Using Attitudes to Predict Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example

Using Attitudes to Predict Consumer Behaviour Using Attitudes to Predict Consumer Behaviour Attitudes refer to the learned predispositions that portray a consistent negative or positive behaviour directed to various objects of the world. The objects, whether tangible or intangible, are referred as attitude objects. It is attitudes that influence the way people behave and think. Study of attitudes is, therefore, very important for marketers because it enables them to understand consumer behaviour. The marketers have to understand the characteristics of the attitudes. The environment in which human beings grow up shapes their attitudes. Attitudes vary in degrees among persons. Its intensity depends on the strengths of the conviction with which humans believe in them. There are several functions that attitudes serve. The functions include ego-defence, utilitarian, value expressive, and the knowledge function. There is a relationship between attitudes and human behaviour. It is for this reason that psychiatrists developed attitude models to help bring out the understanding of the relationship between human behaviour and attitudes (Eagly & Chaikan 1998, p. 45). The models are beneficial to the marketers in that they help them easily understand how a persons behaviour as a consumer is influenced by attitudes. The formation of attitudes is done through instrumental and classical conditioning and cognitive theory. The measurement of attitudes is done using the Likert’s and the semantic differential scale. The measurement helps to bring an understanding of how the consumer might behave towards a specific product. Some theories state that it is the behaviour that precedes attitudes (Sherif 2006, p. 98). It is against the accepted fact that attitudes influence behaviour. Attitudes of a person can be changed, and their attitude towards a product can also be changed. It can be changed by highlighting the product’s new functions or even by associating with celebrities. It can also be changed by involving more consumers in the product and changing their beliefs about a product. Relevant Attitude Theories There are various theories of attitudes. The essay mainly focuses on the Theory of Reasoned Action as well as the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The Reasoned Action Theory states that the behaviour of a human being is determined by the being’s intention to carry out the behaviour. The intention must be a function of the person’s subjective norm or attitude towards the behaviour. Intention is behaviour’s best predictor; it is a person’s cognitive representation of the readiness to carry out certain behaviour. Intention is determined by several factors that include perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, and attitude towards a particular behaviour. There is also the planned behaviour theory. The theory of planned behaviour began as the theory of reasons action, which started in 1980 (Myer 2005, p.167). It began with the purpose of predicting the intention of an individual to engage in behaviour in a specific place and time. The goal of the theory at its pioneer stages was geared towards providing an explanation of all behaviours over which human beings can exert self-control. Behavioural content is one of the key content of the theory of planned behaviour. Attitude influences the intention of behaviours, and the attitude must be about the likelihood of the outcome expected from the behaviour. The theory of planned behaviour has in the past been used successfully to explain and predict a wider range of intentions and health behaviours. The intentions include utilization of health services, smoking, substance use, and others such as breastfeeding. The theory of planned behaviour states that behavioural achievement is dependent on behavioural control ability and motivation, which relates to the intention (Hoggs & Vaughan 2002, p. 78). The theory of planned behaviour constitutes six constructs that represent the actual control over the behaviour of a human being. The first construct of the theory of planned behaviour is attitude. Attitude refers to the extent to which a human being has unfavourable or favourable evaluation of the behaviour of interest. The second construct is behavioural intention. Behavioural intention refers to all the motivational factors influencing a specific behaviour. The stronger the intent to do behaviour, the higher the likelihood that the behaviour will be performed (Corey 1937, p. 75). The third construct talks about the subjective norms. Subjective norms relate to approval or disapproval of popular beliefs. It deals with how a human being believes on what other people close to him or her think. The forth construct is the societal norms. The societal norms are the codes of behaviour that are customary to a group of people or a larger societal context. The social norms can either be standard or normative to a group of people. The other concept is the construct of perceived power. It refers to perceived presence of dynamics that can impede or even help behaviours performance. The construct contributes to the perceived behavioural control of a human being over each of the particular factors. The last construct of the theory is the concept of perceived behavioural control. The construct refers to the perception of a human being on the difficulty or ease of doing the behaviour of interest (Bohner 2001, p. 323). The construct varies across actions and situations and results in an individual having perceptions of behavioural control that vary in nature depending on the situations. The construct was added to the theory much later. The construct caused a much greater shift from the theory of Reasoned Action to the theory of Planned Behaviour The theory of planned behaviour has been of more importance to the health sector than the incumbent health belief model. The theory of planned behaviour has over the past been unable to consider economic or even environmental influences, forming one of its major limitations. So many variables affect the attitude from influencing behaviour. It is because of the many variables that the psychologists were able to come up with the two theories. Most psychologists are using the two theories when dealing with attitude issues. Why attitudes may not always help to predict behaviour Many people have always asked if attitude affects behaviour. Most psychologists have in the past come up with so many explanations regarding the issue (Sidgwick 1907, p. 57). Hoyland is one of the psychologists that provided one of the most accepted explanations of the way attitude affects behaviour. His explanations are in the form of ABC model. The ABC model indicates that an attitude consists of three components. The components affect the cognition and behaviour, which are vital for the consistency of behaviour-attitude relationship. Cognition is the way an object is perceived regardless of whether it was false of true. Cognition is subject to bias because of its selective perceptions. Affective element is also another aspect of attitude. It is closely related to cognition. It refers to the emotional feelings towards the dislike or the liking of a certain object. The last component of attitude is the behavioural element. It is the predisposition of a human being to act in a particular way. It refers to the intention to act as opposed to the act itself. The three elements are believed to be interconnected and form the foundation of behaviour prediction. A human being who believes that a certain section of people that cherish hard work ay develop a liking towards the section of the people. The people will as a result, behave in a positive way towards the group of those particular people (Oskamp & Schultz 2005, p. 142). It would then cause an inconsistency, and psychologists believe that the inconsistency is due to the measurement that omitted the affective and cognitive elements. When feelings, beliefs, and behavioural tendencies are absent, inconsistencies are said to creep in between behaviour and attitudes. The factors are, however, not the only elements that affect the relationship between the behaviour and attitude. There are more than other forty elements that affect attitude-behaviour relationship. Attitude accessibility is one of the most notable elements that affect the relationships between the behaviour and attitude consistency. Attitude accessibility refers to the incidents that can easily be recalled memory and thus be expressed very quickly. The factor is believed to increase behaviour prediction probability and help in the reduction of consistency when the accessibility is low. A study conducted by Fazio in 1986 surveyed the attitude of customers with respect to their assessment of the 1986 presidential decisions. The study surveyed their supposition on whether Ronald Regan would be a decent president for the following four-year. The individuals were then reached after three months, on the day of the decisions, enquiring whether they had voted as they had promised and if so for whom (Allport 1935, p. 213). It was found out that over the period, there was 80 percent changes in their decisions as opposed to the prior indicated preferences. The accessibility acceptance as a behaviour-attitude inconsistency cause is necessitating that a number of other variables are also considered as detriments. Attitude strength influences the accessibility of attitude and experience. The other common factors that most psychologists have used in recent attitudinal research include latitude of rejection, certainty, intensity, importance, affectivity, extremity, and non-commitment. The other factors include consistency between affect and cognition, salience, ambivalence, effects and state as well as past experiences. It is always very hard to find out if there is any explanation or even any variable which correctly answers the pertinent question of why attitude does not, every time, predict behaviour. From the ABC model, it is true that there are combinations of different factors that lead to behaviour-attitude inconsistency. Attitude is, therefore, much more complex and relates to the concept of behaviour in numerous ways as opposed to connecting to attitude directly. Attitude is, therefore, affected by both the external and internal influences. The two theories of attitude will also help to answer this question (Asch 1951, p. 312). The two theories might not answer the question in unanimous and comprehensive way but at least offer some valid explanation as to why attitude does not always predict behaviour. The first theory advanced by Fazio in 1986 states that it is the inability to respond promptly and the absence of accessibility to the memory of a person that causes the inconsistency (Azjen & Fishbein, 1975 p. 399). Fishbein and Azjen, on the other hand, provided a more complex explanation to the answer of the question, an explanation using the theory of planned behaviour (Azjen & Fishbein 1980, p. 267). The two psychologists suggested that it was the absences of perceived behavioural control, subjective norms and attitudes towards behaviour that causes the prevalent inconsistencies between the concepts of behaviour and attitude. Most psychologists have accepted both the theories because the two theories do not conflict. Other theories have also been advanced by other psychologists in trying to answer the question especially some behaviour affected by the external factors. Why the attitude-behaviour gap might be so prevalent throughout the sustainable/ethical consumption literature Behaviour and consumer attitudes offer both disadvantages and advantages to marketers. The marketers can obtain very useful insights from the understanding of the two concepts of behaviour and consumer attitude (Fazio & Zanna 1981, p. 156). It is because they present to them with opportunities to understand changes in consumer preference and thus, help them change their marketing strategies. The understanding of the two concepts will define the actions that if undertaken will define if a business will succeed or not. For one to understand the dimensions in consumer behaviour, one requires to have an in-depth knowledge of the relationship and then apply psychology in marketing. Consumer behaviour has over the past become part and parcel of marketing. An understanding of the behaviour of consumers has been playing a crucial role in the formulation of marketing strategies. The needs of consumers are defined by consumer behaviour. It, therefore, determines the services and products that will fulfil the needs and thereafter providing marketers with direction. Ethical consumption is regarded as a function of consumer behaviour. Ethical consumption embodies the individuals’ purchasing behaviour (Lapiere 1934, p.168). The purchasing behaviour is understood through critical analysis of the behaviour and attitude relationship. How a consumer will evaluate a product will also determine most of the attitudes of the consumer. The positive or negative feeling a consumer will have towards a product is all on the account of the consumers attitude. The attitude might or might not translate into actual behaviour. Attitude has greater influence on the way consumers behave and think. Attitude, therefore, forms a very crucial factor in ethical consumption. The literature of ethical consumption encompasses consumer complexities all the way from the decision-making process to their actual behaviour. The relationship between the consumers behaviour and attitude cannot be overlooked. There is also a growing popularity in ethical consumption practices. The popularity is suggestive of a shift in the forms of practices through which the marketing and business process will later change. Ethical consumption has gained more popularity all over the world. As much as the popularity of the products has increased, the percentage of ethical products in the market is still minimal when compared to non-ethical products (Petty & Cacioppo 1981, p. 333). A number of reports have indicated that it is because of the disparity between what consumers do and what they say they will do that affects their consumption behaviour. It has, therefore, given rise to research and investigations into the challenges impeding ethical consumption. The researchers discovered that the attitude-behaviour gap is the reason behind the inconsistency in consumer behaviour after carrying out numerous investigations into the matter. Through the gap, researchers have been able give explanations on the issue of variability in the field of ethical consumption. According to their arguments, the attitude-behaviour gap in ethical consumption is prevalent because the gap presents a social dilemma to consumers. The attitude-behaviour gap creates a prediction and an understanding of the patterns of behaviour of ethical consumers. Reference List Oskamp, S. & Schultz, W. (2005). Attitudes and opinions. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, NJ. Petty, R. & Cacioppo, J. (1981). Attitudes and persuasion: classic and contemporary approaches. Dubuque, IA: William C. Brown. Sidgwick, H. (1907). Methods of ethics (7th ed.).  Macmillan and Company, London. Solomon, M. (2009). Consumer behaviour buying, having, and being (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Asch, S. E. (1951). Effects of group pressure upon the modification and distortion of judgment. In H. Guetzkow (ed.) Groups, leadership and men. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Press. Allport, G.W. (1935). Attitudes. In C. Murchison (Ed) Handbook of Social Psychology, Worcester, Mass: Clark University Press Azjen, I. & Fishbein, M. (1975). Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behaviour: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Ajzan, I. & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behaviour. Englewood Cliffs, USA: Prentice-Hall Bohner, G. (2001). Cited in Eysenck, M. W. (2004). Psychology: An International Perspective. Essex, UK; Psychology press. 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