Consumer Information
Processing
Perception
Information Processing
Motivation
Involvement
Information Processing

Information processing involves several
different cognitive processes:
– Receiving information
– Organizing information
– Attaching meaning to information
– Storing information
– Retrieving information
Model of Information
Processing System
Sensory
Stimuli
•Sights
•Sounds
•Smells
•Tastes
•Textures
Meaning
Sensation
Sensory
Receptors
Sensory
Memory
Attention
Interpretation
Short-term
Memory
Responses
Long-term
Memory
Rehearsal
Encoding
Retrieval
Exposure to Sensory Stimuli

A stimulus is any input to the senses.

The stimulus characteristics are a key
factor in determining what will be
perceived and how it will be perceived.

Sensory receptors--eyes, ears, nose,
mouth, and skin.
Sensation

The immediate and direct response of
sensory receptors to stimuli.

How consumers react to stimuli.
Model of Information
Processing System
Sensory
Stimuli
•Sights
•Sounds
•Smells
•Tastes
•Textures
Meaning
Sensation
Sensory
Receptors
Sensory
Memory
Attention
Interpretation
Short-term
Memory
Responses
Long-term
Memory
Rehearsal
Encoding
Retrieval
Sensory Memory

Temporary storage of sensory
information

High capacity

Less than 1 second (vision) or a few
seconds (hearing)
Affecting Sensation:

Absolute threshold
– The lowest level at which a stimulus can be
detected 50% of the time.

Differential sensory threshold
– The ability to detect changes or differences
between two stimuli.
Affecting Sensation:

Just noticeable difference (JND)
threshold
– The minimum amount of difference in the
intensity of a stimulus that can be detected
50% of the time.
– Weber’s Law: The greater the intensity of
the initial stimulus, the more the intensity
has to be changed before the change will
be noticed.
Applications of JND

Changes in packaging

Changes in serving sizes/package
amounts

Changes in corporate identities (logos)

Changes in price
Affecting Sensation:

Sensory adaptation
– The amount or level of a stimulus to which
the consumer has become accustomed;
the point at which consumers stop noticing
or attending to the stimulus.
Affecting Sensation:

Subliminal persuasion
– Stimuli occurring without the consumer’s
awareness that affect information
processing.
– No evidence this has any effect on
consumer behavior
– Subliminal techniques


Embeds
Auditory messages
Attention
Allocation of cognitive capacity to an
object or task.
 Selective attention/selective exposure
 Voluntary attention
 Involuntary attention
 Perceptual defense
 Perceptual blocking

Model of Information
Processing System
Sensory
Stimuli
•Sights
•Sounds
•Smells
•Tastes
•Textures
Meaning
Sensation
Sensory
Receptors
Sensory
Memory
Attention
Interpretation
Short-term
Memory
Responses
Long-term
Memory
Rehearsal
Encoding
Retrieval
Short-Term Memory
Working memory
 Primary work area of information
processing system
 Information is held only briefly,
10-30 seconds
 Limited capacity, 5-9 pieces of
information
 Capacity is enlarged if consumer is
highly involved

Short-Term
Memory Processes

Chunking
– Group several pieces of information
together and treat as a set

Rehearsal
– Mental repetition of information



Keeps information in ST memory longer
Assists in transfer of information to LT memory
Encoding
– Assign a word or visual image to represent
information
Short-Term Memory Problem

Information overload
Attention is influenced by:

Personal determinants
– Need/motivation
– Attitudes
– Sensory adaptation
– Span of attention
Attention is also influenced by:

Marketing actions
– Surprise
– Movement
– Unusual sounds
– Size of stimulus
– Contrast effects
– color
Interpretation

Organize and interpret information

Comprehend information

Assign meaning to information

Associated yet with short-term memory
Elements of Interpretation

Perceptual organization
– The ways in which we perceive shapes,
forms, figures, and lines in our visual world.
– We view stimuli in terms of relationships
with other events, sensations, or images.
– Gestalt psychology



Patterns
Configurations
Wholes
Elements of Interpretation

Consumer expectations
– Price-quality relationship

Stimulus categorization
– Consumers rapidly, sometimes
unconsciously categorize stimuli

Perceptual set
– The readiness to perceive or act in
particular ways in a situation.
Elements of Interpretation

Perceptual inferences
– Sensory cues lead to inferences, provide
meaning.

Semiotics
– Study of signs and symbols and how
consumers attach meaning to signs and
symbols
Responses

Two types of consumer responses
occur during the interpretation stage of
information processing:
– Cognitive responses

Thoughts
– Affective responses


Feelings, emotions
These responses may or may not be
transferred into long-term memory,
depending on the extent of rehearsal
and encoding that takes place in shortterm memory.
Model of Information
Processing System
Sensory
Stimuli
•Sights
•Sounds
•Smells
•Tastes
•Textures
Meaning
Sensation
Sensory
Receptors
Sensory
Memory
Attention
Interpretation
Short-term
Memory
Responses
Long-term
Memory
Rehearsal
Encoding
Retrieval
Long-Term Memory
Unlimited capacity to store information
 Information is constantly being
organized and reorganized as new
chunks of information are transferred in
from ST memory
 Information is stored in associative
networks called schemas

– Nodes
– Linkages
Consumer Information

Tends to be stored in one of two ways:
– Episodically
– Semantically
Retrieval
Retrieval is the process whereby
information is recovered from LT
memory.
 Spreading activation

– As one node is activated, other nodes
associated with it also begin to be
triggered. Thus, meaning spreads across
the network, bringing up concepts including
competing brands and relevant attributes
that are used in making decisions.
Factors Affecting Retrieval

Physiological
– e.g., age

Mood congruence effect
– Consumers are better able to access
information if their mood at the time of
retrieval matches their mood at the time
when the information was processed.
Factors Affecting Retrieval

Familiarity and recall
– Prior familiarity with information enhances
its recall.

Salience and recall
– The more important the information or the
more prominent that a stimulus is in
contrast to the environment, the better will
be recall.

Von Restorff effect
Factors Affecting Retrieval

Visual vs. verbal cues
– Memory of visual images tends to be better
than memory of verbal information
– Visual and verbal cues together will have
greatest impact on ability to retrieve.
Factors Affecting
Information Processing

Motivation

Involvement
Motivation
An activated state within a person that
leads to goal-directed behavior.
 An activated state can be the result of
the perception process--i.e., a stimulus
prompts problem/need recognition--and
the resulting activated state drives
information processing toward the
achievement of some goal.

Example:
It’s 10 o’clock pm, you’re watching TV and see an ad for
a thick, juicy hamburger--it looks so good you can
almost smell it.
Perception of the visual stimulus (the ad) causes you to
become aware of being hungry. You want to satisfy
your hunger. You go to the refrigerator to scan your
choices, exposing yourself to more stimuli--visual
images, smells, etc. Your information processing
system kicks in, attending to the stimuli, attaching
meaning, perhaps retrieving information from LT
memory, etc., until you find something to satisfy your
cravings.
Model of the Motivation Process
Learning
Unfulfilled
needs,
wants, and
desires
Tension
Drive
Behavior
Cognitive
processes
Tension
reduction
Goal or
need
fulfillment
Dynamic Nature of Motivation

Needs are never fully satisfied.

New needs emerge as old needs are
satisfied.

People who achieve their goals set new
and higher goals for themselves.
Classification of Motives

Physiological vs. Psychological

Conscious vs. Unconscious

Positive vs. Negative

Rational vs. Emotional
Motivational Theories
Several different theories exist to
explain the process of motivation
 General theories of motivation

– Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
– Murray’s List of Social Needs
Theory of learned needs
 Expectancy x value theory

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Pyramid of needs that assumes
consumers satisfy lower level needs
before higher level needs.
 Sufficiently generic to encompass most
needs.
 Culture and time-bound.
 No way to test and measure the
hierarchy.

Self-actualization
(Self-fulfillment)
Ego Needs
(Prestige, status, self-esteem)
Social Needs
(Affection, friendship, belonging)
Safety and Security Needs
(Protection, order, stability)
Physiological Needs
(Food, water, air, shelter, sex)
Murray’s List of Social Needs

Based on the belief that needs are
aroused in relationship with other things
and are not independent of each other.
Needs help to determine our behaviors.

Needs associate with inanimate objects
– Acquisition
– Retention
– Construction
Social Needs, continued

Needs concerned with human power
– Dominance
– Deference
– Autonomy

Needs concerned with affection
between people
–
–
–
–
Affiliation
Nurturance
Rejection
Play
Theory of Learned Needs

Trio of Needs
– Power

Individual’s desire to control environment.
– Affiliation

Need for friendship, acceptance, and
belonging.
– Achievement

Need for personal accomplishment.
Expectancy x Value Theory
The strength of the tendency to act in a
certain way depends on the strength of
the expectancy that the act will be
followed by a given consequence (or
goal) and the value of that consequence
to the individual.
 Our behavior depends on what we
expect to happen.

Involvement

The level of personal importance and/or
interest evoked by a stimulus.
– Personal importance
– Personal relevance
– Perceived risk
– Personal interest
A High Level of Involvement...
Increases capacity of ST memory.
 Increases level of attention to stimuli.
 Increases the likelihood that information
will be stored and retrieved.
 Increases motive arousal and goaldirected behavior.
 Is associated with more extensive
decision making.

Types of Involvement

Situational
– Associated with specific situation
– Short-term

Enduring
– Consistent interest in some situation over
an extended period of time
– Long-term