Attitudes and Consumer Behaviour

Lecture 8 covered chapter 7 on attitudes and consumer behavior. Attitudes were described as a general evaluations that lasts about a subject. Therefore, people can form an attitude about other people, about objects, advertisements and issues. Most importantly, these formed attitudes affect what people consume.

A theory that incorporates attitudes that was discussed was cognitive dissonance. A consumer can develop cognitive dissonance when they are exposed to either an advertisement or a product that evokes conflicting attitudes. Thereafter, the consumer will attempt to resolve the conflict by counter-arguing or stopping the behavior.

An example that can be found in society would be the hummer advertisement below.

As we can see, this advertisement can cause cognitive dissonance because someone can have a negative attitude toward the lack of the fuel economy and have a positive attitude toward the horsepower and the status that the hummer incorporates upon purchase. Therefore, in order to resolve the dissonance the consumer would either need to counter-argue or stop feeling that fuel economy is an important decision factor.

Additionally, the theory of post-purchase dissonance was discussed. Post-purchase dissonance is the feeling of lack of commitment after the purchase of a product.

An example that occurred a couple years ago for me was when I purchased a Honda civic similar to the picture below.

The reason that the post-purchase dissonance occurred was because having a two-door vehicle causes the insurance to double compared to the four-door model. However, every time I start to think that I should have purchased the four-door model, I simply remind myself of how much fun it is to drive a standard two door while I am young and do not have kids.

Finally, it is important to understand how attitudes can affect consumer behaviour because it can help people understand and reduce the dissonance they fell upon selecting and purchasing a product.

Thank you,

Tarah Whissell

Picture Sources:

"2007 Honda Civic Consumer Reviews." Edmunds. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://www.edmunds.com/honda/civic/2007/consumer-reviews/>.

"Thirsty Hummer." Greenwashing Index. 29 Oct. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.greenwashingindex.com/thirsty-hummer/>.