GLOSSARY CONSUMER
PSYCHOLOGY
LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION
Term Explanation
Psychophysiology Reaction of the body to all kind of stimuli (sweat, heartbeat, eye
tracking, brain waves, facial muscles)
Gossip Sharing social information about an absent other (not
necessarily negative)
- Gossip releases stress after experiencing a stressor
Consumer The study of how thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and perceptions
psychology influence buying behaviour and decision-making (all behaviours
that relate to people as consumers)
Applies psychological theories to understand consumers and
consumer behaviour
- Focuses on microlevel: small things that are changed
which leads to other outcomes
- Psychological methods (experiments), focus on
(underlying) processes of attitudes & behaviour (and
individual differences or other moderators)
Resistance When people go against persuasive attempts
Core themes - Consumer information processing: attention,
consumer psychology elaboration, decision making
- Motivation and affect
- Persuasion, attitudes, social influence
Consumer The study of how individuals perceive, interpret, store, and use
information information to make purchasing decisions
processing - Exposure attention comprehension acceptance
retention
- How do they process (consumer-related) stimuli?
Information overload (home, media, shops, other
people). How does this affect their beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviour?
Mere exposure effect Repeated exposure to a stimulus increases an individual's
preference or liking for it (preferences can be influenced very subtle)
Studies regarding - Zajonc (1980): preferences need no inferences (emotional
mere exposure effect preferences can arise automatically and without conscious reasoning
or cognitive evaluation)
- Janiszewski (1983): incidental processing
Incidental processing Unintentional or automatic processing of information that
occurs without conscious effort or attention
Science of Cialdini: 6 different kinds of persuasion
persuasion – 1. Reciprocity: people feel obligated to return favours or
shortcuts kindnesses
2. Scarcity: people place higher value on things that are
rare or limited in availability
3. Authority: people are more likely to be influenced by
those they perceive as credible or knowledgeable
4. Consistency: once people commit to something, they
, strive to act consistently with that commitment
5. Liking: people are more easily persuaded by individuals
they like or find attractive
6. Consensus: people tend to follow the actions or beliefs
of others, especially in uncertain situations
LECTURE 2: CONSUMER INFORMATION PROCESSING
THEORY
Term Explanation
Zero price effect People perceive a product as significantly more valuable or
appealing when it is free
Cognitive resources Are limited:
- Mental muscle
- Depletion
- Often use mental shortcuts
Individual differences Important moderators for purchasing decisions
- Sociodemo’s: age, gender, cultural differences
- Behavioural patterns (eg restrained eating, disgust sensitivity)
- Personality traits: need for cognition, regulatory focus
trait, personality scales
- Biometric variables: stable physical characteristics,
unique for every human being, but can reveal
underlying traits (eg finger print, digit ratio)
Moderator A variable that influences the strength or direction of the
relationship between an independent variable and a dependent
variable (effect from A on B depends on the effect of C)
Need for cognition The tendency for an individual to engage in and enjoy thinking
- High NFC shows greater elaboration of message content
compared to low NFC
Regulatory focus trait Chronic disposition towards prevention/promotion
- Promotion oriented people prefer gain frames vs
prevention-oriented people prefer loss frames
Personality scales – - Extraversion (sociability, energy, assertiveness, and a tendency to
the big 5 seek stimulation and enjoy interacting with others)
- Agreeableness (compassionate, cooperative, trusting, and kind in
social interactions)
- Conscientiousness (organized, responsible, reliable, and goal-
oriented)
- Neuroticism (emotional instability, anxiety, and a tendency to
experience negative emotions)
- Openness (creativity, curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to
explore new ideas and experiences)
Attitude Positive or negative dispositions of an individual towards an
attitude-object
Uni-dimensional view Expressions of passions and hates, attractions and repulsions,
likes and dislikes for certain people, groups, situations, objects
Tripartite theory An attitude is a combination of affective, cognitive, and
behavioural responses to an attitude-object
- The behavioural response is the outcome of an attitude
Direct attitude 1. Classical conditioning: learning process where a neutral
formation stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful
, stimulus, eliciting a similar response
2. Operant conditioning: learning method where
behaviours are influenced by their consequences, such
as rewards or punishment (leads to positive or negative
attitudes)
3. Mere exposure: repeated exposure to a stimulus
increases an individual’s preference or liking for it
Indirect attitude Attitudes are a function of beliefs and the values/evaluations
formation associated with those beliefs (=deeply considered: stronger attitudes)
Attitude-belief model An individual's overall attitude is seen as the result of the
combined evaluation of specific beliefs they hold regarding
different attributes or aspects of the subject in question (belief x
evaluation)
- Attitudes are a cumulative result of specific beliefs and
their evaluations, guiding how people make decisions
and form opinions
Theory of reasoned An individual's behaviour is driven by their intention, which is
action influenced by their attitudes toward the behaviour and
subjective norms
- Not a one-to-one relationship: behavioural intention
doesn’t necessarily lead to the behaviour!
Subjective norms The perceived social pressure to engage or not engage in a
behaviour (normative belief x motivation to comply with normative belief)
Factors that - Involvement of the consumer
moderate attitude- - Situational factors
behaviour link - Personality factors
- Attitude measurement
Elaboration People process persuasive messages through two routes: the
Likelihood Model central route, involving careful and thoughtful consideration of
the message, and the peripheral route, relying on superficial
cues like attractiveness or credibility
- Central route: enduring attitudes, resistant to counter
persuasion (=indirect attitude)
- Peripheral route: weak attitudes, temporal in nature
(=direct attitude)
Factors that influence Central route when all 3 are true
whether you go - Motivation to process the message
central or peripheral - Ability to process the message
route - Opportunity to process
TEXTS
THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN ADVERTISING ON CHOICE BEHAVIOR: A CLASSICAL
CONDITIONING APPROACH – GORN
In the empirical paper "Gorn: Effect of Music on Consumer Behaviour," Gerald J. Gorn
explores how background features such as music, colour, and humour in advertisements
can influence consumer preferences, even when there is minimal product information
available. The study uses classical conditioning, a psychological concept, to explain how
emotional responses can shape consumer behaviour. Classical conditioning occurs when
an unconditioned stimulus (such as music) is paired with a neutral stimulus (like a
product), eventually causing the neutral stimulus to evoke the same emotional response.
, Gorn conducted two experiments to investigate these ideas. In the first experiment,
participants listened to either liked or disliked music while evaluating pens of different
colours. The results showed that participants preferred the pen associated with the liked
music, suggesting that music could influence product choice through emotional
association.
The second experiment examined how music affected product preference in decision-
making (prior experiment: “you can take package of 3 pens home”) and non-decision-making (after
experiment: “you can take package of 3 pens home”) contexts. When participants were in a
decision-making context, they relied more on explicit product information. However, in
non-decision-making situations, music had a stronger emotional impact, leading
participants to prefer products associated with positive emotional stimuli. This suggests
that music can have a more powerful effect on consumer choices when they are not
actively analysing product details.
A key finding of the study is that participants were often unaware of the influence of
music on their decisions. They tended to rationalize their choices based on product
features (like colour preference) rather than recognizing that the music influenced their
emotional response to the product. This highlights potential issues with classical
conditioning experiments, such as demand characteristics, where participants may not
fully acknowledge the emotional stimuli's effects on their choices.
The paper suggests that music in advertisements can create lasting product preferences
through association, even if consumers are not consciously aware of the influence. Gorn
concludes that advertisers should consider the impact of background music and
emotional stimuli, particularly in non-decision-making contexts where consumers may not
actively seek out product information.
Overall, Gorn’s study highlights the importance of emotional stimuli, like music, in
shaping consumer preferences and suggests that marketers could benefit from using
these features strategically to enhance their advertising efforts.
To follow up on this study, a design for a new study could involve testing the impact of
different genres of music on consumer preferences for various products. This could help
understand whether specific music genres are more effective in influencing preferences
for certain types of products. Additionally, incorporating brain imaging techniques, such
as fMRI, could provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the influence of
music on consumer behaviour. This could further validate the role of classical
conditioning in consumer preferences and provide a deeper understanding of the
psychological processes involved. By conducting a follow-up study with these
approaches, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of music
on consumer behaviour and potentially uncover new insights that could be valuable for
marketing and advertising strategies.
CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL ROUTES TO ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS: THE
MODERATING ROLE OF INVOLVEMENT – PETTY & CACIOPPO
The study conducted by Petty, Cacioppo, and Schumann investigates how advertising
influences consumer attitudes through two distinct routes: central and peripheral, with an
emphasis on the moderating role of consumer involvement. According to the Elaboration
Likelihood Model (ELM), the central route involves careful evaluation of relevant
information, fostering deeper cognitive engagement with arguments, while the peripheral
route relies on superficial cues, such as the attractiveness or expertise of the endorser.
PSYCHOLOGY
LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION
Term Explanation
Psychophysiology Reaction of the body to all kind of stimuli (sweat, heartbeat, eye
tracking, brain waves, facial muscles)
Gossip Sharing social information about an absent other (not
necessarily negative)
- Gossip releases stress after experiencing a stressor
Consumer The study of how thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and perceptions
psychology influence buying behaviour and decision-making (all behaviours
that relate to people as consumers)
Applies psychological theories to understand consumers and
consumer behaviour
- Focuses on microlevel: small things that are changed
which leads to other outcomes
- Psychological methods (experiments), focus on
(underlying) processes of attitudes & behaviour (and
individual differences or other moderators)
Resistance When people go against persuasive attempts
Core themes - Consumer information processing: attention,
consumer psychology elaboration, decision making
- Motivation and affect
- Persuasion, attitudes, social influence
Consumer The study of how individuals perceive, interpret, store, and use
information information to make purchasing decisions
processing - Exposure attention comprehension acceptance
retention
- How do they process (consumer-related) stimuli?
Information overload (home, media, shops, other
people). How does this affect their beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviour?
Mere exposure effect Repeated exposure to a stimulus increases an individual's
preference or liking for it (preferences can be influenced very subtle)
Studies regarding - Zajonc (1980): preferences need no inferences (emotional
mere exposure effect preferences can arise automatically and without conscious reasoning
or cognitive evaluation)
- Janiszewski (1983): incidental processing
Incidental processing Unintentional or automatic processing of information that
occurs without conscious effort or attention
Science of Cialdini: 6 different kinds of persuasion
persuasion – 1. Reciprocity: people feel obligated to return favours or
shortcuts kindnesses
2. Scarcity: people place higher value on things that are
rare or limited in availability
3. Authority: people are more likely to be influenced by
those they perceive as credible or knowledgeable
4. Consistency: once people commit to something, they
, strive to act consistently with that commitment
5. Liking: people are more easily persuaded by individuals
they like or find attractive
6. Consensus: people tend to follow the actions or beliefs
of others, especially in uncertain situations
LECTURE 2: CONSUMER INFORMATION PROCESSING
THEORY
Term Explanation
Zero price effect People perceive a product as significantly more valuable or
appealing when it is free
Cognitive resources Are limited:
- Mental muscle
- Depletion
- Often use mental shortcuts
Individual differences Important moderators for purchasing decisions
- Sociodemo’s: age, gender, cultural differences
- Behavioural patterns (eg restrained eating, disgust sensitivity)
- Personality traits: need for cognition, regulatory focus
trait, personality scales
- Biometric variables: stable physical characteristics,
unique for every human being, but can reveal
underlying traits (eg finger print, digit ratio)
Moderator A variable that influences the strength or direction of the
relationship between an independent variable and a dependent
variable (effect from A on B depends on the effect of C)
Need for cognition The tendency for an individual to engage in and enjoy thinking
- High NFC shows greater elaboration of message content
compared to low NFC
Regulatory focus trait Chronic disposition towards prevention/promotion
- Promotion oriented people prefer gain frames vs
prevention-oriented people prefer loss frames
Personality scales – - Extraversion (sociability, energy, assertiveness, and a tendency to
the big 5 seek stimulation and enjoy interacting with others)
- Agreeableness (compassionate, cooperative, trusting, and kind in
social interactions)
- Conscientiousness (organized, responsible, reliable, and goal-
oriented)
- Neuroticism (emotional instability, anxiety, and a tendency to
experience negative emotions)
- Openness (creativity, curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to
explore new ideas and experiences)
Attitude Positive or negative dispositions of an individual towards an
attitude-object
Uni-dimensional view Expressions of passions and hates, attractions and repulsions,
likes and dislikes for certain people, groups, situations, objects
Tripartite theory An attitude is a combination of affective, cognitive, and
behavioural responses to an attitude-object
- The behavioural response is the outcome of an attitude
Direct attitude 1. Classical conditioning: learning process where a neutral
formation stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful
, stimulus, eliciting a similar response
2. Operant conditioning: learning method where
behaviours are influenced by their consequences, such
as rewards or punishment (leads to positive or negative
attitudes)
3. Mere exposure: repeated exposure to a stimulus
increases an individual’s preference or liking for it
Indirect attitude Attitudes are a function of beliefs and the values/evaluations
formation associated with those beliefs (=deeply considered: stronger attitudes)
Attitude-belief model An individual's overall attitude is seen as the result of the
combined evaluation of specific beliefs they hold regarding
different attributes or aspects of the subject in question (belief x
evaluation)
- Attitudes are a cumulative result of specific beliefs and
their evaluations, guiding how people make decisions
and form opinions
Theory of reasoned An individual's behaviour is driven by their intention, which is
action influenced by their attitudes toward the behaviour and
subjective norms
- Not a one-to-one relationship: behavioural intention
doesn’t necessarily lead to the behaviour!
Subjective norms The perceived social pressure to engage or not engage in a
behaviour (normative belief x motivation to comply with normative belief)
Factors that - Involvement of the consumer
moderate attitude- - Situational factors
behaviour link - Personality factors
- Attitude measurement
Elaboration People process persuasive messages through two routes: the
Likelihood Model central route, involving careful and thoughtful consideration of
the message, and the peripheral route, relying on superficial
cues like attractiveness or credibility
- Central route: enduring attitudes, resistant to counter
persuasion (=indirect attitude)
- Peripheral route: weak attitudes, temporal in nature
(=direct attitude)
Factors that influence Central route when all 3 are true
whether you go - Motivation to process the message
central or peripheral - Ability to process the message
route - Opportunity to process
TEXTS
THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN ADVERTISING ON CHOICE BEHAVIOR: A CLASSICAL
CONDITIONING APPROACH – GORN
In the empirical paper "Gorn: Effect of Music on Consumer Behaviour," Gerald J. Gorn
explores how background features such as music, colour, and humour in advertisements
can influence consumer preferences, even when there is minimal product information
available. The study uses classical conditioning, a psychological concept, to explain how
emotional responses can shape consumer behaviour. Classical conditioning occurs when
an unconditioned stimulus (such as music) is paired with a neutral stimulus (like a
product), eventually causing the neutral stimulus to evoke the same emotional response.
, Gorn conducted two experiments to investigate these ideas. In the first experiment,
participants listened to either liked or disliked music while evaluating pens of different
colours. The results showed that participants preferred the pen associated with the liked
music, suggesting that music could influence product choice through emotional
association.
The second experiment examined how music affected product preference in decision-
making (prior experiment: “you can take package of 3 pens home”) and non-decision-making (after
experiment: “you can take package of 3 pens home”) contexts. When participants were in a
decision-making context, they relied more on explicit product information. However, in
non-decision-making situations, music had a stronger emotional impact, leading
participants to prefer products associated with positive emotional stimuli. This suggests
that music can have a more powerful effect on consumer choices when they are not
actively analysing product details.
A key finding of the study is that participants were often unaware of the influence of
music on their decisions. They tended to rationalize their choices based on product
features (like colour preference) rather than recognizing that the music influenced their
emotional response to the product. This highlights potential issues with classical
conditioning experiments, such as demand characteristics, where participants may not
fully acknowledge the emotional stimuli's effects on their choices.
The paper suggests that music in advertisements can create lasting product preferences
through association, even if consumers are not consciously aware of the influence. Gorn
concludes that advertisers should consider the impact of background music and
emotional stimuli, particularly in non-decision-making contexts where consumers may not
actively seek out product information.
Overall, Gorn’s study highlights the importance of emotional stimuli, like music, in
shaping consumer preferences and suggests that marketers could benefit from using
these features strategically to enhance their advertising efforts.
To follow up on this study, a design for a new study could involve testing the impact of
different genres of music on consumer preferences for various products. This could help
understand whether specific music genres are more effective in influencing preferences
for certain types of products. Additionally, incorporating brain imaging techniques, such
as fMRI, could provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the influence of
music on consumer behaviour. This could further validate the role of classical
conditioning in consumer preferences and provide a deeper understanding of the
psychological processes involved. By conducting a follow-up study with these
approaches, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of music
on consumer behaviour and potentially uncover new insights that could be valuable for
marketing and advertising strategies.
CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL ROUTES TO ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS: THE
MODERATING ROLE OF INVOLVEMENT – PETTY & CACIOPPO
The study conducted by Petty, Cacioppo, and Schumann investigates how advertising
influences consumer attitudes through two distinct routes: central and peripheral, with an
emphasis on the moderating role of consumer involvement. According to the Elaboration
Likelihood Model (ELM), the central route involves careful evaluation of relevant
information, fostering deeper cognitive engagement with arguments, while the peripheral
route relies on superficial cues, such as the attractiveness or expertise of the endorser.
