2 PERCEPTION, LEARNING AND MEMORY

OVERVIEW

This topic will cover chapter 2 and chapter 3 from the main textbook. It will focus
mainly on the internal state of the consumers or the cognitive factors, namely,
perception, learning and memory. For perception, the discussion includes the sensory
system, exposure, attention and interpretation. For learning, the topic will touch on the
theories of learning and how it is applied in marketing. As for memory, the discussion
includes memory process, memory systems, why people forget and how consumers’
recall of marketing messages is measured.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Explain the concepts of sensation and perception as well as their significances

when designing a product;

2. Describe the elements of sensory threshold and assess the effectiveness of

subliminal perception;

3. Discuss the effect of sensory overload towards advertisers and explain the
importance of personal and stimulus selection factors to marketers;

4. Deduce how consumers interpret products and how marketers create meaning
for their products;

5. Evaluate various learning theories and how those theories are applied in
marketing strategy; and

6. Describe the memory process and memory systems.

LEARNING GUIDE/ASSIGNED READINGS:

FOCUS AREAS

ASSIGNED READINGS
Solomon, M R. (2013). Consumer Behavior: Buying, having, and being (10th ed.). Edinburgh Gate,
London: Pearson Education.

2.1

SENSORY SYSTEM
Chapter 2, pp. 69–81.

2.2

EXPOSURE
Chapter 2, pp. 81–86.

2.3

ATTENTION
Chapter 2, pp. 86–92.

2.4

INTERPRETATION
Chapter 2, pp. 92–100.

2.5

LEARNING
Chapter 3, pp. 107–118.

2.6

MEMORY
Chapter 3, pp. 118-133.

CONTENT SUMMARY:

2.1 Sensory System

Marketers make use of sensation and perception, also known as sensory marketing, to
draw consumers to their products.

When selecting products, more and more consumers are seeking hedonic values such
as fantasies and emotions and multisensory products.

Product design is an important element to consider as consumers are increasingly

seeking aesthetic designs when selecting products.

2.2 Exposure

Consumers are exposed to many stimuli in the environment, but only a few are selected
and interpreted while others are ignored or unnoticed.
Marketers should take into consideration the absolute threshold and the differential
threshold when designing marketing stimuli.

The issue on whether subliminal perception really works on consumers is still

debatable.

2.3 Attention

Consumers are often exposed to an overload of information from advertisements. Thus,

they pay attention to only a few through the process of perceptual selection.

Marketers need to consider the personal selection factors and stimulus selection factors
to get consumers’ attention.

2.4 Interpretation

Consumers assign meaning to the stimulus that they are exposed to based on
experiences, expectations and needs.

The Gestalt theory and semiotics can explain the factors that determine how consumers
interpret a stimulus.

Understanding how consumers interpret a stimulus helps marketers develop perceptual

positioning strategies and create a state called hyper-reality.

2.5 Learning

There are two major perspectives that explain the learning process, which are,
behavioural and cognitive perspectives.

Behavioural learning theory includes classical conditioning and instrumental

conditioning.

Cognitive learning theory focuses on observational learning.

Both perspectives help marketers understand how consumers learn about products and
services, thus applying these principles to their marketing strategy.

2.6 Memory

Memory process: external input → encoding → storage → retrieval.

Memory systems: sensory memory → short-term memory → long-term memory.

Marketers rely on consumers to store information on a product or service so that they

can apply it for future purchase decisions.

To reduce the chance of consumers forgetting about a product or service, the following
methods are used: state-dependant retrieval, familiarity and recall, salience and recall
and viewing context.

Problems in measuring consumers’ recall of marketing messages include: recognition

vs. recall, memory relapse and measurement accuracy.

ASSESMENT TASK:
DIRECTIONS: ANSWER THE STUDY QUESTIONS. WRITE IT ON YOUR NOTEBOOK.
For question #4, you are required to submit your Case Analysis/Discussion “Do Avatars Dream
about Virtual Shopping?” (pp. 136-137, Solomon, 2013). This should be computer encoded,
Arial 12. Deadline for submission is on September 20, 2021.

Study Questions
1. Differentiate between absolute threshold and differential threshold, and
then discuss whether subliminal perception is as effective as claimed by others.
2. Assess the effectiveness of marketing application on stimulus
generalisation.
3. Elaborate on the memory systems of when external information enters
sensory memory to how it is stored in long-term memory.
4. Case for discussion: “Do Avatars Dream about Virtual Shopping?” (pp.
136-137, Solomon, 2013).

REFERENCES

BOOKS & Internet Links

Solomon, M R. (2013). Consumer Behavior: Buying, having, and being

(10th ed.). Edinburgh Gate, London: Pearson Education.