1. Consumer Attitude Formation
and Change
Consumer Behaviour

2. Attitudes
 A learned predisposition to behave in a
consistently favorable or unfavorable
manner with respect to a given object
 A positive attitude is generally a necessary,
but not sufficient, condition for purchase
– In Pakistan, Mercedes may be seen as ‘top of
class’ but intention to purchase remains almost
non-existent
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3. Characteristics of Attitudes
 Attitudes have an “object”
 Attitudes are learned
– Can ‘unlearn’
 Attitudes have behavioural, evaluative and
affective components
– Predisposition to act
– Overall evaluation
– Positive or negative feelings
» continued
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4. Characteristics of Attitudes
 Attitudes have consistency
 Attitudes have direction, degree, strength
and centrality
– Positive or negative
– Extent of positive or negative feelings
– Strength of feelings
– Closeness to core cultural values
 Attitudes occur within a situation
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5. How are attitudes learned?
 Classical conditioning - through past
associations
 Operant conditioning - through trial and
reinforcement
 Cognitive learning – through information
processing
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6. Attitude Models
 Structural Models of Attitudes
– Tri-component Attitude Model
– Multi-attribute Attitude Models
 Other model of attitude formation
– Cognitive dissonance model
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7. The Tri-component Model
 Cognitive Component
– knowledge and perceptions acquired
– through direct experience and information from
various sources.
 Affective component
– Emotions and feelings about the object
 Conative or Behavioural Component
– Action tendencies toward the object
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8. Conation
Affect
Cognition
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9. Multi-attribute Attitude Models
 Attitude models that examine the
composition of consumer attitudes in terms
of selected product attributes or beliefs.
 Examples
– Attitude-toward-object Model
– Attitude-toward-behaviour Model
– Theory-of-Reasoned-Action Model
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10. Cognitive Dissonance Theory
 Holds that discomfort or dissonance occurs
when a consumer holds conflicting
thoughts about a belief or an attitude object.
 Post-purchase Dissonance
– Cognitive dissonance that occurs after a
consumer has made a purchase commitment
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11. The End
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