Assignment No.

8
Answer the following Review Questions:
1.How can an attitude play an ego-defensive function?
2.Describe the ABC model of attitudes.
3. List the three hierarchies of attitudes, and describe the major differences
among them.
4. How do levels of commitment to an attitude influence the likelihood that it will
become part of the way we think about a product in the long term?
5. We sometimes enhance our attitude toward a product after we buy it. How
does the theory of cognitive dissonance explain this change?
What is the foot-in-the-door technique? How does self-perception theory
relate to this effect?
7. What are latitudes of acceptance and rejection? How does a consumer’s level
of involvement with a product affect his latitude of acceptance?
8. According to balance theory, how can we tell if a triad is balanced or
unbalanced? How can consumers restore balance to an unbalanced triad?
9. Describe a multi-attribute attitude model and list its key components.
10.What is a subjective norm, and how does it influence our attitudes?
11. What are three obstacles to predicting behavior even if we know a person’s
attitudes?
12. Describe the Theory of Reasoned Action. Why might it not be equally valuable
when we apply it to non-Western cultures?
13.Describe the elements of the traditional communications model, and tell how
the updated model differs.
14. What is source credibility, and what are two factors that influence our decision
as to whether a source is credible?
15. What is the difference between buzz and hype?
16. What is a halo effect, and why does it happen?
17. What is an avatar, and why might an advertiser choose to use one instead of
hiring a celebrity endorser?
18. Marketers must decide whether to incorporate rational or emotional appeals in
a communications strategy. Describe conditions that are more favorable to one or
the other.
19. When should a marketer present a message visually versus verbally?
20. How does the Two-Factor Theory explain the effects of message repetition on
attitude change? (a) When is it best to present a two-sided message versus a one
sided message?
21. Do humorous ads work? If so, under what conditions? (a) Should marketers
ever try to arouse fear to persuade consumers?
22. Why do marketers use metaphors to craft persuasive messages? Give two
examples of this technique.
23. What is the difference between a lecture and a drama?
ANSWERS:
1.The ego-defensive function protects the individual from threats by concealing the "true"
self and any socially undesirable feelings and wants. It is one of the functions of attitudes
proposed by the functional theory of attitudes.

2.Every attitude has three components that are represented in what is called the ABC
model of attitudes: A for affective, B for behavioral, and C for cognitive. Although every
attitude has these three components, any particular attitude can be based on one
component more than another.

3. The three hierarchies are the high-involvement hierarchy: assumes that a person
approaches a product decision as a problem-solving process. First, he or she forms beliefs
about a product as she accumulates knowledge (beliefs) regarding relevant attributes. Low-
involvement hierarchy of effects: assumes 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. The
attitude is likely to come about through behavioral learning, as good or bad experiences
reinforce his or her initial choice. Experiential hierarchy of effects: we act on the basis of
our emotional reactions. Highlights the idea that intangible product attributes, such as
package design, advertising, brand names, and the nature of the setting in which the
experience occurs, can help shape our attitudes toward a brand. We may base these
reactions on hedonic motivations.
4. Consumers are more likely to consider brands that engender strong positive attitudes.
We sometimes increase our attitude toward a product after we buy it. Consumers vary in
their commitment to an attitude; the degree of commitment is related to their level of
involvement with the attitude object
5. The cognitive dissonance theory states that when a person is confronted with
inconsistencies between attitudes or behaviors, he or she will take action to resolve this
dissonance. Perhaps by changing your attitude or by modifying your behavior. The theory
has important implications for attitudes, because people are often confronted with
situations in which there is some conflict between their attitudes. If a person encounters
some negative information about a product or service after the transaction has taken place,
they may discard that information and focus on the positive information that would confirm
the reasons for the purchase.
6. The theory of self-perception helps to explain the effectiveness of a sales strategy called
a foot-in-the-door technique based on the observation that a consumer is more likely to
comply with a request if he or she has first agreed to comply with a smaller request.
7. People differ in terms of the information that they will find acceptable or unacceptable.
They will consider and evaluate ideas that fall within the latitude in a favorable way, but
they are more likely to reject out of hand those that fall outside that zone. People tend to
see messages within their latitude of acceptance as more consistent with their position than
those messages actually are.
8. Components of a triad can be either positive or negative. More importantly, people alter
these components in order to make relations among them consistent. The theory specifies
that people desire relations among elements in a triad to be harmonious, or balanced. If
they are not, a state of tension will result until somehow the person changes his
perceptions and restores balance.
9. The multi-attribute attitude model state that a consumer’s attitude towards an attitude
object (product/ service, offering, brand, elements of the marketing mix) is a function of a
consumer’s perception and belief of the key attributes as well as his assessment of the key
attributes. This are the key concepts Attributes: are characteristics of the Ao. Beliefs: are
cognitions about the specific Ao, Importance weights: reflect the relative priority of an
attribute to the consumer.
10. The value of SN is achieved by including two factors: (1) the intensity of the normative
belief that others believe that action should be taken or not taken, and (2) the motivation to
comply with that belief. Anticipated reactions are taken into account when assessing the
course of action or purchase.
11. The three obstacles to predicting behavior
• It was designed to deal with actual behavior not outcomes of behavior.
• Some outcomes are beyond the consumer's control.
• Behavior is not always intentional (impulse actions).
12. The theory of reasoned action was primarily applied in Western settings. Certain assumptions
inherent in the model may not necessarily apply to consumers of other cultures. Several cultural
roadblocks reduce the universality of the theory of reasoned action.
13. In traditional communication models, the sender encodes or creates a desired message,
which is sent to the recipient through a specific medium. The recipient then decodes the
sender's message. The updated communication model is interactive, non-linear and multi-
vocal (many voices). In addition, consumers may now opt out of listening to a particular
message—they often decide which messages they see or hear, and when.
14. Source credibility refers to the perceived expertise, objectivity, or trustworthiness of the
source. Factors affecting source credibility are: 1) whether the source qualifications are
considered to be relevant, and 2) whether or not there is a bias associated with the source.
15. Buzz is word of mouth that is viewed as authentic and generated by customers. In
contrast, hype is dismissed as inauthentic—corporate propaganda planted by a company
with an axe to grind.
16. The halo effect occurs when people who rank high on one dimension are assumed to
excel on others as well.
17. An avatar is the manifestation of a superhuman or animal form of the Hindu deity. In
the world of computing, it means a cyberspace presence represented by a character that
you can move around within a visual, graphical world. The advantages of virtual avatars
compared to flesh-and-blood models include the ability to change the avatar in real time to
meet the needs of the target audience. From an advertising perspective they are likely to be
more cost-effective than hiring a real person. From a personal selling and customer service
perspective they have the ability to handle multiple.
18. A rational argument uses logic to form the perception of a product by a customer, while
an emotional appeal relies on a connection with the feelings of efficiency of the consumer.
The logical appeal aims to interest the user with the product's attributes. Consider some of
the commercials you're familiar with: an airline can always tell you how much legroom
you'll enjoy, as well as the on-time rating of the business.
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20. By proposing that two different psychological mechanisms operate when a person is
frequently exposed to an ad, the two-factor theory explains the fine line between familiarity
and boredom. The positive side of repetition is that familiarity is increased and therefore
confusion about the product is minimized. The negative side is that boredom grows with
each exposure over time. At some point the amount of boredom incurred begins to exceed
the amount of uncertainty reduced, resulting in wear-out. The use of refutational
arguments, in which a negative question is posed and then dismissed, can be very
successful in the right circumstances. By eliminating news bias, this strategy will improve
source credibility.
21. When the brand is clearly defined and the funny content does not "swamp" the
message, humor is more likely to be successful. This risk is comparable to one that we have
already mentioned regarding beautiful models that distract focus from copying points.
Typically, subtle humor is better, as is humor that does not make fun of the prospective
user. Finally, humor should be tailored to the picture of the product. Where only a mild
threat is used, and when the ad offers a solution to the issue, negative fear appeals are
typically most successful. Consumers would otherwise tune out the ad because they can do
little to fix the problem. This technique also works well when the reliability of sources is
high.
22. Metaphors make it possible for the marketer to trigger and add meaningful images to
daily events. "White knights" combat "hostile raiders" in the stock market using "poison
pills"; Tony the Tiger equates cereal with power, and the Merrill Lynch bull sends the
message that "a breed apart" is the brokerage.
23. A lecture is like a speech: The source speaks directly to the audience to inform them
about a product or to persuade them to buy it. Drama is a view of consumer behavior that
views people as actors who play different roles