CONSUMER INFORMATION PROCESSING
CONSUMER INFORMATION PROCESSING
the process through which consumers are
- exposed to information
- attend to it
- comprehend it
- place it in memory and
- retrieve it for later use.
PERCEPTION
the process through which individuals are
- exposed to information,
- attend to the information, and
- comprehend the information
Exposure:
consumers receive information through their senses
Attention:
consumers allocate processing capacity to a stimulus
Comprehension:
consumers interpret the information to obtain meaning from it
THE EXPOSURE STAGE
a consumer's sensory organs are activated by a stimulus
selective exposure:
consumers can actively choose whether or not to expose
themselves to information
- e.g., zipping and zapping through a video tape
(fast forwarding through commercials or turning
off the sound during commercials)
sensation:
the stimulation of a person's sensory receptors and the
transmission of the sensory information to the brain
Whether or not a stimulus is actually detected depends
on its intensity:
absolute threshold:
the lowest level at which a stimulus can be detected 50%
of the time.
Why do TV commercials seem louder than the program material?
subliminal perception:
the idea that stimuli presented below the level of conscious
awareness might influence behavior and feelings
THE EXPOSURE STAGE
Just Noticeable Difference Threshold (JND)
the minimum amount of difference in the intensity of a
stimulus that can be detected 50% of the time
Weber's Law
as the intensity of the stimulus increases, the ability
of a person to detect a difference between the two levels
of the stimulus decreases
THE EXPOSURE STAGE
Consumer Adaptation:
the amount or level of the stimulus to which the consumer
has become accustomed
a reference point to which changes in the level of the
stimulus are compared
Butterfly Curve:
at the adaptation level, consumer preference for a stimulus
declines because the person has become habituated to the
stimulus
preference for a stimulus is greatest at points just higher
or lower than the adaptation level
Why are fashions constantly changing?
THE ATTENTION STAGE
the allocation of cognitive capacity to an object or task
Types of Attention
- voluntary attention:
consumers actively search out information that has personal
relevance
- selective attention:
consumers selectively focus attention on relevant information
- involuntary attention:
consumer is exposed to something surprising, novel, threatening,
or unexpected
- e.g.:
- surprise
- movement
- unusual sounds
- size of stimulus
- contrast effects
- color
THE COMPREHENSION STAGE
the process through which individuals organize and interpret
information
Perceptual Organization
the way people perceive shapes, forms, figures, and lines
in their visual world
Gestalt Psychology:
attempts to understand how people perceive patterns in the world
THE COMPREHENSION STAGE
Interpretation processes:
people draw upon their experience, memory and expectations
to attach meaning to a stimulus
Expectations:
prior beliefs about what should happen in a given situation
can influence the interpretation of information
Semiotics:
how it is that people interpret meaning from signs
- signs:
words, gestures, pictures, products, and logos used to
communicate information
CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT
the process through which individuals are influenced by the
- perceived personal importance and/or
- interest
evoked by a stimulus
Personal importance increases as perceived risk increases.
As involvement increases, consumers have greater motivation
to comprehend and elaborate on information salient to the purchase.
Higher levels of involvement are expected to result in
- a greater depth of information processing
- increased arousal
- more extended decision making
Factors which can influence purchase involvement:
- situation
- product
- personality
- communication
