Chapter 4 Comprehension, Memory, and Cognitive Learning

Learning Outcomes Identify the factors that influence consumer comprehension Explain how knowledge, meaning, and value are inseparable using the multiple stores memory theory Understand how the mental associations that consumers develop are a key to learning

Learning Objectives Use the concept of associative networks to map relevant consumer knowledge Apply the cognitive schema concept in understanding how consumers react to products, brands, and marketing agents

Comprehension Refers to the interpretation or understanding that a consumer develops about some attended stimulus in order to assign meaning Internal factors within the consumer powerfully influence the comprehension process Comprehension includes both cognitive and affective elements Every message sends signals

Factors Affecting Consumer Comprehension Characteristics of the message Characteristics of the message receiver Characteristics of the environment (information processing situation)

Characteristics of the Message Physical characteristics Simplicity–complexity Message congruity Figure and ground Message source

Message Receiver Characteristics Intelligence/ability Prior knowledge Involvement Familiarity/habituation Expectations Physical limits Brain dominance

Environmental Characteristics Information intensity Framing Prospect theory Priming Timing

Memory It is the psychological process by which knowledge is recorded

Multiple Store Theory of Memory Views the memory process as utilizing three different storage areas within the human brain

Mental Processes Assisting Learning Repetition Dual coding Meaningful encoding Chunking

Long-Term Memory Long-term memory is a repository for all information that a person has encountered Represents permanent information storage Semantic coding - Means the stimuli are converted to meaning that can be expressed verbally A memory trace is the mental path by which some thought becomes active

Long-Term Memory Mental tagging helps consumers to retrieve knowledge Rumination refers to unintentional but recurrent memory of long-ago events that are not triggered by anything in the environment These thoughts frequently include consumption related activities

Elaboration Refers to the extent to which one continues processing a message even after he/she develops an initial understanding in the comprehension stage Personal elaboration - A person imagines himself or herself associating with a stimulus being processed Provides the deepest comprehension and greatest chance of accurate recall

Associative Network It is a network of mental pathways linking knowledge within memory

Declarative Knowledge Refers to cognitive components that represent facts Represented in an associative network when two nodes are linked by a path Nodes - Represent concepts in the network Paths - Show the association between nodes in the network

Cognitive Schemas Schema - A type of associative network that works as a cognitive representation of a phenomenon that provides meaning to that entity Exemplar - A concept within a schema that is the single best representative of some category Prototype - Characteristics more associated with a concept

Script, Episodic Memory, and Social Schemata Script - A schema representing an event Episodic memory - Refers to the memory for past events, or episodes, in one’s life Social schema - Cognitive representation that gives a specific type of person meaning Social stereotype

Comprehension, Memory, and Cognitive Learning

Learning Outcomes Identify the factors that influence consumer comprehension. Explain how knowledge, meaning, and value are inseparable using the multiple stores memory theory. Understand how the mental associations that consumers develop are a key to learning. Use the concept of associative networks to map relevant consumer knowledge. Apply the cognitive schema concept in understanding how consumers react to products, brands, and marketing agents.

Comprehension The interpretation or understanding that a consumer develops about some attended stimulus in order to assign meaning

Comprehension Internal factors within the consumer powerfully influence the comprehension process Comprehension includes both cognitive and affective elements Every message sends signals

Factors Affecting Consumer Comprehension Characteristics of the message Characteristics of the message receiver Characteristics of the environment (information processing situation)

Characteristics of the Message Physical characteristics - The elements of a message that one senses directly Intensity Color Font Numbers Spacing Shape

Characteristics of the Message Simplicity–complexity - The simpler the message, the more likely a consumer develops meaningful comprehension Relies on a consumer’s ability to process information

Characteristics of the Message Message congruity - Represents the extent to which a message is internally consistent and fits surrounding information Not always true that congruent content leads to improved comprehension

Characteristics of the Message Figure - The focal image, or the object intended to capture a person’s attention Ground - In a message, everything besides the figure should be less important and simply represent the ground

Characteristics of the Message Message source - Can influence comprehension Source influences comprehension to varying degrees based upon: Likeability Attractiveness Expertise Trustworthiness

Message Receiver Characteristics Intelligence/Ability Prior knowledge Involvement Familiarity/habituation - The process by which continuous exposure to a stimulus affects the comprehension of and response to some stimulus

Message Receiver Characteristics Expectations - Beliefs of what will happen in a future situation Physical limits Brain dominance - The phenomena of hemispheric lateralization

Message Receiver Characteristics - Example A famous television personality has been brought in to endorse a carbonated soft drink A consumer’s prior knowledge of the product company and involvement with the message will help him comprehend the message in the endorsement accurately

Environmental Characteristics Information intensity - The amount of information available for a consumer to process within a given environment Framing - A phenomenon in which the meaning of something is influenced (perceived differently) by the information environment

Environmental Characteristics Prospect theory Priming Timing - Both the amount of time a consumer has to process a message and the point in time at which the consumer receives the message

Explain how knowledge, meaning, and value are inseparable using the multiple stores memory theory.

Memory Psychological process by which knowledge is recorded

Multiple Store Theory of Memory Views the memory process as utilizing three different storage areas within the human brain

The Storage Types Sensory memory - Area in memory where we store what we encounter with our five human senses Workbench memory - Storage area in the memory system where information is stored and encoded for placement in long-term memory and, eventually, retrieved for future use

Understand how the mental associations that consumers develop are a key to learning.

Mental Processes Assisting Learning Repetition - A process in which a thought is held in short-term memory by mentally repeating the thought Dual coding - A process in which two different sensory “traces” are available to remember something

Mental Processes Assisting Learning Meaningful encoding - A process that occurs when preexisting knowledge is used to assist in storing new information Chunking - A process of grouping stimuli by meaning so that multiple stimuli can become a single memory unit

What mental processes assist learning? - Example Joan remembers her shopping lists by categorizing the products into food, household items, and toiletries She uses the process of chunking Michaela remembers important numbers by repeating the digits over and over again She uses the process of repetition

Long-Term Memory A repository for all information that a person has encountered Represents permanent information storage Semantic coding - The stimuli are converted to meaning that can be expressed verbally Memory trace - Mental path by which some thought becomes active

Long-Term Memory Mental tagging helps consumers to retrieve knowledge Rumination - Unintentional but recurrent memory of long-ago events that are not triggered by anything in the environment These thoughts frequently include consumption related activities

Elaboration Extent to which one continues processing a message even after he/she develops an initial understanding in the comprehension stage Personal elaboration - A person imagines himself or herself associating with a stimulus being processed Provides the deepest comprehension and greatest chance of accurate recall

Use the concept of associative networks to map relevant consumer knowledge.

Associative Network A network of mental pathways linking knowledge within memory

Declarative Knowledge Refers to cognitive components that represent facts Represented in an associative network when two nodes are linked by a path Nodes - Represent concepts in the network Paths - Show the association between nodes in the network

Apply the cognitive schema concept in understanding how consumers react to products, brands, and marketing agents.

Cognitive Schemas Schema - A type of associative network that works as a cognitive representation of a phenomenon that provides meaning to that entity Exemplar - A concept within a schema that is the single best representative of some category Prototype - Characteristics more associated with a concept

Script, Episodic Memory, and Social Schemata Script - A schema representing an event Episodic memory - To the memory for past events, or episodes, in one’s life Social schema - Cognitive representation that gives a specific type of person meaning Social stereotype

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