Chapter 13: Decision Making II: Alternative Evaluation and Choice
TRUE/FALSE
1. Evaluative criteria are the attributes, features, or potential benefits that consumers consider when
reviewing possible solutions to a problem.
2. A feature is a performance characteristic of an object.
3. A benefit is a perceived favorable result that is derived from the presence of a particular feature.
4. Determinant criteria are the evaluative criteria that are related to the actual choice that is made.
5. The determinant criterion for a product remains the same across situations.
6. Marketers position a product on the determinant criterion that applies across several different
situations.
7. The value that consumers believe they will receive from a product has a direct impact on their
evaluation of that product.
8. Hedonic criteria pertain to economic aspects associated with an alternative.
9. Utilitarian criteria include emotional, symbolic, and subjective attributes or benefits that are associated
with an alternative.
10. The term bounded rationality describes the idea that perfectly rational decisions are always feasible.
11. Consumers have unlimited ability to process all the information that’s available in the environment.
12. With attribute-based evaluation, consumers evaluate products based on the overall feeling that is
evoked by the alternative.
13. Positive mood states lead to positive evaluations of products while negative mood states lead to
negative evaluations of products.
14. With affect-based evaluation, alternatives are evaluated across a set of attributes that are considered
relevant to the purchase situation.
15. The experiential decision-making process illustrates attribute-based evaluation.
16. Product categories are mental representations of stored knowledge about groups of products.
17. When considering a new product, consumers rely on the knowledge that they have regarding the
relevant product category.
18. When a new product is very different from products that are currently available, consumers avoid
relying on existing category knowledge to guide their expectations and attitudes toward the new
product.
19. The number of levels and details within each level of consumers’ product categories are influenced by
their familiarity and expertise with products.
20. Subordinate categories are abstract in nature and represent the highest level of categorization.
21. Superordinate categories tend to be more detailed than subordinate categories.
22. New alternatives of a product will be compared to exemplars first and then to other brands that are
found in the brand category.
23. Underlying attributes are visually apparent and easily recognizable.
24. A consumer looking for a particular color while buying a dress is concerned with the underlying
attribute of the dress.
25. Perceptual attributes are sometimes referred to as search qualities because they can easily be evaluated
prior to actual purchase.
26. Underlying attributes can only be learned through experience with the product.
27. Underlying attributes are sometimes referred to as experience qualities because they are often
perceived only during consumption.
28. The taste of a particular brand of pasta is an example of the perceptual attribute of a product.
29. The size of a dress is an underlying attribute of the dress.
30. A signal is a characteristic that allows a consumer to diagnose something distinctive about an
alternative.
31. When a retailer offers a price-matching guarantee, they give off a signal that consumers will enjoy low
prices when they shop at this particular store.
32. Young and inexperienced consumers rely more heavily on perceptual attributes than do older
consumers.
33. As a consumer’s level of knowledge increases, he or she is able to focus on criteria that are most
important in making a selection and to discount irrelevant information.
34. Market mavens are trusted sources who can guide consumers in focusing on various product attributes.
35. Judgments are mental assessments of the presence of attributes and the benefits associated with those
attributes.
36. The ability of a consumer to make accurate judgments when evaluating alternatives is influenced by
his or her ability to perceive differences in levels of stimuli between two options.
37. The term branded variants is used to describe the practice of offering essentially identical products
with different model numbers or names.
38. Attribute correlation of different features of a product or a service is always positive.
39. Objective quality refers to the quality of the product based on consumer perceptions.
40. Perceived quality refers to the quality of a product that is assessed through industry specification or
expert rating.
41. The efforts by companies to improve the objective quality of their products are limited by consumer
perceptions of quality.
42. While deciding between two alternatives, if information about some attributes is not available,
consumers tend to weigh the criteria that are common to both alternatives quite heavily in the
evaluation.
43. Conjoint analysis is used to understand the attributes that guide preferences by having consumers
compare products across levels of evaluative criteria and the expected utility associated with the
alternatives.
44. Compensatory rules allow consumers to select products that may perform poorly on one attribute by
compensating for the poor performance by good performance on another attribute.
45. A consumer who disliked the color of a bag, but bought it as it was sturdy, has employed a
noncompensatory rule when he/she chose the bag.
46. When noncompensatory rules are used, strict guidelines are set prior to selection, and any option that
does not meet the specifications is eliminated from consideration.
47. A consumer who wants to buy only a black-colored handbag regardless of the brand is employing a
compensatory rule.
48. Following the compensatory rule, the consumer sets a minimum mental cutoff point for various
features and rejects any product that fails to meet or exceed this cutoff point across all features.
49. Noncompensatory rules are often used in low-involvement situations because these rules allow
consumers to simplify their thought processes.
50. Following the lexicographic rule, the consumer selects the product that he or she believes performs
best on the most important feature.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The attributes, features, or potential benefits that consumers consider when reviewing possible
solutions to a problem are known as _____ criteria.
a.
associative
b.
adaptive
c.
evaluative
d.
recombinant
e.
accumulative
2. When consumers make a decision regarding which laptop to purchase, they consider features such as,
hard-disk size, processor speed, weight, and screen size, as well as the benefits associated with these
features. These features that consumers consider while assessing whether a particular laptop will
satisfy their requirement can be best described as the _____ criteria.
a.
evaluative
b.
associative
c.
recombinant
d.
adaptive
e.
accumulative
3. A performance characteristic of an object is known as its _____.
a.
benefit
b.
feature
c.
standard
d.
quality
e.
requirement
4. Certain characteristics of an automobile, such as a navigation system, automatic gear change system,
and safety air bags, that are relevant to how it functions or operates, are examples of the automobile’s
_____.
a.
features
b.
outputs
c.
criteria
d.
objectives
e.
elements
5. A perceived favorable result that is derived from the presence of a particular feature is known as a(n)
_____.
a.
attribute
b.
benefit
c.
criterion
d.
goal
e.
function
6. Better picture quality is a(n) _____ of a high-definition television.
a.
element
b.
attribute
c.
standard
d.
feature
e.
benefit
7. The evaluative criteria that are related to the actual choice that is made are known as _____ criteria
a.
determinant
b.
recombinant
c.
fulminant
d.
discriminant
e.
examinant
8. Henry considered two criteria when he selected his laptop, efficiency of the CPU and the capacity of
the hard disk drive. These features represent Henry’s _____ criteria while buying the laptop.
a.
recombinant
b.
fulminant
c.
discriminant
d.
examinant
e.
determinant
9. Which of the following criteria is associated with emotional, symbolic, and subjective attributes or
benefits that are associated with an alternative?
a.
Discriminant criteria
b.
Rational criteria
c.
Hedonic criteria
d.
Cognitive criteria
e.
Utilitarian criteria
10. When Gemma attended her high school reunion after a gap of fourteen years, she decided to wear an
expensive designer dress even though a dress she bought at a sale was much more flattering. Gemma
wanted to make a fashion statement and also wanted the dress to reflect her successful career as an
editor for a well-known fashion magazine. Which of the following criteria is most likely responsible
for Gemma’s choice of dress?
a.
Relative criteria
b.
Rational criteria
c.
Hedonic criteria
d.
Egalitarian criteria
e.
Utilitarian criteria
11. Which of the following criteria pertain to functional or economic aspects associated with an
alternative?
a.
Relative criteria
b.
Rational criteria
c.
Hedonic criteria
d.
Egalitarian criteria
e.
Utilitarian criteria
12. When Richard finally decided to buy a car, he chose a hybrid model that scored very high on being
environment friendly. Which of the following criteria is most likely to account for Richard’s choice of
the car?
a.
Relative criteria
b.
Rational criteria
c.
Hedonic criteria
d.
Egalitarian criteria
e.
Utilitarian criteria
13. Which of the following describes the idea that perfectly rational decisions are infeasible at times due to
constraints found in information processing?
a.
Limited capacity
b.
Satisficing rationality
c.
Bounded rationality
d.
Search regret
e.
Information overload
14. Which of the following statements is true of consumers’ information processing?
a.
Consumers are always rational when they are evaluating possible solutions to a problem.
b.
Consumers tend to have unlimited ability to process all information available in the
environment.
c.
Consumers tend to maximize the effort they put into alternative evaluation and choice.
d.
Consumers tend to settle for a solution that is simply good enough to solve a problem.
e.
Consumers tend to consider all possible solutions to a problem as they have the ability to
do so.
15. Which of the following types of evaluation do consumers use to evaluate products based on the overall
feeling that is evoked by the alternative?
a.
Attribute-based evaluation
b.
Content-based evaluation
c.
Benefit-based evaluation
d.
Affect-based evaluation
e.
Cognition-based evaluation
16. When Jane and her husband decided to buy furniture, she decided to purchase a brand that her
grandparents and parents had used. She didn’t spend any time looking at its specific features or
comparing it with other brands. All that mattered to Jane was the emotion associated with buying
something closely familiar to her childhood. Which of the following types of evaluation best explains
Jane’s choice of brand?
a.
Attribute-based evaluation
b.
Affect-based evaluation
c.
Feature-based evaluation
d.
Benefit-based evaluation
e.
Content-based evaluation
17. Which of the following types of evaluation do consumers use to evaluate alternatives across a set of
features or characteristics that are considered relevant to the purchase situation?
a.
Attribute-based evaluation
b.
Benefit-based evaluation
c.
Belief-based evaluation
d.
Affect-based evaluation
e.
Content-based evaluation
18. When consumers need to purchase a refrigerator, they usually evaluate different models across a set of
features or characteristics, such as storage capacity, freezer shelving, and energy cost efficiency. Such
an evaluation is an example of a(n) _____ evaluation.
a.
affect-based
b.
attribute-based
c.
content-based
d.
belief-based
e.
attitude-based
19. Mental representations of stored knowledge about groups of products are known as product _____.
a.
metrics
b.
categories
c.
segments
d.
sections
e.
levels
20. Which of the following product category levels is abstract in nature and represents the highest level of
categorization?
a.
Primary category
b.
Superordinate category
c.
Inordinate category
d.
Secondary category
e.
Subordinate category
21. According to product categorization, vehicles can be placed under _____ category.
a.
subordinate
b.
secondary
c.
inordinate
d.
superordinate
e.
primary
22. Which of the following belongs to the superordinate product category?
a.
Desk
b.
Dresser
c.
Furniture
d.
Chair
e.
Sofa
23. Diet Coke, a brand of soft drink, is an example of _____ category with regard to product
categorization.
a.
primary
b.
inordinate
c.
secondary
d.
subordinate
e.
superordinate
24. Which of the following belong(s) to the subordinate product category?
a.
Vehicles
b.
Couch
c.
Furniture
d.
Clothing
e.
Beverage
25. Visually apparent and easily recognizable attributes of a product are known as _____ attributes.
a.
objective
b.
perceptual
c.
underlying
d.
primary
e.
determinant
26. When Arthur decided that it was time for him to buy a new washing machine, his primary concern was
that the price should not exceed his budget. Keeping this in mind, he evaluated various models across
their prices. Arthur was most concerned with the _____ attribute of the washing machine.
a.
underlying
b.
elementary
c.
perceptual
d.
objective
e.
primary
27. Which of the following is true of the perceptual attributes of a product?
a.
They are also referred to as search qualities.
b.
They are evaluated only after the actual purchase.
c.
They are not readily apparent or visible.
d.
They are learned only through experience with the product.
e.
They are perceived only during the consumption process.
28. Underlying attributes of a product are referred to as _____ qualities.
a.
search
b.
perceptual
c.
consumption
d.
pre-purchase
e.
experience
29. Which of the following is true of the underlying attributes of a product?
a.
They are readily apparent and easily recognizable.
b.
They can be easily evaluated prior to actual purchase.
c.
They are also referred to as search qualities.
d.
They are used to infer the existence of perceptual attributes.
e.
They can only be learned through experience with the product.
30. Hanks arbitrarily purchased a lawn mower, neither considering its features nor the product price.
However, after using the lawn mower, he acknowledged that he has not come across any other lawn
mower of superior quality. In acknowledging the superior quality of the mower, Hanks is referring to
its _____ attributes.
a.
search
b.
underlying
c.
perceptual
d.
content
e.
determinant
31. A characteristic that allows a consumer to diagnose something distinctive about an alternative is also
known as a _____.
a.
beacon
b.
sample
c.
signal
d.
sensor
e.
code
32. Joseph’s Attire, a men’s clothing store, has recently started advertising weekly sales such as “three
suits for the price of one,” or “get 30% off on your first item and get 50% off on the second.” This type
of advertising might result in consumers perceiving that the quality at Joseph’s Attire is not very good
as they offer such huge discounts. This kind of promotional advertising serves as a _____ to
consumers regarding the quality of the product sold in the store.
a.
signal