Sensory Perception and Consumer Preference (MCB30806)
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MCB30806 - Lectures Sensory Perception and Consumer Preference
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Course
Sensory Perception and Consumer Preference (MCB30806)
Institution
Wageningen University (WUR)
Lecture summary of the course Sensory Perception and Consumer Preference (MCB) at Wageningen University (WUR). Slides included as examples to give an extensive overview.
Sensory Perception and Consumer Preference (MCB30806)
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MCB30806
Lecture 1: Sensory experience in Marketing
Sensory marketing engages consumers’ senses which affects perception, judgement and behaviour (Krishna). Based
upon the five senses: haptics (touch), olfaction (smell), audition (sound), gustation (taste) and vision (sight).
The five senses can have an effect on attitude, learning/memory and behaviour. These effects happen
subconsciously; information not processed consciously. Example: citrus scent can have unconscious effect on cognition (thinking) and
behaviour (doing). Through associations made, a selective area in the brain becomes accessible which people put action on.
How sensory input affects response:
- Sensory liking: composition/smell of a product can have direct effect on tastiness/quality.
- Categorisation: response to which the stimulus is congruent to information expected. Full congruent means
schema is appropriate (can also be boring). Slight deviations can bring affect.
- Associations: affective response to the meaning of the stimulus beyond the physical/sensory aspect (pine & x-
mas) = associations of concept (pine) to knowledge structures (memory)
- Emotions: sensory information can induce emotions; puts you in a positive or negative mood which influences
behaviour. The mood state induces a different kind of decision-making.
Our senses activates processes; brings outside information inside our system: provides basic input on how we make
sense of the world; guiding perception, preference and behaviour.
Sensory stimuli Sensory receptors Internal human system Processing Behaviour to action
Stimuli = sight, sound, smell, taste, texture
Receptors = eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin
Sensation perception preference behaviour
Apple is green, thus sour, don’t like sour apples, avoid the apple
Both bottom-up and top-down leads to cognition and behaviour: Bottom-up:
taking sensory info and then integrate it.
Top-down: using existing knowledge to interpret sensory info.
Grounded cognition: the body influences the mind:
- Bodily state: a particular bodily state results in certain behaviour/thought processes. Facial expressions
(stimulating smiling muscles) affects funniness ratings of cartoons.
- Situation action: some part of body is moving (head nodding) which affects cognitive assessments/associations
- Mental simulation: activate brain areas by thinking about product. Imagining listening to music activates the
auditory cortex, and seeing cookies activate the eating cortices. Less or more mental stimulation can affect
purchase intention, e.g. mug with right handle results in greater mental stimulation for righthanded people.
Why do consumers crave sensory experiences?
Basic needs of people are satisfied; wanting more: need hierarchy. Intrinsic need for stimulation, where consumption
itself is the goal. Optimum stimulation level: boring when it’s predictable; you want information to trigger your
senses.
Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation:
Needs Search (information) Choice Consumption Consequences of consumption (evaluation = means)
Intrinsic motivation: consumption in itself is the goal irrespective of consequences = left to right (excl. consequences)
Extrinsic motivation: consumption is a means to an end (wanting the experience to feel happy) = right to left
,KANO model: dissatisfier is e.g. food safety: you expect food to be safe, but if it’s not safe you’re punished. Satisfier
is e.g. coming across a restaurant you don’t expect much from, but they give an excellent meal: gives extra
satisfaction.
Two above theories depend on your Optimum Stimulation Level (OSL), which differs per individual. Some have a low
OSL of arousal, which try to be in non-overstimulating situations. High stimulation seek out lively and noisy events.
We try to have our actual level of stimulation in line with our optimum.
Environmental stimulation higher than optimum, distract yourself from situation (avoidance) to make it congruent.
Environmental stimuli lower than OSL = boredom: exploratory behaviour used to seek additional stimulation
(arousal)
Core article 1A: Krishna: An integrative Review of Sensory Marketing
Sensory marketing = marketing that engages the consumers’ senses and affects
their perception, judgement and behaviour. It is used to create subconscious
triggers that define perceptions.
Sensation = when the stimulus reaches the receptors (unaware)
Perception = awareness/understanding of sensory information
Need for touch scale is based on: I need to touch the product in order to form
an attitude towards its quality. Human touch: once touched, people are more
likely to trust. Once trusted by someone, we are likely to return this trust.
Scent is one of the strongest stimuli, has direct connection to memory. People remember smells longer and better
than visuals. Scent influences behaviour: increase variety-seeking and enhance product/store evaluations + memory.
Different types of music create different things, classical music enhances pleasure, while pop music enhances
arousal. Slow paced music results in slower shopping as customers will continue in a slow pace.
Lecture 2: Sensory Information Processing
Input from environment is processed through sensory systems: vision, audition, taste, smell, balance somaesthetic
(feel), kinaesthetic (muscles), pain and temperature. The importance of the sense system is dependent of the
context:
- Attention: we attent to what we see, vision being most important
- Behavioural impact: how we behave, smell most important which determines liking/disgust
- Number of receptors used
Vision: very important for the sensory system, helps you around life. High adaptation capabilities (light to dark sight)
Audition (hearing): ears can hear directions and enables us to navigate. Adaptation is little, but there
Olfaction (smell): orthonasal and retronasal. Huge adaptation as we get used to smells in which they disappear.
Smell happens outside awareness and is unconsciously processed; sensitive to deviations (smoke triggers).
Sensory = outside information coming through our senses into our system. Sensory itself is not perceptual. By adding
information from memory (meaning) together with what is observed = perception. Sensory + meaning = perception.
Perception process = a process that organizes information in a sensory image and interpret it through the properties
of an object in the environment. Attribute meaning to sensation. Perception process involves:
1. Sensation = a process by which stimulation of sensory receptors give rise to neural impulses. Without experience.
2. Perceptual organization = processes that put sensory information together to give perception.
3. Identification and recognition = processes of assigning meaning to percept; give meaning to what we see.
Percept = the thing we perceive (e.g. colour). Properties of a percept:
- Quality: what type of sensation is it? E.g. colour, smell, heat
, - Intensity: how strong is it?
- Hedonic: do I like it? E.g. lekker: individual, subjective differences (measured on hedonic scale)
- Information: number of possible alternatives: very personal. How surprising or uncertain is the outcome?
Cognitive information = knowledge. Two kinds of knowledge:
1. Declarative: definitions of things, conceptual information; Labrador is a dog.
2. Procedural: knowledge on how to do things; skilful behaviour/processes e.g. walking (difficult to describe)
Bottom-up information: information starts at sensory systems filled with external information
Top-down information: inherited/learned information from memory (inborn (dis)likes); needed to navigate the
world
Perception process = Stimulus Receptor Features (specific properties of an object defined by information from
memory = top-down input) Percept
Perception is highly sensitive to context effects; helps interpret the sensation into a perception (adding meaning to
it)
Sensory analysis: combines top-down and bottom-up processes. Combine information from the senses with the
knowledge stored in memory, which forms sensation of the object, helping to provide meaning to it.
Perception = attachment of meaning to an object. Top-down and bottom-up combined
usually happens unconscious through automatic processes, habits and thoughts.
Grouping of percepts: some things belong together; we connect things in our minds based on grouping on features,
but also on space and time. Bottom up grouping = distance, similarity. Top down grouping = meaning, concept.
Gestalt principles is a way of organization/grouping in the brain, e.g. flavour.
Concept = abstract togetherness of many instances, e.g. animals, cars.
Sensory information processing: what do we do with sensory information?
1. Reduce: ignore stimuli not relevant to act to (meaningful behaviour); extract relevant information from
environment and memory needed to behave. Perception action loop: selective attention, our vision is directed
by our next move. We don’t attend to other stimuli.
2. Elaborate: link information to e.g. memory; links through mental connections; form associations
3. Store (memory): memory helps create a stable world and fills in the gaps to what we perceive to make sense of
it.
4. Transform: environmental stimuli receptors neural codes ready to make sense of it
5. Recover: retrieving from memory. Filling in missing parts to get coherent picture (eyewitness example)
6. Use: use information for a purpose/act/behaviour; test validity whether the information actually works. When
you use it you know if something is worth it to keep remembering and act upon it again.
Lecture 3: Sensory Information Processing
Emotion: first reaction to a stimulation is an emotional one; it’s automatic and immediate and can be interpreted.
Emotions are influenced by everything top-down in your system (culture, personal history).
Dual-process theory: stimuli can be processed in 2 ways: fast- or slow-processing. The process used leads to action.
Preferences are inborn or leaned; we know we like someone but difficult to explain why (automatic process). When
stimuli are connected to positive feelings, we tend to remember them better = learning and conditioning.
Determinants of food preference:
- Innate: inborn like/dislike of taste. Babies like sweet, hate sour and bitter. Olfaction learned through imprinting =
immediate fast learning after birth.
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