Consumer Behavior: A Framework John C. Mowen

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Chapter 7Consumer Belief, Attitude, Behavior
Formation and Change

• Consumer Behavior A FrameworkJohn C. Mowen
  Michael Minor

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Key Concepts

• Beliefs, attitudes, behavioral intentions
• Attributes
• Direct formation of beliefs, etc.
• Hierarchies of effects
• The attitude-toward-the-object model

• The behavioral intentions model
• The elaboration likelihood model
• Balance theory
• Attitude toward ads
• Behavioral influence techniques of persuasion

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Consumer Beliefs About Product Attributes

• Beliefs result from cognitive learning.
• Beliefs are the knowledge and inferences that a
  consumer has about objects, their attributes, and
  their benefits provided.
• Objects are the products, people, companies, and
  things about which people hold beliefs and
  attitudes.
• Benefits are the positive outcomes that
  attributes provide to the consumer.
• Attributes are the characteristics of an object

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Additional Info on Attributes

• A halo effect occurs when consumers assume that
  because a product is good or bad on one product
  characteristic it is also good or bad on another
  product characteristic.

• Attribute importance
• A persons assessment of the significance of an
  attribute.
• Influenced by amount of attention directed to the
  feature.
• A persons self-concept, advertising, and the
  salience of the attribute can influence the
  attention focused on the feature.

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Consumer Attitudes

• Attitude is the amount of affect or feeling for
  or against a stimulus
• Attitudes are stored in long-term memory
• Beliefs are the cognitive knowledge about an
  object
• In high involvement situations, beliefs predict
  attitudes.

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The Functions of Attitudes

• Utilitarian Function use to obtain rewards and
  avoid punishments.
• Ego-Defensive Function self-protection, e.g.,
  smokers
• Knowledge Function simplifies decisions, e.g.,
  brand loyalty
• Value-Expressive Function express identify to
  others. e.g., t-shirts.

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Behaviors Intentions to Behave

• Consumer behaviors consist of all the actions
  taken by consumers related to acquiring,
  disposing, and using products and services

• Behavioral intentions may be defined as the
  intentions of consumers to behave.
• Usually measured on 7 or 9 point scale low
  likelihood of performing behavior to high
  likelihood.

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Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors May Be Formed
in Two Ways

• Direct formation is when a belief, attitude, or
  behavior is created without either of the other
  states occurring first.
• Hierarchy of effects occurs after a belief,
  attitude, or behavior is formed directly, there
  is a tendency for the states to build upon each
  other to create hierarchies

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Direct Formation of Beliefs, Attitudes,
Behaviors

• Direct belief formation corresponds to the
  decision-making perspective and cognitive
  learning.
• The direct formation of attitudes is linked to
  the experiential perspective.
• The direct formation of behavior is linked to the
  behavioral influence perspective. Operant
  conditioning and modeling.

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Forming Attitudes Directly

• Classical conditioning/associative
  learning--positive affect is attached to object
• Mere exposure--frequent exposure to stimulus
  increases liking for it. Derived from Butterfly
  effect.
• Moods--mood at the time of exposure to object
  influences feelings about object.

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Directly Forming Behavior

• Strong environmental forces can directly
  influence behavior, such as from the design of
  the physical environment.
• Operant conditioning can influence behavior
  without the formation of beliefs or attitudes.

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Hierarchies of Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors

• Decision-Making Hierarchies
• Experiential Hierarchy
• Behavioral Influence Hierarchy

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• Decision making hierarchies
• High involvement beliefs attitudes
  behavior
• Low involvement beliefs behavior attitudes
• Experiential
• Affect behavior beliefs
• Behavioral influence hierarchy
• Behavior beliefs affect

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Predicting Consumer Attitudes

• Multiattribute models identify how consumers in
  high-involvement situations (i.e. standard
  hierarchy of effects) combine their beliefs about
  product attributes to form attitudes about
  various brand alternatives, corporations, or
  other objects.

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Attitude-Toward-The-Object Model

• Identifies three major factors that are
  predictive of attitudes
• Salient Beliefs
• Strength of the Belief
• Evaluation

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• Measurement issues
• bi 1 low probability that object possesses
  attribute. 9high likelihood.
• ei -3 negative evaluation of attribute. 3
  positive evaluation of attribute.

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Fishbein Attitude Toward Object Model which
college will be chosen by Student Y? Ao Sum (Bi
x Ei)
University/College
Attribute Ivy State U Local U
Ei Bi Bi
Bi High Price -2 9 -18
2 -4 5 -10 Good Job
3 8 24 6 18 3
9 Easy entry -1 1 -3
4 -4 8 -1 Learn a lot
2 9 18 7 14
4 8
21 24 -1
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Global Attitude MeasureDirect measure of
overall affect and feelings regarding object.
Use multiple scales to measure Bad 1 2 3
4 5 Good Negative 1 2 3 4 5
Positive Dislike 1 2 3 4 5
Like Compare results of global measure to results
of Attitude-toward-the-object measure.
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The Behavioral Intentions Model . . .

• . . . was developed by Fishbein and his
  colleagues to improve on the ability of the
  attitude-toward-the-object model to predict
  consumer behavior
• Included subjective norms how other people feel
  about the behavior.
• Assesses the consumers attitude toward the overt
  behavior of purchasing the product rather than
  toward the object itself. Use consequences of
  the behavior rather than attributes of object.

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When Do Attitudes Predict Behavior?

• When consumer involvement is high.
• measurement must at proper level of abstraction.
  Cannot predict whether someone will go to church
  on Sunday by asking them about overall attitude
  toward church.
• Must consider subjective norms
• Situational factors
• Other brands/objects
• Attitude strength
• Mere measurement effect just asking intention
  to buy increases likelihood of buying.
• When measured close in hierarchy to behavior.
  Surface traits are much like global attitude
  measures.

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Persuasion . . .

• Persuasion is the explicit attempt to influence
  beliefs, attitudes, and/or behaviors.
• Communication is defined broadly to include all
  aspects of the message, including the source of
  the message, the type of message given, and
  through what channel it moved (e.g., television,
  radio, or print media)

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The Elaboration Likelihood Model a decision
making approach to persuasion

• . . . is an approach to understanding the
  persuasion process which illustrates the
  decision-making path to belief, attitude, and
  behavior change

Central Peripheral
Routes to Persuasion
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Belief and Attitude Change May Take One of Two
Routes

• The Central Route to persuasion is when the
  consumer has high-involvement information
  processing
• The Peripheral Route to persuasion is when the
  consumer has low-involvement information
  processing

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The Central Route to Persuasion

• Moves through the high involvement hierarchy.
• The consumer attends more carefully to the
  message being received and compares it to his or
  her own attitudinal position.
• Likely to generate a number of cognitive
  responses to the communication
• Central Cues refer to ideas and supporting data
  that bear directly upon the quality of the
  arguments developed in the message

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The Peripheral Route to Persuasion

• Consumer moves through the low involvement
  hierarchy.
• Cognitive responses are much less likely to
  occur, because the consumer is not carefully
  considering the pros and cons of the issue.
• Peripheral persuasion cues include such factors
  as the attractiveness and expertise of the
  source, the mere number of the arguments
  presented, and the positive or negative stimuli
  that form the context within which the message
  was presented (e.g., pleasant music, source
  attractiveness, source trustworthiness, etc.)
• Truth effect. Repeat something often enough,
  people will come to believe it.

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Individual Differences in Route to Persuasion
the Need for Cognition
Strong arguments
High Low
Attitude Toward Ad
Weak arguments
Low High Need for
cognition
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Multiattribute Models and the Decision-Making Path

• A-T-O model
• Change the perceived evaluation of an attribute
• Change the belief that an object has a particular
  attribute
• add an attribute
• Behavioral Intentions Model
• Influence consumer perceptions of the
  consequences of a behavior.
• Influence perceptions of normative influence

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Experiential Path to Attitude Change

• Balance Theory
• Attitudes Toward the Advertisement

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Balance Theory . . .
. . . proposes that people have a preference to
maintain a balanced state among the cognitive
elements if these elements are perceived as
forming a system .basic rule multiplication of
the signs of the relations must come out with a
positive sign.
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Endorser
Sentiment Connection

Unit connection
Person
Product
?? to
Sentiment Connection
Sentiment connection feeling toward evaluative
objects Unit connection psychological linkage
between two evaluative objects. Enhance by
increasing the association via attribution and
Gestalt principles.
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Attitudes Toward the Advertisement . . .

• . . . are a consumers general liking or
  disliking for a particular advertising stimulus
  during a particular advertising exposure. Will
  influence attitude toward brand.
• Measurement like a global attitude.

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The Behavioral Influence Route to Behavior Change

• The ecological design of buildings and spaces can
  strongly affect the behavior of people without
  them being aware of the influence
• Strong reinforcers or punishers in the
  environment can induce people to take actions
  that they would prefer to avoid.
• Behavioral influence techniques employ strong
  norms to influence behavior directly.

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Behavioral Influence Techniques

• Ingratiation. . . refers to self-serving tactics
  engaged in by one person to make himself or
  herself more attractive to another.
• Similarity conforming to wishes
• offering gifts express liking
• ask advice

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• Additional Behavioral Influence Tactics
• Foot in the door small request and then large
  request. Uses self-perception and
  self-consistency.
• Door in the face large request and then small
  request. Uses the norm of reciprocity.
• even a penny will help. Based upon desire to
  present self positively to others.
• Ethical issues??
• Never, ever lie to consumers.

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Some Managerial Implications

• Positioning/differentiation position brands
  based upon key attributes.
• Environmental analysis assess and manipulate
  environment to implement behavioral influence
  approach.
• Market research employ to identify salient
  attributes and key benefits, measure attitudes,
  and predict behavioral intentions
• Marketing mix identify benefits sought by
  consumers and develop products to provide them.
  Develop promotions to communicate to consumers
  key attributes, to influence beliefs, attitudes,
  and behaviors.
• Segmentation Employ benefit segmentation by
  identifying target markets desiring specific
  product benefits.