Marketers often extend product lines by introducing slight variations of existing products (e.g., there are 53 varieties of Crest toothpaste, 15 varieties of Cheerios). As a result, consumers select from assortments containing relatively similar options. Unfortunately, consumers sometimes fail to differentiate among options, and instead consider the different options as similar and choose. Consequently, prior research shows that selecting from choice sets containing relatively similar options can sometimes lead to negative consequences such as decreased satisfaction. In light of these negative consequences, and given the frequency with which consumers choose from sets of similar options, it becomes important to identify interventions that can be used to optimize option differentiation (i.e., to optimize the perceived difference between two similar options or the perceived variety in an assortment). This dissertation proposes that incidental muscular sensations that consumers encounter while performing regular marketplace activities can serve as one such sensory based intervention. Drawing on theories related to learned associations and classical conditioning, it is proposed that because individuals experience high intensity muscular contractions concurrently with threat/danger, these muscular contractions and the responses they facilitate (i.e., self-protective reflexes) become linked. Through classical conditioning, high (vs. low) intensity incidental muscular sensations eventually activate self-protective reflexes in the absence of any threat or danger. Once activated, self-protective reflexes lead to increased perceptual sensitivity and discriminatory ability, and a sense of unconscious vigilance. Six studies show that the enhanced perceptual sensitivity and unconscious vigilance that result from high (vs. low) intensity muscular sensations optimize option differentiation, and can help to offset the decreased satisfaction that is sometimes associated with choosing from relatively similar options. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Fabio Parucker.pdf: 908833 bytes, checksum: cade17bb9b7a9c18bedb34b88711ab46 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-29 / One of the most used Marketing tools for the influence of the consumers` choice is the point-of-purchase merchandising, whith which one attempts to dettach the product in an universe of very similar options. From the behavioral analytical point of view the point-of-purchase merchandising could be seen as a stimulus control in which subjects (consumers) respond (choose varied goods) diferentially in the presence or absence of the exteroceptive stimulus. To test this set of contingencies six experimental subjects were used, all of them adult, male, Wistar rats, experimentally naive at the beggining of the experiment. The bar pressure response was first modeled in all subjects. They were distributed into three groups. During the first part of the experiment, each group was trainned to respond in one bar and was exposed to multiple or mixed schedule of reinforcement in which VI were alternated with CRF as a function of an amount of reinforces obtained. Groups VsCn and VnCs were exposed to multiple schedules in which the stimulus (light) was associated with VI and CRF respectively, whilst group VnCn was exposed to a mixed schedule of reinforcement with no presentation of the stimulus. During second part of the experiment, all subjects were exposed to a reinforcement schedule conc VI VI to determine the base line of responding when two identical options of operanda were available to the subject. During this part of the experiment, the stimulus was not presented. During the third part of the experiment the reinforcement concurrent schedule was maintained and the stimululs were presented randomically over one of the bars to evaluate the control exerted over the pressing bar response. The results of groups VsCn and VnCs show that the stimulus has acquired certain control over the responding. Subject 85 responded more in the bar over which the stimulus was presented. This fact was not repeated by subject 86, whose responding was rather controlled by the position of the bar. The analysis of the control group (VnCn) data show that there has been a development of control by the stimulus only when it was presented over the bar which the subject demonstrated preference to during part 2 of the experiment. Group VnCs responded more on the Bar 1 in the post-presentation periods of the stimulus, suggesting that the control by past history with the stimulus was stablished, i.e., it was determining on the present responding of the subjects having been exposed to multiple schedules with the stimulus paired with CRF condition. The analysis of control group data (VnCn) shown that there has been a development of control by the stimulus during part 3 only when it was presented over the bar with which the subject developed a preference during part 2 / Uma das ferramentas mais utilizadas pelo Marketing para influenciar a escolha do consumidor é o merchandising no ponto de venda, em que se busca destacar o produto em um universo de escolhas muito parecidas entre si devido a um processo de populariazação das tecnologias produtivas. Do ponto de vista analítico-comportamental, o merchandising no ponto de venda pode ser considerado como uma produção de estímulo ao qual os sujeitos (consumidores) respondem (escolhem bens variados) diferencialmente na presença ou na ausência do estímulo exteroceptivo. Para testar esse arranjo de contingências foram utilizados seis sujeitos experimentais, ratos adultos da raça Wistar, ingênuos experimentalmente no início do experimento. A resposta de pressão à barra foi modelada em todos os sujeitos que foram distribuídos em três grupos. Na primeira fase do experimento, cada grupo foi, então, treinado a responder em uma barra e exposto a esquemas múltiplos ou mistos de reforçamento em que se alternavam VI e CRF em função de uma quantidade fixa de reforços obtidos. Os grupos VsCn e VnCs foram expostos a esquemas múltiplos em que houve o pareamento do estímulo luminoso com VI e com CRF respectivamente, enquanto o grupo VnCn foi exposto a um esquema de reforçamento misto em que se alternou o VI com CRF sem apresentação do estímulo luminoso. Na segunda fase do experimento, todos os sujeitos foram expostos a um esquema de reforçamento concorrente VI VI para se determinar a linha de base do responder quando duas opções idênticas de operanda estavam disponíveis ao sujeito. Nesta fase, o estímulo luminoso não foi apresentado. Na terceira fase, manteve-se o esquema de reforçamento conc VI VI e apresentou-se o estímulo luminoso aleatoriamente sobre uma ou outra barra durante períodos de dois minutos para avaliar quanto controle o estímulo estaria exercendo sobre a resposta de pressionar a barra. Os resultados do grupo VsCn mostram que o estímulo luminoso exerceu um certo controle sobre o responder dos sujeitos. O sujeito 85 respondeu mais na barra sobre a qual foi apresentado o estímulo luminoso, fato que não se repetiu com o sujeito 86, cujo responder foi mais controlado pela posição da barra. O grupo VnCs respondeu mais acentuadamente na Barra 1 nos períodos pós-apresentação do estímulo luminoso, sugerindo que houve o estabelecimento de controle por parte da história anterior do sujeitos com o estímulo luminoso, ou seja, terem sido treinados em esquema múltiplo, onde a condição de não luz foi pareada ao CRF foi determinante no responder atual dos sujeitos. A análise dos dados do grupo controle (VnCn) mostrou que houve o desenvolvimento de controle pelo estímulo luminoso apenas quando ele foi apresentado sobre a barra em que o sujeito demonstrou preferência na Fase 2 do experimento, ou seja, o controle do estímulo luminoso sobre o responder só foi exercido na Fase 3 quando a apresentação coincidiu com a barra pela qual o sujeito tinha demonstrado preferência na Fase 2