Question 1

Descriptions of how individual consumers differ according to specific trait or patterns of behavior are called _____.

Accepted Answer

Descriptions of how individual consumers differ according to specific trait or patterns of behavior are referred to as individual difference variables. These variables can include demographic variables, psychographic variables, and behavioral variables.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding personality?

Accepted Answer

It is not best to measure personality at one point in time because personality is dynamic and can change over time. It is better to measure personality over a period of time to gain a better understanding of an individual's personality.

Question 3

Which psychologist advocated the psychoanalytic approach to personality?

Accepted Answer

Sigmund Freud is the psychologist who advocated the psychoanalytic approach to personality. He proposed that our unconscious conflicts and desires influence our behavior, and that personality development occurs in stages that are driven by our instincts and experiences.

Question 4

Consumers have a single self-concept.

Accepted Answer

Consumers have a number of "concepts" about him- or herself that may emerge over time and surface in different social situations. There is the actual self, the ideal self, the social self, the ideal social self, the possible self, and the extended self.

Question 5

Self-concept refers to the totality of thoughts and feelings that an individual has about him- or herself.

Accepted Answer

Self-concept includes an individual's beliefs, attitudes, and values about themselves, as well as their perceptions of their abilities, personality traits, and physical appearance. It is a multifaceted and complex construct that influences an individual's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Question 6

According to the psychoanalytic approach to personality, which personality element focuses on pleasure-seeking and immediate gratification?

Accepted Answer

According to the psychoanalytic approach, the id is the personality element that is driven by the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification of basic impulses and needs, such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desires. It operates at the unconscious level and is the source of our instincts and drives.

Question 7

The VALS2 group called "Believers" are self-expressive consumers who tend to be young, impulsive, and enthusiastic.

Accepted Answer

This describes "Experiencers." "Believers" are ideal motivated and conservative. They follow routines, and their lives largely center around home, family, and church.

Question 8

The external self refers to the beliefs that a consumer has about how he or she is seen by others.

Accepted Answer

This is the social self. The actual self refers to how a consumer currently perceives him- or herself.

Question 9

Geodemographic techniques combine data on consumer expenditures and socioeconomic variables with geographic information in order to identify commonalities in consumption patterns of households in various regions.

Accepted Answer

Geodemographic techniques use data on consumer expenditures and socioeconomic variables to identify similarities in consumption patterns based on geographic location.

Question 10

_____ is the totality of thoughts, emotions, intentions, and behaviors that a person exhibits consistently as he or she adapts to his or her environment.

Accepted Answer

Personality refers to the consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that individuals exhibit as they interact with their environment. It encompasses a wide range of characteristics, including temperament, values, attitudes, and beliefs. While self-concept, introversion, and extroversion are related aspects of personality, they are not the totality of a person's personality. Individuality refers to the unique traits and characteristics that distinguish one person from another, but it is not the same as personality.

Question 11

Self-esteem refers to the positivity of an individual's self-concept.

Accepted Answer

Self-esteem is the measure of how positively an individual views themselves and their abilities. It is based on their self-concept, which includes their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about themselves. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 12

AIO statements represent a popular psychographic method in consumer research that divides consumers into groups based on resources and consumer behavior motivations.

Accepted Answer

This is VALS. AIO statements are used to gain an understanding of consumers' activities, interests, and opinions.

Question 13

Demographics refers to the way consumer lifestyles are measured.

Accepted Answer

Psychographics refers to the way consumer lifestyles are measured. Demographics refers to observable, statistical aspects of population including such factors as age, gender, or income.

Question 14

In which approach to studying personality are behaviors assessed at a number of points in time?

Accepted Answer

The aggregation approach involves assessing behaviors at multiple points in time to get a more comprehensive understanding of personality traits.

Question 15

Symbology is the study of symbols and their meanings.

Accepted Answer

Semiotics is the study of symbols and their meanings.

Question 16

Jenny is shy and often afraid to speak to other people. She would rather read a book than interact with others. Sometimes she's sad, though, because she would like to be a little more out-going. These thoughts, emotions, and behaviors Jenny exhibits comprise Jenny's _____.

Accepted Answer

Jenny's personality traits are being described, including shyness and introversion. Self-worth, individuality, and self-assessment are related concepts but not specifically mentioned in the given information. While "trait" is a possible answer, "personality" more accurately encompasses the multifaceted aspects of Jenny's behavior and emotions.

Question 17

Understanding consumers is very important for marketers. But not all consumers are alike. For example, some consumers learn better through written words, while others prefer images. Some are frugal, while others are free-spenders. These traits that differ among consumers are referred to as _____.

Accepted Answer

The traits that differ among consumers and affect their behavior are referred to as individual difference variables. Demographics refer to characteristics such as age, gender, income, education, etc. Psychographics refer to personality traits, values, attitudes, interests, etc. Personality variances and self-concept variation are not commonly used terms in marketing research.

Question 18

According to the shared meaning perspective, consumers agree on the shared meaning of products and symbols.

Accepted Answer

According to the symbolic interactionism perspective, consumers agree on the shared meaning of products and symbols.

Question 19

Self-matching theory proposes that much of consumer behavior can be explained by the match between a consumer's self-concept and the image of typical users of a focal product.

Accepted Answer

This is self-congruency theory.

Question 20

The VALS2 technique uses 66 different segments.

Accepted Answer

This is PRIZM. VALS2 identifies eight different segments.

Quiz 6: Personality, Lifestyles, and the Self-Concept