Question 1

The knowledge function of the functional approach to attitude change relies on the fact that most people want to protect their self-images from inner feelings of doubt.

Accepted Answer

The knowledge function of the functional approach to attitude change is based on the idea that attitudes help organize and understand the world and new information, not primarily on protecting self-images from doubt.

Question 2

When cognitive dissonance occurs after the purchase it is called post-purchase dissonance.

Accepted Answer

Post-purchase dissonance refers to the feeling of doubt or anxiety that a consumer may experience after making a difficult purchase decision, often due to the fear of having made the wrong choice among several alternatives.

Question 3

If an alumnus considering donating money to his or her MBA program asks how distinctive his contribution would be and whether he would become part of an elite group, he is concerned about consensus.

Accepted Answer

The alumnus is concerned about uniqueness or distinctiveness, not consensus. Consensus refers to general agreement or collective opinion, whereas the alumnus is interested in how his contribution would stand out or be special.

Question 4

Because expensive and important purchases often require compromise when choosing among alternatives, post-purchase dissonance commonly occurs.

Accepted Answer

Post-purchase dissonance, also known as buyer's remorse, often occurs after making significant purchases because individuals may question their decision or feel regret, especially when they had to make compromises among various alternatives.

Question 5

Consumers' attitudes toward a particular brand's advertising are independent of their beliefs about the brand and do not influence their attitudes toward the brand itself.

Accepted Answer

Consumers' attitudes toward a brand's advertising can significantly influence their beliefs and attitudes toward the brand itself. Positive advertising can enhance brand perception, while negative advertising can harm it.

Question 6

Central inducements have greater staying power over time than secondary inducements.

Accepted Answer

Central inducements, which are core motivations or rewards directly related to the primary activities or goals of an individual or organization, tend to have a more lasting impact because they are closely aligned with intrinsic motivations and fundamental objectives, whereas secondary inducements are peripheral and often less directly connected to core motivations, making them less enduring over time.

Question 7

If a first request for a $1,000 contribution to your university's alumni foundation is followed by a second, less costly request for $150, the person soliciting the funds may be using the door-in-the-face technique.

Accepted Answer

The door-in-the-face technique involves making a large request that is expected to be refused, followed by a smaller request, which is the actual goal, to increase the likelihood of compliance.

Question 8

The appeal of the attitude-toward-behavior model is that it allows researchers to understand consumers' subjective norms and the factors that form them.

Accepted Answer

The attitude-toward-behavior model focuses on predicting how an individual's attitude toward a behavior influences their actual behavior, rather than understanding subjective norms and the factors that form them. The Theory of Reasoned Action or the Theory of Planned Behavior, on the other hand, includes subjective norms as a key component in understanding behaviors.

Question 9

Individuals who try a brand without any inducements or individuals who buy a brand repeatedly are more likely to consider that they buy the brand because they like it, rather than because it was free or on sale.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is related to the concept of intrinsic motivation, where individuals are driven by internal rewards or personal satisfaction. When people choose a brand without external inducements like discounts or freebies, or when they repeatedly buy a brand, it's often because they genuinely like the product or brand, not because of external incentives. This genuine preference leads to a stronger, more positive perception of the brand.

Question 10

If consumers like the ad they see, they are more likely to buy the product.

Accepted Answer

Positive reactions to advertisements can increase the likelihood of consumers purchasing the product because they create favorable associations and increase brand awareness.

Question 11

When an ad for Green Works from Clorox states the product cleans effectively and is environmentally friendly, unlike competing brands, it is using the utilitarian approach to attitude change.

Accepted Answer

The utilitarian approach focuses on the functional benefits of a product, such as its effectiveness and environmental friendliness.

Question 12

The purchase and consumption of a product are necessary for the formation of attitudes.

Accepted Answer

Attitudes towards a product can be formed through various means such as advertising, word of mouth, or observing others without the necessity of purchase and consumption.

Question 13

The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) proposes that attitudes can sometimes be changed by either one of two different routes to persuasion - a central route or a peripheral route.

Accepted Answer

The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) indeed posits that there are two routes to persuasion: the central route, which involves careful and thoughtful consideration of the arguments (content of the message), and the peripheral route, which involves other cues outside the message content itself, such as the attractiveness or credibility of the source.

Question 14

Highly involved consumers use attribute-based information to evaluate brands, whereas less involved consumers apply simpler decision rules.

Accepted Answer

Highly involved consumers tend to engage in more extensive information processing, using detailed attribute-based information to evaluate and compare brands. In contrast, less involved consumers are more likely to rely on simpler decision rules or heuristics, such as brand familiarity or overall impressions, due to their lower motivation to process detailed information.

Question 15

Competitors often try to change the strong and positive attitudes consumers have toward market leaders in an attempt to get consumers to switch brands.

Accepted Answer

Competitors aim to alter consumers' strong and positive perceptions of market leaders to encourage brand switching by highlighting differentiating factors, benefits, or shortcomings of the leading brand.

Question 16

The ego-defensive function maintains that people form attitudes in order to protect
themselves from sensing doubt and to replace uncertainty with feelings of security and
confidence.

Accepted Answer

The ego-defensive function of attitudes is a concept in social psychology suggesting that individuals form certain attitudes to protect themselves from acknowledging unpleasant truths or to avoid recognizing internal conflicts, thus maintaining their self-esteem and sense of security.

Question 17

In general, the more information consumers have about a product or service, the more likely they are to form attitudes about it, either positive or negative.

Accepted Answer

Having more information about a product or service allows consumers to evaluate its features, benefits, and potential drawbacks more thoroughly, leading to the formation of either positive or negative attitudes based on their assessment.

Question 18

Responding positively to an intention to buy question with regard to a brand will increase the likelihood of that consumer purchasing the brand.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Responding positively to an intention to buy...

Question 19

Marketers can help consumers relieve their dissonance by including messages in their advertising specifically aimed at reinforcing consumers' decisions by complimenting their wisdom, offering stronger guarantees or warranties, increasing the number and effectiveness of its services, or providing detailed brochures on how to use its products correctly.

Accepted Answer

Marketers can reduce consumer dissonance by reinforcing the consumer's decision through various strategies such as praising their choice, offering better guarantees or warranties, enhancing service quality, or providing comprehensive product usage information, all of which help affirm the consumer's decision and alleviate any post-purchase doubts.

Question 20

Jill was recently complemented on her piano playing skills. She attributed her skill to the quality and skill of her instructor. This is an example of defensive attribution.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of external attribution, where Jill attributes her success to an external factor (her instructor) rather than to her own abilities or efforts. Defensive attribution refers to a bias toward attributing other people's misfortunes to their own actions and successes to external factors.

Quiz 6: Consumer Attitude Formation and Change