Affect and Cognition as Psychological Responses

What is Consumer Behavior?

• American Marketing Association (and Book) Definition:• The dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behavior,

and the environment by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives.”

• Dynamic• Always changing with faster product cycles and greater

need for continued innovation

• Involves Interactions• Among cognition, affect, behavior and the environment

• Involves Exchanges• Exchanging value for value

Affect and cognition are different types of psychological responses consumers can have in situations such as grocery shopping. Affect refers to feeling responses, whereas cognition consists of mental (thinking) responses.

Introduction

Feelings

Types of Affective Responses

Five Characteristics:

• Largely reactive

• Little direct control over affective responses

• Felt physically in the body

• Responds to virtually any type of stimulus

• Most affective responses are learned

The Affective System

Impulse Shoppers or Buyers

Examples of the Affective

Human beings have evolved a highly sophisticated cognitive system that performs the higher mental processes of understanding, evaluating, planning, deciding, and thinking.

• Understanding—Interpreting the meanings of specific aspects of one’s environment.

• Evaluating—Judging whether an aspect of the environment, or one’s own behavior, is good or bad, positive or negative, favorable or unfavorable.

• Planning—Determining how to solve a problem or reach a goal.

Cognition

• Deciding—Comparing alternative solutions to a problem in terms of their relevant characteristics and selecting the best alternative.

• Thinking—The cognitive activity that occurs during all of these processes.

Cont…

Types of Meanings Created by the Cognitive System

Interpret Information

• Attention and Comprehension

Integrate Information

• Evaluate and Make Decisions

Draw on Knowledge Stored in Memory

• Once activated, influences interpretation and

integration

Functions of the Cognition

Environment

Interpretation(Attention & Comprehension)

New Knowledge

Integrate Information(To Form Attitudes, Intentions,and Choices Among Options)

Memory(Stored

Knowledge)

Consumer Behavior

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Relationship between Affect and Cognition

• Differing Views

• Affective and cognitive systems are independent

• Affect is largely influenced by the cognitive system

• Affect is the dominant system

• Affective and cognitive systems are highly interdependent

Cont…

Both affect and cognition are important for understanding consumer behavior. Consider the cognitive and affective components of consumer satisfaction, a major focus of many marketing programs. Satisfaction has elements of both affect (feeling pleased, liking the product or service) and cognition (knowing why you like the product). Likewise, a brand image includes knowledge and beliefs (cognitions) about brand attributes, the consequences of brand use, and appropriate consumption situations, as well as evaluations, feelings, and emotions (affective responses) associated with the brand. Marketers need to understand both affective and cognitive responses to marketing strategies such as product design, advertisement, and store layout. For some marketing purposes, consumers’ affective responses are more important; in other cases, cognition is key.

In Relation to Marketing Implications

Metaphors:

• Represent one thing in terms of something else

• Can communicate thoughts and feelings about

a product, brand or company

• Are critical part of effective marketing

strategies

Using Metaphors to Communicate Affective and Cognitive Meaning

Examples

1. Consumer behavior is an interaction between affect/cognition, behavior, & environment; each can affect the others (reciprocal determinism)

2. Affect and cognition are interdependent3. Affect is a physical sensation which is

largely learned, not under our control, and reactive

4. Cognitive system helps us interpret and integrate information and draw on existing knowledge to form preferences, intentions and decisions

Final reminders