BPMM3013

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

TOPIC 7

ATTITUDE FORMATION & CHANGE

Learning Objectives
7.1 It is important for consumer researchers to understand
the nature and power of attitudes.
7.2 We form attitudes in several ways.
7.3 Persuasion involves an active attempt to change
attitudes.

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Attitude
It is important for consumer researchers to understand the
nature and power of attitudes.

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The Power of Attitudes
• Attitude: a lasting, general evaluation of people, objects,
advertisements, or issues that tend to last
• They also tend to be predictive of behavior and to endure
over time 它们还往往能够预测行为并随着时间的推移而持
续下去
• Attitude object (AO): anything toward which one has an
attitude 任何人对其有态度的事物

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Functional Theory of Attitudes
• Utilitarian Function:
– Relates to rewards and punishments
• Value-Expressive Function:
– Expresses consumer’s values or self-concept
• EGO-Defensive Function:
– Protect ourselves from external threats or internal
feelings
• Knowledge Function:
– Need for order, structure, or meaning

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The ABC Model of Attitudes
Attitudes are more complex than they first appear.

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An attitude has three components:
Affect: the way a consumer feels about an attitude object
Behavior: person’s intentions to do something with regard to an attitude
object
Cognition: beliefs a consumer has about an attitude object

Which comes first: knowing, feeling, or doing? It turns out that each element
may lead things off depending on the situation. The hierarchies of effects
show the relative impact of the three components. Each hierarchy shows a
fixed sequence of steps which can occur in route to an attitude. 显示了在形成
态度的过程中可能发生的固定步骤顺序。
The standard learning hierarchy shown first assumes that a person
approaches a product decision as a problem-solving process. She first
forms beliefs based on knowledge, then evaluates the beliefs and forms
feelings about the product. She then engages in relevant behavior.
The low-involvement hierarchy assumes the consumer initially does not have
strong preferences for one brand over another and instead forms an
evaluation only after she has bought the product.
The experiential hierarchy of effects says we act on our emotional reactions.

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 Hierarchies of Effects
• High-involvement hierarchy assumes that a person
approaches a product decision as a problem-solving
process. She first forms beliefs based on knowledge, then
evaluates the beliefs and forms feelings about the product.
She then engages in relevant behavior
• Low-involvement hierarchyassumes that the consumer
initially doesn’t have a strong preference for one brand over
another; instead, he or she acts on the basis of limited
knowledge and forms an evaluation only after he or she has
bought the product
• Experiential hierarchy of effects-we act on the basis of our
emotional reactions

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• Cognitive-affective modelproposes that an emotional
reaction is just the last step in a series of cognitive
processes that follows sensory recognition of a stimulus
and retrieval of information from memory that helps to
categorize it. 提出情绪反应只是一系列认知过程的最后一
步，该过程遵循对刺激的感官识别并从记忆中检索有助于对
其进行分类的信息。
• Independence hypothes argues that affect and cognition
are separate systems so that it’s not always necessary to
have a cognition to elicit an emotional response.

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Figure 8.1: Three Hierarchies of Effects

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Attitude Formation
We form attitudes in several ways.

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Attitude Commitment 态度承诺
Consumers vary in their commitment to an attitude
Their degree of commitment relates to their level of involvement with
the attitude object.
Internalization
Highest level: our attitudes become a deep part of consumer
value system; attitudes are difficult to change because they
are important to us
Identification
Mid-level: attitudes formed in order to conform to another
person or group ， we form an attitude to conform to another
person’s or group’s expectations
Compliance 合规水平
Lowest level: consumer forms attitude because it gains
rewards or avoids punishments
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Cognitive Consistency Principle-explain when me do
have inconsistent attitude and behavior
• We value/seek harmony among thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors
• We will change components to make them consistent
• Relates to the theory of cognitive dissonance 认知失调–
we take action to resolve dissonance when our attitudes
and behaviors are inconsistent
• we will find some way to rectify 纠正 the dissonance and
bring our attitudes and behaviors back into consistency.

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 Attitude Models
Attitude models identify specific components and combine them to predict
a consumer’s overall attitude toward a product or brand.
This type of model assumes that a consumer’s attitude toward an attitude
object depends on the beliefs that she has about several of its attributes.

The three elements that make up multiattribute models are

attributes, beliefs, and important weights.
• The attributes are used to evaluate the attitude object.
• The beliefs refer to the assessment of whether the brand has specific
attributes.
• Importance weights reflect the relative priority of an attribute to the
consumer. 属性对消费者的相对优先级。

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A Multiattribute Attitude Model: The
Fishbein Model
• The Fishbein model, developed by Martin Fishbein, is the
most influential of multiattribute models 多属性模型 . The
model measures three components of attitudes:
• Salient Beliefs 显着的信念– beliefs about the object a
person considers during evaluation 对一个人在评估过程中
考虑的对象的信念
• Object- Attribute- probability that a particular object has an
important attribute 特定对象具有重要属性的概率
• Evaluation- evaluate each important attribute.

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The Extended Fishbein Model: The
Theory of Reasoned Action 合理的行动
• Intentions versus behavior: measure behavioral
intentions, not just intentions
• Social pressure: acknowledge the power of other people
in purchasing decision, recognizes the power of other
people to influence what we do
• Attitude toward buying: measure attitude toward the act
of buying, not just the product.This means that it
considers the consequences of purchase.

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Marketing Applications of the
Multiattribute Model
Table 8.1 The Basic Multiattribute Model: Saundra’s College Decision
Beliefs (B)

Attribute (i) Importance (I) Smith Princeton Rutgers Northland

Academic 6 8 9 6 3
reputation
All women 7 9 3 3 3
Cost 4 2 2 6 9
Proximity to home 3 2 2 6 9
Athletics 1 1 2 5 1
Party atmosphere 2 1 3 7 9
library facilities 5 7 9 7 2
Attitude score Blank 163 142 153 131

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Marketing Applications of the
Multiattribute Model
• Capitalize on Relative Advantage 利用相对优势 -marketer could
try to convince the consumer that a particular attribute is
important
• Strengthen Perceived Linkages 加强感知联系 -A marketer might
discover that consumers do not equate his brand with a certain
attribute a communications campaign can be used to strengthen
the linkage
• Add a New Attribute-Marketers can encourage consumers to
add a new attribute when new features are developed for
products 当产品开发新功能时，营销人员可以鼓励消费者添加新
属性
• Influence Competitor’s Ratings 影响竞争对手的评级 with
comparative advertising
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Persuasion & Attitude Change
Persuasion involves an active attempt to change attitudes.

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How Do Marketers Change Attitudes?
• Marketers try to persuade consumers and these persuasion attempts
are based on basic psychological principles. There are six approaches
to persuasion, as shown in the slide.
• Reciprocity means that we are more likely to give if we first receive.
• Scarcity means that people tend to find things that are not readily
available more desirable.
• Authority means that we tend to believe authoritative sources 权威来
源.
• Consistency means that we try not to contradict 顶撞 what we’ve said
before.
• Liking means that we will agree with those we like or admire.
• Consensus means that we will consider what others do before we
decide what to do.

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