BU432 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Learning, Look-Alike, Brand Equity
BU432
Chapter 3: Learning and Memory
The Learning Process
• The proliferation of Internet usage has changed how consumers learn and retain information
o Search engines have changed the way we learn and process information, putting vast
sources of data a few clicks away
o This ease of access to online info may influence the way our memories function
▪ When people have access to search engines, they remember fewer facts and
less iforatio eause the ko the a rel o searh as a readil
available shortcut
• Developing long-standing, learned connections between products and memorable experiences
is a potent way to build and keep brand loyalty
• Learning refers to a relatively permanent change in behaviour that is caused by experience
(does not have to affect the learner directly- we can learn vicariously by observing events that
affect others)
o Casual, unintentional acquisition of knowledge = incidental learning
• Ongoing process
Behavioural Learning Theories
• Assume that learning takes place as the result of responses to external events, as opposed to
internal thought processes
o Do’t fous o iteral ogitie proesses. Istead, approah the id as a lack
o that aot e diretl iestigated ad ephasize the oserale aspets of
behaviour (things that go into the box – stimuli or events perceived from the outside
world- and things that come out of the box – the responses or reactions to these stimuli)
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
o Over time this 2nd stiulus auses a siilar respose eause it’s assoiated ith the 1st
• Unconditional stimulus (USC) – naturally capable of causing the response
• Conditional stimulus (CS) – did not initially case the response, but it is a learned association
• Conditioned response (CR) – the associated behaviour when exposed to the stimulus
• Applies primarily to repsonses controlled by autonomic and nervous systems
o Focuses on visual and olfactory cues that induce physiological responses
o When these cues are consistently paired with conditioned stimuli, consumers may learn
to feel a specific way when exposed to the brand cues
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• Can emerge when a product that is originally neutral is paired over time with a product that
produces an emotion-inducing response
• Classical conditioning effects can be triggered by unconditioned stimuli
Associative Learning
• Consumers learn associations between stimuli in a rather simple fashion without more complex
processes such as memory or cognition taking place
• Can occur for more complex reactions to stimuli as well
Repetition
• Associative learning effects are more likely to occur after a conditioned stimulus and an
unconditioned stimulus have been paired a number of times
• Repeated exposures increase the strength of stimulus-response associations and prevent the
decay of these associations in memory
• The intervals between exposures may influence the effectiveness of this strategy as well as the
type of medium used to communicate the stimulus-response associations; the most effective
repetition strategy seems to be a combination of spaced exposures that alternate in terms of
media that are more and less involving
• Associative learning will not occur or will take longer if the paired stimuli are only occasionally
presented with each other
• One result of lack of association is extinction, which happens when the effects of prior
conditioning are reduced and finally disappear
o This can occur when a product is overexposed in the marketplace, or forms new
associations such that the brand is no longer consistently paired with the original
stimulus
Stimulus Generalization
• The tendency of stimuli similar to CS to evoke similar conditioned responses
• The piggakig strateg a ut oth as:
o When the quality of the me-too product turns out to be lower than the original brand,
consumers may exhibit even more positive feelings toward the original
o If the quality of the 2 competitors is perceived to be about =, consumers may conclude
the price premium they are paying for the original is not worth it
• Company reputations are shown to have a particularly strong impact on brand evaluations
Stimulus Discrimination
• Occurs when a stimulus similar to a CS is notfollowed by a USC
o Reactions are weakened and will soon disappear
• Learn to respond to some stimuli but not to other similar stimuli
• Manufacturers of well-established brands commonly encourage consumers to discriminate by
urgig the ot to u heap iitatios eause the results ill ot e hat the epet
• Masked branding delieratel hides a produt’s true origi
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Document Summary
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