Consumer Behavior

Chapter 7 : Attitudes and Consumer Behavior

 Characteristics of Attitudes

+Functional Theory of Attitudes

+Attitude Models

+Formation of Attitudes

+Measurement of Attitudes

+Theories of Attitude Development

+Attitude Change

+Involvement

Chapter Summary

Attitudes have been understood as learned predispositions that project a positive or negative behavior consistently toward various objects of the world. The tangible and intangible objects, toward which one can form an attitude are called attitude objects. Attitudes influence the way we think and behave and are therefore important for the marketers who study them to understand how a consumer behaves. Attitudes have certain characteristics.

They are formed as we grow up, based on the environment in which we grow up. Attitudes can be either of a high or low degree and the intensity depends on the strength of conviction with which the person believes in them. Attitudes serve various functions such as utilitarian function, value expressive function, Ego-defense function, and knowledge function. Attitude models were developed by psychiatrists to understand the relationship between attitudes and human behavior.

These models help the marketer in understanding how attitudes influence a person’s behavior as a consumer. These models are: Tri- component model, multi-attribute model, Theory of trying to consume, and Attitude toward the ad model. Attitudes are formed through classical conditioning, instrumental conditioning, and cognitive theory.

Attitudes are measured using the Semantic differential scale and Likert's scale to understand how the consumer might behave toward a particular product. While it is generally accepted that attitudes influence behavior, there are some theories that state that behavior precedes attitudes. Such theories are cognitive dissonance theory, self-perception theory, social judgment theory, and balance theory. Attitudes toward a product can be changed by highlighting new functions of the product, or by associating them with celebrities, by changing the beliefs a consumer has regarding the products, or by getting the consumer more involved in the product.

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