cognition – if we need to think – then we love information and that will
affect attitude. If not need high cognition, then may accept simple attitude
approach, such as a celebrity endorser.