MARK 305 Consumer Behaviour: Week 3 Learning and Memory (Chapter 3)

MARK 305
Consumer Behaviour
Week 3
Learning and Memory
(Chapter 3)
Administrative Issues
• “Team Membership”
 to be submitted end-of-class (please!)
 check Moodle shortly for the:
 final list of team members
 assigned team #
• Keep up-to-date/check Moodle
• Test 1 is coming up….(Week 5)

Outline
1 The Learning Process
2 Behavioural Learning
3 Cognitive Learning
4 Role of Memory in
Learning
5 Takeaways and Next Week
1 The Learning
Process
The Learning Process
• Learning refers to a relatively permanent change
in behavior (or behavioural potential) that is
caused by experience
1) Behavioral learning theories
 Basic assumption: learning takes place as the
result of responses to external events, as
opposed to internal thought processes.
 classical conditioning
 instrumental (or operant) conditioning
2) Cognitive learning theories
 Basic assumption: people are problem solvers
who actively use information from the world
around them to master their environment.
 observational learning
2 Behavioural Learning
Classical Conditioning
 Occurs when a stimulus that naturally
elicits a response is paired with another
stimulus that initially does not elicit a
response on its own.
 Over time this second stimulus causes a

similar response because it is now
associated with the first stimulus.
• Classic Conditioning focuses on visual and
olfactory cues that induce physiological responses
related to consumer needs.
 Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

 Unconditioned response (UCR)
 Neutral Stimulus
 Conditioned stimulus (CS)
 Conditioned response (CR)
Associative Learning
Consumers learn associations between stimuli in a
rather simple fashion without more complex
processes.
 Classical conditioning is a form of associative
learning
 Associative learning can occur for more
complex reactions to stimuli as well
 will not occur or will take longer if the paired
stimuli are only occasionally presented with
one another
Repetition is key
 Repeated exposures increase the strength of the
stimulus-response association
 Challenge for marketers: ensure sufficient

exposure for learning to occur while
simultaneously avoiding advertisement wear
out
Axe & Repetition
 vary the
communication
tool, while
ensuring that the
message being
delivered, and the
sensory aspects of
the ad, are
consistent.
https://www.youtube.co https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.c
m/watch? ?v=Z7RHqZshurE om/watch?
v=R5B0G8Hr_YM
v=3drMG0xbKj8
Extinction
 removing the learned response
 linking neutral stimulus to new associations
Stimulus Generalization
• Stimuli similar to a conditioned stimulus (keys
jangling resemble bell) can evoke similar, conditioned
responses
 Brand extensions
 Private label
Stimulus Discrimination
•When stimulus similar to a conditioned stimulus
(CS) is not followed by an unconditioned response
 E.g., If private label mac and cheese doesn’t

taste good, in the future we will learn to
discriminate against the similar stimuli (i.e.,
similar packaging on store shelf)
 reactions are thus weakened and will soon

disappear
Stimulus Discrimination
• Masked branding
 Deliberately hiding a product’s true origin.
e.g., of masked branding (Unilever owns both Axe & Dove but uses a
branding strategy that minimizes consumers’ awareness of this fact)
Other Marketing Application
of Conditioning
• Brand Equity
 A brand has strong positive associations in a
consumer’s memory and commands a lot of
loyalty as a result.
Mini In-Class Exercise
Coke Ad [https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=dCZI9S_Wo9w]
a) What is the UCR (unconditioned response)?

b) What is the neutral stimulus?
c) What are the CS (conditioned stimulus) and CR
(conditioned response)?
Mini In-Class Exercise
Under Armour
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jufCD0pVQn4]
a) What is the UCR (unconditioned response)?

b) What is the neutral stimulus?
c) What is the CS (conditioned stimulus) and CR (conditioned
response)?
Instrumental Conditioning
• The consumer learns to perform behaviours that
produce positive outcomes
 and to avoid those that yield negative outcome
Classical conditioning:
occurs when 2 stimuli are repeatedly paired together;
initial response becomes response for new stimulus
VS.
Instrumental conditioning:
learning based on association of consequences with
one’s behaviour
• Learning occurs in one of 4 ways:
1) positive reinforcement (apply +)
2) negative reinforcement (remove -)
3) punishment (apply -)
4) extinction (remove +)
(i.e., extinction)
Positive Reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement
Punishment
Extinction
Strengthens Response
Positive & negative reinforcement  increase behaviour
Weakens Response
Punishment & extinction  decrease behaviour
Learning Schedules (for reinforcement learning)
e.g., end-of-season e.g., free shipping

sales; receive a reward promotions that occur
for every year of loyalty once in a while
e.g., every 10 purchases of e.g., lottery; Tim Hortons’

coffee gets you a free roll up the rim to win
coffee
Other Marketing
Applications
• Frequency marketing
 Reinforces the behavior of regular
purchases by providing prizes that
increase in value along with the
amount purchased
Other Marketing
Applications
• Gamification
 Application of game-design
elements/principles in non-game
contexts in order to increase
participation/engagement/etc.
• capitalizes on the
desire for people
to achieve
increasing levels
of mastery at
tasks.
3 Cognitive Learning
Cognitive Learning
• Focus on internal mental processes
• Based on the view that humans are rational and

use information available in their environment to
make decisions
• Can be both conscious & unconscious
Cognitive Learning
• Observational Learning
 Individuals do not have to directly experience
the stimuli to learn (in contrast to behavioural
theories)
Cognitive Learning
• Observational Learning
 We watch others and note reinforcements they
receive for behaviours
 Vicarious learning
 Socially desirable models/celebrities who use
or do not use their products
4 Role of Memory in
Learning
Role of Memory in Learning
Acquiring information and storing it over time so
that it will be available when needed
Memory Systems
Encoding
How information enters memory
 Sensory meaning - colours, shapes
 Semantic meaning - symbolic associations
 Personal relevance
Storing Information
• The more effort it takes to process information the more
likely it is that information will be placed in long-term
memory
• Associative network models propose that:

 incoming piece of information is stored in an
associative network
 consumer has organized systems of concepts relating to
brands, stores, manufacturers
 these storage units, known as knowledge structures,
can be thought of as complex spider webs
How is information stored in
memory?
Associative Networks
Storing Information
• Spreading Activation:
 A meaning can be activated indirectly
 As one node is activated, other nodes
associated with it also begin to be triggered
 Meaning types of associated nodes:
 Brand-specific
 Ad-specific
 Brand identification
 Product category
 Evaluative reactions
Storing Information
• Individual nodes = meaning concepts
• Two (or more) connected nodes = proposition
(complex meaning)
• Two or more propositions = schema
 We more readily encode info that is consistent
with an existing schema
 Service scripts
Storing Information
• Analogical learning
 The marketer wants to inform the
consumer about a product and does
so using an analogy
 Effective because the consumer can

integrate knowledge into existing
schemas
Retrieving Information
• Retrieval is the process of accessing information
from long-term memory
• Factors influencing accessing information from

long-term memory
 Physiological (e.g., age)
 Situational (e.g., pioneer brand, descriptive
brand names of low involvement brands)
The Power of Nostalgia
Bittersweet emotion when you look to the past with longing &
sadness
• Branding that uses nostalgia link themselves to consumer’s
memory of the past.
• We form attachments to products that define our past.
• Retro Brand
 Updated version of a brand from a prior
historical period
 E.g., A&W tried to revive the carhop service that
was popular in the 50’s & 60’s
• Retro Brand
Ethical Considerations
Can brands create false memories?
•high-imagery advertisements (i.e., vivid ads/description of product

attributes) can create false memories of product experience  False
Experience Effect
•False memories can be created for competitor brands through

advertisements
Watch TedTalk “How Reliable is Your Memory”

5 Takeaways and Next
Week
Takeaways?
1) Associations can be learned through conditioning.
 classical
 instrumental
2) Learning can happen by observing others.
3) Information is not stored in isolation, once it

enters consumer memory.
 Associative networks
Next Week
• Lecture
 Topic: Motivation & Affect
 Readings: Chapter 4
• Team Project
 Industry assignment (random)
Submit
“Team Membership”
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MARK 305

• Keep up-to-date/check Moodle

• Test 1 is coming up….(Week 5)

 Over time this second stimulus causes a

 Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

 Challenge for marketers: ensure sufficient

 E.g., If private label mac and cheese doesn’t

 reactions are thus weakened and will soon

a) What is the UCR (unconditioned response)?

a) What is the UCR (unconditioned response)?

e.g., end-of-season e.g., free shipping

e.g., every 10 purchases of e.g., lottery; Tim Hortons’

• Based on the view that humans are rational and

• Associative network models propose that:

 Effective because the consumer can

• Factors influencing accessing information from

•high-imagery advertisements (i.e., vivid ads/description of product

•False memories can be created for competitor brands through

Watch TedTalk “How Reliable is Your Memory”

2) Learning can happen by observing others.

3) Information is not stored in isolation, once it

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