Chapter 11 The Influence of Culture on Consumer Behavior

Multiple Choices
1) ________ is a society's personality.
A) Social class
B) Culture
C) Conformity
D) Consumer behavior
E) Subculture
Answer: B

2) In terms of consumer behavior, ________ is defined as the sum total of learned beliefs, values,
and customs that serve to direct the consumer behavior of members of a particular society.
A) conformity
B) individualism
C) culture
D) society
E) subculture
Answer: C

3) ________ consist of the very large number of mental or verbal statements that reflect a
person's particular knowledge and assessment of something.
A) Beliefs
B) Rituals
C) Cultures
D) Values
E) Customs
Answer: A

4) Kim is actively saving money so that she can afford a downpayment on the purchase of a
house because she thinks that home ownership is the key to creating wealth. This personal
conviction in the value of home ownership is one of Kim's ________.
A) beliefs
B) rituals
C) cultures
D) norms
E) customs
Answer: A

5) ________ are overt modes of behavior that constitute culturally approved or acceptable ways
of behaving in specific situations.
A) Beliefs
B) Rituals
C) Cultures
D) Values
E) Customs
Answer: E

6) ________ consist of everyday or routine behavior.

A) Beliefs
B) Rituals
C) Cultures
D) Values
E) Customs
Answer: E

7) When do we become most aware of how culture has molded our own behavior?
A) when we are reminded of it on a daily basis
B) when we are adding ketchup to our hotdog
C) as we are growing up and being guided by our parents
D) when we are exposed to people with different values and customs
E) in school as we learn about what to do, and how and why to do it
Answer: D

8) Whereas ________ are guides for behavior, ________ are usual and acceptable ways of
behaving.
A) customs; beliefs
B) beliefs; values
C) customs; values
D) beliefs and values; customs
E) customs; beliefs and values
Answer: D

9) Culture can exist and sometimes reveal itself at different perceived or subjective levels. The
________ level refers to shared core values, customs, personalities, and predispositional factors
that tend to capture the essence of the character of the citizens of a particular country.
A) supernational
B) supranational
C) subnational
D) national
E) group
Answer: D

10) Insights on what is suitable to wear for a specific occasion, and other dress codes, are
something we learn through ________.
A) travel
B) culture
C) values
D) technical learning
E) consumer behavior
Answer: B
11) Cultural beliefs, values and customs continue to be followed as long as ________.
A) we learn new ones from other cultures
B) that culture exists
C) they are similar to other cultures, beliefs and values
D) they yield satisfaction and other benefits
E) a society's members speak a common language
Answer: D

12) Jake learned what brands of food to buy at the grocery store by going grocery shopping with
his mother as a child. This constitutes ________.
A) formal learning
B) media learning
C) informal learning
D) televised learning
E) technical learning
Answer: C

13) Product advertisements typically influence their audiences through ________.

A) formal learning
B) media learning
C) informal learning
D) televised learning
E) technical learning
Answer: C

14) The learning of one's own culture is known as ________.

A) acculturation
B) exculturation
C) proculturation
D) inculcation
E) enculturation
Answer: E

15) The learning of a new or foreign culture is known as ________.

A) acculturation
B) exculturation
C) proculturation
D) inculcation
E) enculturation
Answer: A

16) In order to acquire a common culture, members of a society must have a common ________.
A) religion
B) language
C) history
D) goal
E) ethnicity
Answer: B

17) The Nike Swoosh and the Coca-Cola label design are examples of ________.
A) nonverbal symbols
B) acculturation
C) verbal symbols
D) technical learning
E) enculturation
Answer: A

18) A ________ is anything that stands for something else.

A) verbal communication
B) nonverbal communication
C) symbol
D) ritualistic behavior
E) culture
Answer: C

19) A ________ is a type of symbolic activity consisting of a series of steps occurring in a fixed
sequence and repeated over time.
A) communication
B) ritual
C) symbol
D) culture
E) target
Answer: B

20) From a marketing standpoint, it is not the ritual that is important, but the ________.
A) result of the ritualistic behavior on society
B) outcome of the ritual
C) consistency of the ritual over time
D) artifacts that are associated with the performance of the ritual
E) the pervasiveness of the ritual in the society
Answer: D

21) Cards, presents, cakes, and candles are ________ for birthday rituals.
A) artifacts
B) values
C) beliefs
D) symbols
E) cultures
Answer: A

22) Towels, exercise clothes, water, and portable music players are ________ for going to the
gym.
A) symbols
B) customs
C) ritual artifacts
D) beliefs
E) values
Answer: C

23) The ________ serves as the primary agent for enculturation.

A) teacher
B) media
C) religions institution
D) family
E) educational institution
Answer: D

24) Studying societies via analysis of the content of verbal, written, and pictorial
communications is known as ________.
A) value measurement
B) consumer fieldwork
C) participant observation
D) field observation
E) content analysis
Answer: E

25) When anthropologists immerse themselves in the environment under study, this technique is
called ________.
A) value measurement
B) depth interviews
C) participant observation
D) group observation
E) content analysis
Answer: C

26) Hype Mobile Phones wants to learn how consumers decide which mobile phones to
purchase, so it places researchers in mobile phone stores and has them pose as sales people. In
this example, researchers are ________.
A) third-party observers
B) actors
C) participant-observers
D) active researchers
E) imitators
Answer: C

27) ________ are personal goals, while ________ are the basic approaches that an individual
might take to achieve those goals.
A) Instrumental values; terminal values
B) Social values; core values
C) Core values; cultural values
D) Terminal values, instrumental values
E) Cultural values; terminal values
Answer: D
DOG TREAT MINI CASE: Observing consumers at veterinary clinics, pet superstores, and
grocery stores, Happy Dog determined that consumers were more likely to buy expensive dog
treats at their veterinarians' offices than at grocery stores or pet superstores. Happy Dog
researchers also observed that consumers spent less time looking at the pet treats before
purchasing them when the treats were purchased at the veterinarian's office because they
assumed that anything on offer at a veterinarian's office must be good for their pets. As a result
of this research, Happy Dog Beef Treats are sold only at the offices of veterinarians and dog
groomers and are more expensive than the average dog treat that pet owners might purchase at
the supermarket. Happy Dog recently modified its treat recipe to come out with NEW, JUICIER
Beef Treats for pet owners to use to reward their dogs. Advertisements promoting the new recipe
show a young boy teaching his dog a series of tricks by rewarding her consistently with Happy
Dog Beef Treats. At the end of the commercial, the boy cues his dog for the tricks in front of his
parents, she performs, and his parents clap proudly.

28) In the DOG TREAT MINI CASE, Happy Dog uses which of the following types of research
to identify the ideal channel of distribution for its dog treats?
A) value measurement instruments
B) survey research
C) content analysis
D) consumer fieldwork
E) focus groups
Answer: D

29) In the DOG TREAT MINI CASE, Happy Dog uses its price and channels of distribution as
________ of the quality of its dog treats.
A) symbols
B) rituals
C) customs
D) values
E) beliefs
Answer: A

30) In the DOG TREAT MINI CASE, Happy Dog's advertisement shows a boy training a dog by
using a reward as the mode of communication, rather than punishment. Use of positive
reinforcement in dog training is an example of a(n) ________.
A) value
B) belief
C) custom
D) artifact
E) symbol
Answer: C

WEDDING MINI CASE: Susan is planning her wedding. Susan knows what music is appropriate
for her ceremony because she has been to a number of weddings before. She has questions,
though, about the appropriate wording of her invitations, so she reviews the helpful information
provided by professional wedding planners on specialist wedding sites to familiarize herself with
customary wording and style rules. In choosing a wedding dress, Susan has decided to have a
dress designer make a custom wedding dress for her.
31) In the WEDDING MINI CASE, Susan learned what music is appropriate for a wedding
ceremony through ________.
A) formal learning
B) technical learning
C) enculturation
D) informal learning
E) acculturation
Answer: D

32) In the WEDDING MINI CASE, Susan learns about appropriate invitation wording and style
through ________.
A) formal learning
B) technical learning
C) enculturation
D) informal learning
E) acculturation
Answer: B

33) In the WEDDING MINI CASE, the wedding is considered a ________.

A) custom
B) value
C) ritual
D) belief
E) culture
Answer: C

34) In the WEDDING MINI CASE, a bridal bouquet would be considered a ritual ________.
A) artifact
B) symbol
C) culture
D) custom
E) value
Answer: A

TRUE OR FALSE
1) A true appreciation of the influence that culture has on our daily life requires some knowledge
of at least one other society with different cultural characteristics.
Answer: TRUE

2) Culture is associated with what a society's members consider to be a necessity and what they
view as a luxury.
Answer: TRUE

3) Cultural beliefs, values, and customs continue to be followed as long as they yield satisfaction.
Answer: TRUE
4) Culture gradually but continually evolves to meet the needs of society.
Answer: TRUE

5) Like innate biological characteristics, culture is physiological in nature.

Answer: FALSE

6) The repetition of advertising messages can reinforce, but not create, cultural beliefs and
values.
Answer: FALSE

7) Enculturation is the learning of a new or foreign culture.

Answer: FALSE

8) The basis of any culture is a shared language.

Answer: TRUE

9) A behavior is only considered a ritual if it is public and can be proven.

Answer: FALSE

10) Ritualized behavior is typically rather formal, often scripted behavior, and is likely to occur
repeatedly over time.
Answer: TRUE

11) Every day when John leaves for work, he walks around the car to check the tires, pats the
hood, then gets in the car and starts the ignition. This constitutes ritualistic behavior.
Answer: TRUE

12) Houses of worship are considered important institutions in the transmission of culture.
Answer: TRUE

13) The young receive much of their consumer training through the educational and religious
systems, which is reinforced by the family through its role in teaching economic and ethical
concepts.
Answer: FALSE

14) Since today even basic consumer goods deliver on their promises of performance, design has
become a way for a company to differentiate its products.
Answer: TRUE

15) Terminal values include being obedient or courageous.

Answer: FALSE
32