Perception

Define: Perception

According to Wikipedia perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. Passive perception can be surmised as the following sequence of events: surrounding → input (senses) → processing (brain) → output (re-action).

Perception in consumer behaviour depends on the level of attention one gives it. For example, if you were looking to buy a child a present for Christmas you would pay more attention or “tune in” to advertisements surrounding children’s toys. Perception is a personal thing, for example - a road is thick with fog and there is something up ahead that looks to you like a small dog but looks to your passenger like a small cat. Either one of you could be right and both will create arguments to try and convince the other that their perception is the correct one.

Another good example is the optical illusion as this demonstrates how different people perceive things. In the picture above, there is both a scene and a face, but depending on the person looking at it, some will see the face first and some will see the scene first. Some will only be able to see one of the two and will not be able to look at it from the other perspective.

Face or scene?

Steps in consumer in consumer decsison making model:

• Need for recognition
• Search for information
• Alternatives
• Evaluation
• Purchase
• Post purchase evaluation

Three important models that explain consumer decision making:

• Howard-Sheth Model of Buying Behaviour
• The Nicosia Model
• The Engel-Blackwell-Miniard Model

The Howard-Sheth Model of Buying Behaviour:

In the Howard-Sheth theory, the most significant stimulus affecting the buying behaviour are the information cues about the characteristics of the product. The product characteristics acting as information cues are quality, price, distinctiveness, service and availailibility. Perceptual constructs refer to all the complex states or psychological processes and how the individual deals with the information cues received. Although the individual may be engaged in a search for information they may sometimes be overwhelmed  with unwanted information. Any information cues to the individual may be distoreted by their own frame of reference.

Perception: sensation --> attention --> interpretation.