Chapter 4 Comprehension, Memory, and Cognitive Learning Babin/Harris © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. Learning Outcomes Understand the concept of comprehension and the factors that influence what gets comprehended. Use the multiple store theory of memory to explain how knowledge, meaning, and value are inseparable. Understand how consumers make associations with meaning as a key way to learn. Use the concept of associative networks to map relevant consumer knowledge. Be able to apply the concept of a cognitive schema, including exemplars and prototypes, to understand how consumers react to new products. © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

Components of Consumer Information Processing Exposure Attention Comprehension Elaboration LO1 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. Comprehension Refers to the interpretation or understanding that a consumer develops about some attended stimulus in order to assign meaning. LO1 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. Comprehension Process is largely influenced by other internal factors within the consumer. Includes both cognitive (thought) and affective (feeling) elements. Consumer comprehension is not always “correct.” LO1 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

Factors Affecting Consumer Comprehension Message characteristics Receiver characteristics Environmental characteristics LO1 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

Characteristics of the Message Physical characteristics Intensity Color Font Numbers Simplicity-Complexity Message Congruity Figure and Ground Message Source Likeability Expertise Trustworthiness Attractiveness LO1 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

Message Receiver Characteristics Intelligence/Ability Involvement Familiarity/Habituation Expectations Physical limits Brain dominance LO1 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

Environmental Characteristics Information intensity Framing Timing LO1 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

Multiple Store Theory of Memory Views the memory process as utilizing three different storage areas within the human brain. Sensory memory Workbench (or “short-term”) memory Long-term memory LO2 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. Sensory Memory The area in memory where the things that we encounter with any of the five human senses are stored. Preattentive – consumer has not yet allocated attention to sensations. Unlimited capacity. Storage methods: Iconic storage – visual information Echoic storage – auditory information Short duration and perishable. LO2 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. Workbench Memory The storage area where information is stored and encoded for placement in long-term memory, and eventually, retrieved for future use. Encoding – process by which information is transferred from workbench memory to long-term memory for permanent storage. Retrieval – process by which information is transferred back into workbench memory. Limited capacity and duration. Capacity depends on consumer’s involvement. LO2 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

Mental Processes Help Consumers “Remember” Things Repetition – rehearsal. Problem: Cognitive interference Dual coding – two different sensory “traces” are available to remember something. Meaningful encoding – pre-existing knowledge is used to assist in storing new information. Chunking – grouping stimuli by meaning so that multiple stimuli can become a single memory unit. Chunk = single memory unit. LO3 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. Long-Term Memory A repository for all information that a person has encountered. Unlimited capacity and duration. Semantic encoding – stimuli are converted to meaning which can be expressed verbally. Memory trace – the mental path by which some thought becomes active. Spreading activation – cognitive activation spreads from one concept to another. Tag – a small piece of coded information that helps that particular piece of knowledge get retrieved. LO3 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. Associative Network A network of mental pathways linking knowledge within memory. Declarative knowledge – cognitive components that represent facts. Nodes – represent concepts. Path – show association between nodes. LO4 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. 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 most associated with a concept. LO5 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

Reaction to New Products/Brands When consumers encounter new products or brands, they react to them by comparing them to the existing schema. LO5 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.

© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning. More Terminology Script – a schema representing an event. Episodic memory – memory for past events in one’s life. Nostalgia – yearning to relive past events. Social schemata – the cognitive representation that gives a specific type of person meaning. Also known as social stereotype. Elaboration – the extent to which one continues processing a message even after an initial understanding is achieved in the comprehension stage. Personal elaboration – person imagines himself associating with a stimulus being processed. LO5 © 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.