LEARNING AND MEMORY

Objectives:
To understand why:
Its important for marketers to understand how
consumers learn about products and services.
Conditioning results in learning.
Learned associations can generalize to other things
Difference between classical and instrumental
conditioning.
Memory systems work
Products help us to retrieve memories from our past.
Marketers measure our memories about products and
ads

LEARNING AND MEMORY

A process by which an individual acquire the
purchase and consumption knowledge and
experience that they apply to future related behavior.
A relatively permanent change in behavior occurring
as a result of experience.
A dynamic process
Can be intentional as well as incidental.

LEARNING PROCESSES
Intentional learning acquired as a result of a
careful search for information
Incidental learning acquired by accident or
without much effort

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF
LEARNING
MOTIVE: A arousal function that is essential to activate
the energy needed to engage in some learning activity
CUES: Stimuli that give direction to the motives
RESPONSE: How individuals react or behave to a cue
and constitutes the response
REINFORCEMENT: The tendency for the response to
reoccur in a similar situation.

THEORIES OF LEARNING
LEARNING
THEORIES

BEHAVIOURAL

CLASSICAL
CONDITIONING

SOCIAL
LEARNING

OPERANT
CONDITIONING

COGNITIVE

BEHAVIOURAL THEORIES
Theories based on the premise that learning takes place
as the result of observable responses to external stimuli.
Also known as stimulus response theory.

TYPES OF BEHAVIORAL LEARNING

THEORIES
Classical conditioning:
Pairing a stimulus with
another stimulus that
elicits a known response
to produce the same
response when used
alone.
Instrumental conditioning
(also, operant conditioning):
the individual learns to
perform
behaviors
that
produce positive outcomes
and to avoid those that yield
negative outcomes.

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
CONTD
It is the learning of associations among events that
allows us to anticipate and represent our environment.
Is not reflexive action, but rather the acquisition of new
knowledge

MARKETING APPLICATIONS OF
REPETITION
Repetition increases learning Stimulus
Stimulus Generalization
The inability to perceive differences between slightly
dissimilar stimuli.
Tendency for stimuli similar to a conditioned stimulus to
evoke similar, unconditioned responses.
Family branding
Product line extensions
Licensing
Look-alike packaging
Stimulus Discrimination
The ability to select a specific stimulus from among similar
stimuli because of perceived differences.

INSTRUMENTAL/OPERANT
CONDITIONING
Consumers learn by means of trial and error
process in which some purchase behaviours
result in more favorable outcomes (rewards)
than other purchase behaviours.
Instrumental conditions occurs in one of these
ways:
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Punishment
Extinction

REINFORCEMENT
Positive
Reinforcement:
Positive
outcomes
that strengthen the
likelihood of a specific
response
Example: Ad showing
beautiful hair as a
reinforcement to buy
shampoo

Negative
Reinforcement:
Unpleasant
or
negative
outcomes
that
serve
to
encourage a specific
behaviour
Example: Ad showing
wrinkled
skin
as
reinforcement to buy
skin cream

INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING

INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING
AND MARKETING

Make the product the ultimate reward

Provide samples and free trials
Provide non-product rewards
Practice relationship marketing
Reinforcement Schedules (Continuous: after
dinner dessert, Systematic: credit voucher &
Random: lotteries)

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY:

We watch others; we model behavior
Also known as modeling or vicarious learning.
Conditions for modeling to occur:
The consumers attention must be directed to
the appropriate model
The consumer must remember what the
model does and says
The consumer must convert information to
action
The consumer must be motivated to perform
actions

THE SOCIAL/OBSERVATIONAL
LEARNING PROCESS

COGNITIVE LEARNING THEORY

Learning occurs through the complex mental
processing of information.
It involves learning ideas, concepts, attitudes and
facts that contribute to our ability to reason, solve
and learn relationships.
Starts from simple information acquisition to
creative problem solving.
Doesnt go for S-R relationship.
Emphasizes that learning occurs as a result of
discovering meaningful patterns which helps in
problem solving.

ROLE OF MEMORY IN LEARNING

Memory: acquiring information and storing it over
time so that it will be available when needed.

THE MEMORY PROCESS

COGNITIVE LEARNING AND

MARKETING STRATEGY
Use rote learning (memorization techniques
based on repetition) to teach consumers about
the brand
Use reasoning or problem solving for complex or
high-involvement products
Use modelling to extinguish negative behaviour
Use knowledge of information processing to help
consumers store, retain and retrieve messages.

MEASURES OF CONSUMER
LEARNING

Recognition and Recall Measures

Cognitive Responses to Advertising (comprehension)
Copy-testing Measures
Attitudinal and Behavioural Measures of Brand
Loyalty
Problems with memory measures
Response biases
Memory lapses
Omitting
Averaging