University of Oklahoma University of Oklahoma PRICE College of Business PRICE College of Business Attention and Comprehension 1

The Interpretation Process Information in the environment Knowledge, meanings and beliefs Interpretation Exposure, Attention, and Comprehension Memory Product knowledge and involvement Activated knowledge influences how consumers attend to information 2

INTERPRETATION An ongoing process by which customers make sense of or determine the meaning of important aspects of the physical and social environment as well as their own behaviors and internal affective states 3

Sensory Memory (Senses) Sensory Memory (Senses) Working Memory (Short- term Store) Long-term Memory (Assoc. Network) Long-term Memory (Assoc. Network) External Stimuli Input EXPOSURE - A customer’s contact with information in the environment Intentional exposure occurs when customers purposefully search for information relevant to a goal or problem they have. Accidental exposure occurs when customers unexpectedly encounter marketing information in their environments. Selective exposure is a customer’s tendency to avoid exposure. 4

EXPOSURE Marketers can facilitate intentional exposure. 5

EXPOSURE Marketers can maximize accidental exposure 6

ATTENTION is focusing on information that is relevant to important goals and values. Sensory Memory (Senses) Sensory Memory (Senses) Working Memory (Short- term Store) Long-term Memory (Assoc. Network) Long-term Memory (Assoc. Network) External Stimuli Input 1.Preconscious attention is the highly automatic, largely unconscious selection of certain stimuli for simple cognitive processing 2.Focal attention is a controlled, conscious level of attention that focuses cognitive processes on relevant or prominent stimuli in the environment 3.Selective attention is the process by which customers select information in the environment to interpret 7

Levels of Attention Preconscious AttentionFocal Attention No conscious awarenessConscious awareness Automatic processesControlled processes Uses little or no cognitiveUses some cognitivecapacity Uses activated Same knowledge from long-term memory 8

Levels of Attention Preconscious AttentionFocal Attention More likely for concepts of low to moderateof high important importance oror involvement involvement More likely for familiar,More likely for novel, frequently encounteredunusual, infrequently concepts, with well-learnedencountered concepts, memory representationswithout well-learned memory representations 9

Factors Influencing Attention Affective State Involvement Environmental Prominence Low affective arousal reduces the amount and intensity of attention High affective arousal narrows consumer focus and makes attention more selective Motivational state that guides the selection of stimuli for focal attention and comprehension Activating relevant knowledge structures most likely through prominent marketing stimuli 10

Construct meanings Comprehension Form knowledge structures that represent relevant concepts, objects, behaviors, and events Activate relevant knowledge structures (schemas and & scripts) -Provides a framework that guides and directs comprehension processing -Cognitive learning occurs 11

Construct meanings Comprehension Form knowledge structures that represent relevant concepts, objects, behaviors, and events Activate relevant knowledge structures (schemas and & scripts) -Provides a framework that guides and directs comprehension processing -Cognitive learning occurs The cognitive processes involved in interpreting and understanding concepts, events, objects, and persons in the environment 12

Inferences Beliefs or knowledge that are not based on information directly present in the environment. Inferences are heavily influenced by consumers’ knowledge that is activated during comprehension. COMPREHENSION 13

Factors Influencing Comprehension Involvement Exposure Environment Knowledge in Memory COMPREHENSION 14

Sensory Memory (Senses) Sensory Memory (Senses) Working Memory (Short- term Store) Long-term Memory (Assoc. Network) Long-term Memory (Assoc. Network) External Stimuli Input Rehearsal Chunking Accretion Tuning Restructuring Activation Retrieval Forgotten; lost Forgotten; lost Unavailable Information Processing and Memory Stores Exposure - Intentional - Accidental - Selective Attention - Preconscious - Focal - Selective Comprehension 15

Aspects of the Cognitive System 1.Interpretation involves interactions between knowledge in memory and information 2.Activated knowledge influences how consumers attend to information and comprehend its meaning 3.Consumers can consciously attend to and comprehend only small amounts of information at a time 4.Much attention and comprehension processing occurs quickly and automatically with little or no conscious awareness 16