6.1 Components and Functions of Attitudes
4 min read•july 22, 2024
Attitudes shape how consumers think, feel, and act towards products and brands. They consist of cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that work together to influence decision-making and brand loyalty.
Attitudes serve various functions for consumers, including organizing knowledge, maximizing rewards, protecting self-concept, and expressing values. These functions guide perceptions, evaluations, and choices, ultimately impacting purchasing behavior and brand preferences.
Components and Functions of Attitudes
Components of attitudes
Top images from around the web for Components of attitudes
Consumer Decision Making – Introduction to Consumer Behaviour View original
Is this image relevant?
The “Black Box” of Consumer Behavior | Principles of Marketing View original
Is this image relevant?
Free Consumer Behavior PowerPoint View original
Is this image relevant?
Consumer Decision Making – Introduction to Consumer Behaviour View original
Is this image relevant?
The “Black Box” of Consumer Behavior | Principles of Marketing View original
Is this image relevant?
1 of 3
Top images from around the web for Components of attitudes
Consumer Decision Making – Introduction to Consumer Behaviour View original
Is this image relevant?
The “Black Box” of Consumer Behavior | Principles of Marketing View original
Is this image relevant?
Free Consumer Behavior PowerPoint View original
Is this image relevant?
Consumer Decision Making – Introduction to Consumer Behaviour View original
Is this image relevant?
The “Black Box” of Consumer Behavior | Principles of Marketing View original
Is this image relevant?
1 of 3
- involves a consumer's beliefs, thoughts, and knowledge about an attitude object (product, brand, service)
- Formed through direct experience with the attitude object (using a smartphone) or information from various sources (advertisements, reviews)
- Represents the informational basis for forming an attitude
- captures a consumer's feelings or emotional reactions to an attitude object
- Can be favorable (excitement about a new car), unfavorable (dislike for a particular brand), or neutral
- Often expressed in terms of like or dislike and can be influenced by personal experiences, social norms, or marketing messages
- reflects a consumer's predisposition to respond in a certain manner toward an attitude object
- Includes actions or observable responses that result from attitude (purchasing a product, recommending a service to friends)
- May involve intentions to purchase (planning to buy a new laptop) or actual behaviors (visiting a store)
Functions of attitudes
- Knowledge function helps consumers organize beliefs about objects or issues and simplify decision-making
- Provides a framework for interpreting information (categorizing smartphones based on features)
- Allows consumers to efficiently evaluate products or brands (choosing a restaurant based on previous experiences)
- guides behavior to maximize rewards and minimize punishments
- Helps consumers assess the functional benefits (fuel efficiency of a car) or drawbacks of a product (high maintenance costs)
- Enables consumers to choose products that provide the most satisfaction (selecting a comfortable pair of shoes)
- helps protect the self-concept and cope with internal conflicts or external threats
- Allows consumers to maintain a positive self-image by avoiding products that negatively impact their self-esteem (not buying a brand associated with an undesirable social group)
- Helps consumers justify their decisions and reduce cognitive dissonance (rationalizing the purchase of an expensive luxury item)
- enables self-expression and reflects an individual's central values or self-concept
- Allows consumers to express their identity and communicate their beliefs to others (choosing eco-friendly products to demonstrate environmental consciousness)
- Influences product choices that align with a consumer's personal values (buying from a socially responsible company) or desired social image (owning a prestigious brand)
Influence of attitudes on consumers
- Attitudes shape consumer perceptions by influencing how they interpret and organize information about products or brands
- Positive attitudes lead to more favorable perceptions of product attributes and benefits (focusing on the high-quality camera of a smartphone)
- Negative attitudes result in less favorable perceptions and increased attention to product shortcomings (noticing the short battery life of a laptop)
- Attitudes serve as a basis for evaluating the desirability and appropriateness of a product
- Consumers with positive attitudes are more likely to make favorable judgments about a product's quality, value, or suitability (deeming a car as reliable and worth the price)
- Negative attitudes lead to critical judgments and a higher likelihood of rejecting a product (considering a hotel as overpriced and poorly maintained)
- Attitudes guide consumer decision-making by providing a quick, efficient means of assessing alternatives
- Positive attitudes increase the likelihood of purchasing a product (choosing a favorite brand of cereal), while negative attitudes decrease it (avoiding a disliked restaurant)
- Attitudes can lead to automatic decision-making, where choices are made with minimal conscious deliberation (grabbing a preferred snack without considering other options)
Attitudes in brand loyalty
- Attitudes influence the formation and strength of consumer preferences for specific products or brands
- Positive attitudes lead to a higher preference for a product (favoring a particular clothing brand), increasing the likelihood of purchase
- Negative attitudes result in lower preferences and a reduced chance of buying the product (avoiding a brand due to a negative experience)
- Attitudes contribute to the development and maintenance of brand loyalty
- Strongly positive attitudes toward a brand can lead to repeat purchases and resistance to competing brands (consistently buying the same smartphone brand)
- Loyal consumers often have highly favorable, stable attitudes toward their preferred brands (expressing enthusiasm for a favorite car manufacturer)
- Attitudes formed through satisfying experiences with a brand reinforce loyalty and advocacy behaviors (recommending a preferred hotel to friends and family)
Key Terms to Review (14)
Affective component: The affective component refers to the emotional aspect of attitudes, encompassing feelings and emotional responses toward an object, person, or situation. It plays a critical role in influencing consumer behavior by shaping how individuals feel about brands, products, and experiences, which can ultimately affect their decision-making processes.
Behavioral component: The behavioral component refers to the actions or behaviors that an individual takes in response to their attitudes towards a particular object, person, or situation. This aspect of attitudes emphasizes how our feelings and beliefs translate into tangible actions, whether they are positive, negative, or neutral. Understanding this component is essential for grasping how attitudes influence consumer behavior and decision-making processes.
Cognitive component: The cognitive component of attitudes refers to the beliefs, thoughts, and knowledge that individuals hold about an object, person, or situation. This aspect plays a crucial role in how people form attitudes, as it involves the processing and interpretation of information, influencing how one perceives and reacts to various stimuli in their environment.
Daniel Katz: Daniel Katz was a prominent psychologist known for his work on attitudes and their components, particularly in understanding how attitudes influence behavior. His research introduced the idea that attitudes have both cognitive and affective components, which help explain why people respond differently to similar situations based on their feelings and thoughts about them. Katz's work emphasizes the functional aspects of attitudes, suggesting that they serve specific purposes in guiding behavior and decision-making.
Ego-defensive function: The ego-defensive function refers to a psychological mechanism whereby individuals use attitudes to protect themselves from threats to their self-esteem or self-concept. This function helps people to maintain a positive self-image by justifying their beliefs and actions, particularly when faced with information or experiences that may cause discomfort or anxiety about their identity.
Elaboration Likelihood Model: The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is a psychological theory that explains how people process persuasive information and form attitudes based on the level of elaboration, or thought, they engage in. The model identifies two main routes of persuasion: the central route, which involves careful and thoughtful consideration of the arguments presented, and the peripheral route, which relies on superficial cues or heuristics. This distinction highlights how consumers might process information differently based on their motivation and ability to think critically.
Leon Festinger: Leon Festinger was an American social psychologist best known for developing the theory of cognitive dissonance, which explains how individuals strive for internal consistency in their beliefs and attitudes. His work is significant in understanding how attitudes are formed, changed, and how they function within individuals, particularly when faced with conflicting information or behaviors.
Likert Scale: A Likert scale is a psychometric scale commonly used in surveys to measure attitudes or opinions by asking respondents to indicate their level of agreement with a given statement on a fixed scale, typically ranging from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree'. This scale allows researchers to quantify subjective feelings and opinions, making it easier to analyze and interpret consumer behavior and attitudes.
Persuasion: Persuasion is the process of influencing attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors of individuals or groups through communication. This involves using various techniques and strategies to appeal to emotions, logic, or credibility, aiming to shift how someone thinks or acts regarding a specific idea, product, or innovation. It plays a crucial role in shaping consumer attitudes and driving the adoption of new products or ideas.
Semantic differential scale: A semantic differential scale is a type of rating scale designed to measure people's attitudes towards a particular object, concept, or event. It typically involves a series of bipolar adjectives placed at each end of a scale, allowing respondents to indicate their feelings by selecting a point along the continuum. This method captures the nuances of attitudes by providing a clear visual representation of how positive or negative an individual feels about the subject in question.
Social Influence: Social influence refers to the effects that people have on the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of others. It plays a significant role in shaping consumer behavior by affecting how individuals perceive products, make purchasing decisions, and adopt new trends based on the opinions and actions of their social circles.
Theory of Planned Behavior: The Theory of Planned Behavior is a psychological theory that links beliefs and behavior, suggesting that intention to engage in a behavior is the most significant predictor of whether or not a person will actually perform that behavior. This theory emphasizes the role of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control in shaping individuals' intentions and subsequent actions.
Utilitarian function: The utilitarian function of attitudes refers to the way in which attitudes serve to maximize rewards and minimize punishments in consumer behavior. This function highlights how consumers develop positive attitudes towards products or services that provide them with benefits or satisfaction, while forming negative attitudes towards those that lead to undesirable outcomes. Understanding this function helps explain why individuals favor certain choices based on their perceived utility and value derived from them.
Value-expressive function: The value-expressive function refers to the way in which attitudes allow individuals to express their core values and beliefs, thereby enhancing their self-image and identity. This function is significant as it helps people communicate who they are and what they stand for, often influencing their consumption choices and brand preferences in alignment with their values. By expressing these values through their attitudes, consumers seek social approval and validation from others.