Consumer Behavior, 12e (Schiffman/Wisenblit)
Chapter 4 Consumer Perception and Positioning
1) Individuals act and react on the basis of ________, not on the basis of ________.
A) objective reality; their previous experiences
B) their previous experiences; their perceptions
C) their perceptions; objective reality
D) their perceptions; their previous experiences
E) their previous experiences; peer pressure
2) Your interpretation of visual and sensory input about polo shirts may be different from your
classmate’s because perception is ________.
A) objective
B) subjective
C) irrelevant
D) noise
E) based on personality traits
3) The process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets stimuli into a meaningful
and coherent picture of the world is known as ________.
A) observation
B) perception
C) realization
D) rationalization
E) understanding
4) ________ can simply be described as “how we see the world around us.”
A) Knowledge
B) Perception
C) Motivation
D) Attitude
E) Understanding
5) ________ is/are the immediate and direct response of the sensory organs to stimuli.
A) Sensory receptors
B) Sensation
C) Sensory input
D) Sensory adaptation
E) Sensory blocking
6) Products, packages, brand names, advertisements, and commercials are examples of
________.
A) sensations
B) receptors
C) realities
D) stimuli
E) intensities
7) As sensory input ________, our ability to detect changes in input or intensity ________.
A) decreases; increases
B) increases; increases
C) decreases; remains constant
D) remains constant; decreases
E) increases; remains constant
8) When a product is ________, memory of the ________-related attributes increases.
A) scented; non-scent
B) non-scented; scent
C) auditory; non-auditory
D) non-auditory; auditory
E) quiet; scent
9) The point at which a person can detect a difference between “something” and “nothing” is that
person’s ________ for that stimulus.
A) adaptation level
B) absolute threshold
C) just noticeable difference
D) differential threshold
E) sensory adaptation
10) Two people driving together may spot a billboard at different times. This means they have
different ________.
A) absolute thresholds
B) differential thresholds
C) just noticeable differences
D) adaptation levels
E) sensory adaptations
11) John drives by the same billboard every day on his way to work. He has seen the billboard so
many times that he no longer notices it. This is an example of ________.
A) sensory adaptation
B) just noticeable difference
C) differential threshold
D) perceptual blocking
E) absolute threshold
12) Sensory adaptation is of concern to national advertisers, who try to continuously change their
advertising campaigns. They are concerned that consumers will ________.
A) get bored of their competitors’ ads
B) get used to their ads
C) not understand their ads as intended
D) develop positive reactions to their ads
E) become more attuned to competing advertising
13) Some TV ads change sensory input by using silence or louder sounds in their ads to generate
attention. This is a form of advertising used in order to overcome ________.
A) sensation
B) preference for competitive advertisements
C) sensory adaptation
D) the just noticeable difference
E) perceptual blocking
14) Brand names stamped on eggs in supermarkets, featured on video screens in taxis, placed on
subway tunnels in between stations, and featured on doctor’s examination tables are examples of
________.
A) sensory adaptation
B) objective reality
C) viral advertising
D) ambush marketing
E) experiential marketing
15) The minimal difference that can be detected between two similar stimuli is called the
________.
A) perceptual threshold
B) differential threshold
C) sensory threshold
D) absolute threshold
E) sensation threshold
16) Weber’s law states that ________.
A) the stronger the initial stimulus, the weaker the second stimulus must be to exceed the JND
B) the JND of a second stimulus is inversely related to the strength of the original stimulus
C) the stronger the initial stimulus, the greater the second stimulus must be to exceed the JND
D) consumers who buy the same products regularly are more likely than those who buy less
frequently to notice changes in price, packaging, or product attributes
E) the more information consumers are given about a particular product, the more likely they are
to purchase that product
17) Which of the following is true of JND?
A) Decreasing prices below consumers’ JND is likely to cause a significant rise in sales.
B) Making product improvements that far exceed consumers’ JND is likely to maximize
company revenues.
C) There is no JND for decreased product volume sold in existing packaging.
D) Making drastic changes to a company’s logo to an extent well beyond consumers’ JND allows
companies to update their image without losing their ready recognition.
E) Increasing prices below consumers’ JND is likely to go unnoticed by consumers.
18) Which of the following is NOT an implication of the JND for logos?
A) Marketers usually make numerous small changes.
B) Marketers minimize noticeable changes to maintain consumer recognition.
C) Marketers who make dramatic changes to logos may anger customers.
D) Marketers who crossed the differential threshold have chosen to return to their original logos.
E) Marketers should always try to cross the JND and make dramatic changes.
19) A stimulus may be too faint or brief to be consciously seen or heard, such as a deeply
embedded or a very briefly flashed image, but may still be perceived by one or more sensory
receptor cells. This is called ________.
A) subliminal perception
B) sequential transition
C) supraliminal perception
D) sensory adaptation
E) perceptual blocking
20) Which of the following is true of the relationship between consumers’ perceptions and their
expectations?
A) Individual motivation does not affect perception.
B) Ads with irrelevant sexuality generally lead to better recall of the product advertised due to
the attention-getting nature of the sexual content.
C) People tend to make observations and arrive at conclusions completely independent of their
expectations.
D) Consumers tend to perceive products and product attributes according to their own
expectations.
E) What consumers expect to see is completely dependent on their objective, first-hand
experience with the particular product or advertising medium.
21) Which of the following is true of the relationship between consumers’ perceptions and their
motives?
A) In general, there is a heightened awareness of stimuli that are irrelevant to consumers’ needs.
B) The stronger the consumer’s need, the greater the tendency to ignore related stimuli in the
environment.
C) In general, there is decreased awareness of stimuli that are relevant to consumers’ needs.
D) The stronger the consumer’s need, the greater the tendency to pay attention to related stimuli
in the environment.
E) Consumers tend to pay equal attention to all advertising, regardless of their needs at any given
time.
22) Which of the following does NOT provoke attention?
A) shocking images
B) contrasting images
C) adaptation
D) unrealistic images
E) contrasting sounds
23) Which of the following is NOT true about the effect of expectations and motives on
perceptions?
A) People see what they expect to see based on familiarity, previous experience, and
expectations.
B) Stimuli that conflict sharply with expectations often receive less attention than those that
conform to expectations.
C) Irrelevant sexuality can distract from the ad’s main message.
D) People tend to perceive the things they need or want.
E) There is decreased awareness of stimuli that are irrelevant to a consumer’s needs.
24) ________ is a concept related to perception. People actively seek out messages that they find
pleasant and actively avoid painful or threatening ones.
A) Selective attention
B) Selective exposure
C) Perceptual defense
D) Perceptual blocking
E) Perceptual organization
25) After buying a Mini Cooper, Kate began paying more attention to advertisements for Mini
and spent more time on websites reading about how much Mini drivers love their cars because
she was sympathetic to these messages and found them pleasant. This is an example of
________.
A) selective attention
B) selective exposure
C) perceptual defense
D) perceptual blocking
E) perceptual organization
26) ________ refers to consumers’ heightened awareness of stimuli that meet their needs or
interests, and minimal awareness of stimuli irrelevant to their needs.
A) Selective attention
B) Selective exposure
C) Perceptual defense
D) Perceptual blocking
E) Perceptual organization
27) Listening to the radio on the way home from work, Paul is particularly aware of an ad for
McDonald’s because he is getting hungry. This is an example of ________.
A) selective attention
B) selective exposure
C) perceptual defense
D) perceptual blocking
E) perceptual organization
28) Consumers subconsciously screen out stimuli that they find psychologically threatening,
even though exposure has already taken place. This is consistent with the perception factor of
________.
A) selective attention
B) selective exposure
C) perceptual defense
D) perceptual differentiation
E) perceptual organization
29) Canada requires tobacco firms to feature graphic health warnings on cigarette packs. In a
perception context, this is to try to combat ________ where people no longer pay attention to the
warning labels on packets.
A) selective attention
B) selective exposure
C) perceptual defense
D) perceptual differentiation
E) perceptual organization
30) ________ is consumers’ heightened awareness of stimuli that meet their needs or interests
and minimal awareness of stimuli irrelevant to their needs.
A) Selective attention
B) Selective exposure
C) Perceptual defense
D) Perceptual blocking
E) Perceptual differentiation
31) ________ occurs when consumers tune into messages that they find pleasant or with which
they are sympathetic, and they actively avoid painful or threatening ones.
A) Defensive stimulation
B) Selective exposure
C) Perceptual defense
D) Perceptual blocking
E) Perceptual organization
32) In the figure and ground principle of Gestalt psychology, ________.
A) the ground is usually perceived as distinct and central to the image
B) the common line that separates the figure and the ground is generally attributed to the ground
C) figure and ground relationships are always interpreted in the same way
D) figure typically appears to be subordinate to ground and, therefore, less important
E) the ground is usually perceived as indefinite, hazy, and continuous
33) In product placement scenarios, marketers place an advertised product into a TV show or
film by having it used by the cast, integrated into the plot, or associated with a character. In
product placements, the product is considered the ________ and the show is the ________.
A) entertainment; brand
B) figure; ground
C) ground; perceptual organization
D) perceptual block; perceptual organization
E) ground; figure
34) To simplify life, people have a natural tendency to select stimuli from the environment and
organize them into groups and perceive them as a unified whole. In a perception context, this is
known as ________.
A) figure-ground
B) perceptual blocking
C) perceptual mapping
D) grouping
E) closure
35) Individuals express their need for ________ by organizing their perceptions so that they form
a complete picture.
A) closure
B) interpretation
C) grouping
D) figure-ground patterns
E) exposure
36) When stimuli are highly ambiguous, an individual will usually ________.
A) ignore them
B) block them out
C) interpret them according to one’s own needs, wishes, and interests
D) take extra time to understand the intentions of the source
E) consult others as to their meaning
37) When an ad for Benetton featured the hands of two men – one black and one white –
handcuffed together to promote racial harmony, people perceived that a white man was arresting
a black man. This is an example of ________.
A) the halo effect
B) a consumer stereotype
C) the persistence of first impressions
D) effective product positioning
E) perceptual blocking
38) Marketers take advantage of ________ when they extend a brand name associated with one
line of products to another.
A) physical appearances
B) perceptual blocking
C) the halo effect
D) the persistence of first impressions
E) consumers’ tendency to jump to conclusions
39) Ragu, a maker of spaghetti sauces, chose to launch some of its most successful flavors in the
new pouch packaging format in order to take advantage of ________ to gain quick customer
acceptance of the new format.
A) perceptual mapping
B) Gestalt psychology
C) the halo effect
D) selective exposure
E) consumers’ need for closure
40) ________ refers to consumers’ perceptions of all the components of products, services, and
brands, and to how consumers evaluate the quality of marketers’ offerings.
A) First impressions
B) Consumers’ stereotypes
C) Consumer imagery
D) Symbolic features
E) Symbolic attributes
41) Why would a brand want to update its image?
A) to create emotional bonds between brands and consumers
B) to fulfill a need in a straightforward way
C) to be more similar to competitors
D) to hide its core benefit
E) to be perceived as a “me too” offering
42) Which of the following is least likely to convey a fragrance brand’s image on its own?
A) the product’s name
B) the product’s appearance
C) the product’s packaging
D) the product’s features
E) the product’s fragrance
43) ________ is the customer’s view of the value that he or she receives from the purchase.
A) Reference price
B) Perceived price
C) Efficiency price
D) Value price
E) Differential price
44) ________ is any price that a consumer uses as a basis for comparison in judging another
price.
A) Reference price
B) Perceived price
C) Efficiency price
D) Value price
E) Differential price
45) Which of the following is an illustration of a price discount that would be viewed as most
favorable given the “right side effect”?
A) a discount from $26 to $25
B) a discount from $22 to $21
C) a discount from $19 to $18
D) a discount from $16 to $15
E) a discount from $39 to $38
46) Which of the following is NOT a strategy that helps consumers engage in dissonance
reduction when they encounter prices that are significantly different from their expectations?
A) seeking additional information
B) forming cognitions that justify the high price
C) perceiving the price as within the given acceptable price range
D) considering buying other brands
E) trivializing some aspects of the buying situation
47) ________ are physical characteristics of the product itself, such as size, color, flavor, or
aroma.
A) Intrinsic cues
B) Product quality ratings
C) Extrinsic cues
D) Brand images
E) Brand personalities
48) The most widely accepted framework for researching service quality stems from the premise
that a consumer’s evaluation of service quality is a function of the ________ of the gap between
the customer’s expectations of service and the customer’s assessment of the service actually
delivered.
A) type and physical characteristics
B) intangible attributes
C) extrinsic cues
D) magnitude and direction
E) intrinsic cues
49) ________ measures the gaps between customers’ expectations of services and their
perceptions of the actual service delivered.
A) Reference price
B) The SERVQUAL scale
C) The Service Index
D) Brand image
E) The Tangibility Index
50) Which of the following is NOT a dimension measured in the SERVQUAL scale?
A) reliability
B) responsiveness
C) assurance
D) empathy
E) ignorance
51) Which of the following is true of services?
A) It is more difficult for consumers to evaluate the quality of products than the quality of
services.
B) Services are simultaneously produced and consumed.
C) Services are tangible.
D) Services are highly consistent in quality.
E) Services are durable.
52) The purpose of institutional advertising is to ________.
A) promote a specific product line
B) promote a specific retail outlet as a way of improving the manufacturer’s image through the
retail store image
C) boost the corporate image
D) enter a product category totally unrelated to the one with which the corporate name has
become synonymous
E) promote the product category as a whole
53) When consumers buy the most expensive model to mitigate the risk of purchasing a poorly
performing product, they are using ________ to minimize their risk.
A) information-seeking behavior
B) brand loyalty
C) narrow categorization
D) the price-quality relationship
E) perceptual blocking
54) Consumers are more likely to view price as an indicator of quality if ________.
A) they have little information to go on
B) they are confident in their ability to make the product or service choice
C) they are experts
D) they are familiar with the store where the product is purchased
E) they are familiar with the product or service
55) ________ is promotion that is designed to promote a company’s overall image without
overtly referring to specific products.
A) Status advertising
B) Institutional advertising
C) Store image
D) Brand image
E) Global advertising
56) ________ is the uncertainty that consumers face when they cannot foresee the consequences
of their purchase decisions.
A) Reference price
B) Service quality
C) Brand image
D) Intrinsic cues
E) Perceived risk
57) Low-risk perceivers have been described as broad categorizers and tend to ________.
A) make their choices from a wide range of alternatives
B) limit their choices to a few safe options
C) exclude some perfectly good alternatives in order to minimize the chance of a poor selection
D) avoid new products about which they know little
E) be very brand loyal