Consumer Psychology

1
Consumer Psychology

• Presentation created by
• Peggy Sue Loroz and Maria Cronley
• Gonzaga University and Miami University of Ohio
• Division 23, Society for Consumer Psychology
• American Psychological Association

2
What is Consumer Psychology?

• Consumer psychology is the study of human
  responses to product and service related
  information and experiences.
• Consumer psychologists study consumer activities
  associated with the purchase, use, and disposal
  of goods and services, including the consumers
  emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses
  that precede, determine, or follow these
  activities.
• A broad range of product and service related
  information is relevant to consumer psychology,
  including marketer initiated stimuli (e.g.,
  advertisements, websites, package labels,
  coupons, point-of-purchase displays), consumer
  magazines and other media, as well as
  word-of-mouth communications from friends and
  relatives.

3
Consumer Psychology (cont.)

• Consumer psychology employs theoretical
  psychological approaches to understanding
  consumers.
• Consumer psychologists draw upon social,
  cognitive, developmental, and other psychology
  domains.
• Consumer psychologists use a variety of research
  methods including quantitative (e.g., lab and
  field experiments, surveys) and qualitative
  (e.g., interviews, observation) approaches.
• The goals of consumer psychologists are to
  describe, predict, influence, and/or explain
  consumer responses.

4
History

• The field of Consumer Psychology grew as consumer
  society grew
• An increased interest in understanding consumers
  was driven by
• Increased production and adoption of consumer
  goods (ranging from Coca-Cola to household
  appliances and automobiles) in the 1920s and
  1930s
• The advent of advertising via radio (1920) and
  television (1941)
• After World War II, governments around the world
  sought to strengthen their economies in part
  through increased consumer spending, further
  bolstering interest in this area.
• The Division of Consumer Psychology of the APA
  was formed in 1960 to represent psychologists
  whose interests lie in consumer-related topics.
  The name was changed in 1988 to The Society for
  Consumer Psychology.
• Based on Jansson-Boyd, C. V. (2010). Consumer
  psychology what it is and how it emerged.
  Consumer Psychology (pp. 1-13), New York Open
  University Press.

5
Why Study Consumer Psychology?

• To improve business performance
• To influence public policy
• To educate and help consumers make better
  decisions

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What Consumer Psychologists Do

• IN THE LABORATORY, a psychologist is tracking eye
  movements as research participants observe a
  succession of soft drink containers.
• AT A GOVERNMENT BUREAU, a psychologist presents
  the results of a study concerning consumer
  responses to an advertising claim that is
  literally true but has false inferential
  implications.
• AT AN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY, a psychologist assesses
  consumer responses to various combinations of
  product features to help engineers determine the
  optimal combination.
• AT A UNIVERSITY, a psychologist is helping to
  develop a theoretical model of financial
  decisions made by families.
• AT AN ADVERTISING AGENCY, a psychologist is
  presenting study findings that show how well
  alternative advertisements improve attitudes
  toward a brand of coffee.

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Primary Domains of Inquiry

• Memory and Learning
• Perception and Attention
• Motivation and Emotions
• Information Processing
• Attitude Formation and Change
• Decision Making
• Personality and Self-concept
• Culture and Values
• Group and Interpersonal Influence

8
Studying Consumer Psychology

• Training in consumer psychology is designed to
  provide students with
• experience in analyzing and evaluating human
  behavior patterns
• an understanding of the scientific process and
  how to go about hypothesis testing
• the ability to translate complex issues into
  testable alternatives
• experience in both non-experimental and
  experimental design
• the ability to apply descriptive and inferential
  statistics
• the ability to analyze data and interpret
  findings
• experience in writing proposals and research
  reports in a clear and precise manner

9
APA Division 23 The Society for Consumer
Psychology

• SCP is an intimate collection of scholars and
  practitioners dedicated to the growth and
  advancement of consumer psychology through
  scientific interests and inquiry and the
  application of research findings to practice.
• SCP also seeks to advance consumer and public
  welfare through the work of its members.

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Resources for Students

• Society for Consumer Psychology
• http//www.myscp.org
• APA Division 23, Consumer Psychology
• http//www.apa.org/about/division/div23.aspx
• Journal of Consumer Psychology
• http//www.myscp.org/jcp.aspx