ATTITUDE

IN

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Defining attitudes
A predisposition to evaluate an object or product positively or negatively.

Is lasting because it tends to endure over time.

Is general because it applies to more than a momentary event.

Has three components - beliefs, affect, and behavioural intentions.

Forming attitudes

Attitudes can form in different ways, depending on the particular hierarchy of effects in operation.
They can occur via:

Classical conditioning.
Instrumental conditioning. Or via a complex cognitive process.

Levels of commitment to an attitude

Lowest level: compliance. This attitude is formed as it helps in gaining rewards or avoiding punishments.
Identification - formation of attitudes in order for the consumer to be similar to another person. Highest level: internalisation - deep seated attitudes which become part of a consumers value system.

TRICOMPONENT ATTITUDE MODEL

AFFECT

CONATION

COGNITION

Most Important part

Why we are studying this?? To understand consumer better his beliefs, their power to reject or accept the product To relate with them there perceptions, expectation, needs wants and desires. i.e. to target market

ATTITUDE AND PERFORMANCE

Methods for changing attitudes in performance interventions.

Men are disturbed not by things but by the views which they take of them.

Measurement of attitude
1) Cognitive 2) Affective (values & beliefs).

While a person may have the competency to perform a task, that does not mean he or she will have the desire (attitude) to do so correctly. In other words, competencies give us the ability to perform, while attitudes give us the desire to perform. Attitudes change with various events in a person's life. These emotional changes also vary in length of time.

Changing attitudes

There are four main methods used for changing attitudes in performance interventions:

Exposure Effect

This technique uses simple "experiences" to start the attitude formation by exposing a person to a concept, object, or person a number of times. And normally this is done through "positive" experiences as "negative" experiences require disgust, pain, or fear.

Reinforcement
This concept is based upon "classical conditioning" and "operant conditioning." Classical conditioning are involuntary reflexes, while operant conditioning is based upon voluntary behavior.

Changing Viewpoints
Although discussions mainly work through our cognitive side, we have to remember that almost everything we do is based upon our emotions.

Persuasive Communication

The advertisement industry is based upon this technique. This technique is based upon three main characteristics: source, message, and audience, e.g,: the source how believable and likable you are the message content and style and audience educational level, other attitudes.

Theories of Attitude

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive The mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.

Dissonance Lack of agreement

According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (i.e., beliefs, opinions). When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance.

Contd..

Dissonance and consonance are relations among cognitions that is, among opinions, beliefs, knowledge of the environment, and knowledge of one's own actions and feelings. Two opinions, or beliefs, or items of knowledge are dissonant with each other if they do not fit together that is, if they are inconsistent, or if, considering only the particular two items, one does not follow from the other

Lets make it better

A cigarette smoker who believes that smoking is bad for his health has an opinion that is dissonant with the knowledge that he is continuing to smoke. He may have many other opinions, beliefs, or items of knowledge that are consonant with continuing to smoke but the dissonance nevertheless exists too.

Contd

Attribution Theory

Attributions - are the reasons we give for our own and others behaviors

People are motivated to understand the causes of behavior. Attribution theory seeks to explain how and why people make these causal attributions.

Why is this baby smiling?

There are two general types of attributions that people make

Personal attributions Situational attributions

Personal Attributes

Explanations in terms of personal characteristics. For example: The baby must be a happy baby.

Situational attributions

Explanations in terms of situational factors. For example: Someone must have just played with the baby .

The ABC model

Affect - how a consumer feels about an attitude object. Behaviour - the consumers intention to do something with regard to an attitude object. Cognition - the beliefs a consumer has about an attitude object.

The model emphasises the interrelationships between knowing, feeling, and doing.

Three hierarchies of effects

Figure 5.1

Consumer Decision-Making Process

Need Recognition Information Search Cultural, Social, Individual and Psychological Factors affect all steps

Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase

Postpurchase Behavior

Thank You