D.Phil. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the cognitive orientation in consumer behaviour, and thereby move towards a consumer-oriented context for the analysis of the communicated effects of advertisements. Advertising theory and research were reviewed, and the conclusion was drawn that the different variables studied by researchers represent unidimensional approaches which are seldom analysed within the integrated cognitive framework of the consumer. The various dimensions of the consumer's cognitive orientation were specified within an integrated theoretical framework formulated from various theories and findings with regard to cognitive factors such as attitudes, self-concept, motivation and learning. From this emerged two cognitive orientations, viz. a rational orientation which is characterized by price consciousness, performance risk, formal information seeking, etc. and a social orientation which is characterized by self-enhancement, normative and informal social influences, etc. It was hypothesized that the consumer's cognitive orientation is predictive of his evaluation of products (and consequently also of advertisements about products). It was, however, postulated that the cognitive orientation will also be influenced by the nature of particular products. A further implication of the theory was also taken into account, namely that the effects of advertising on cognition do not necessarily imply attitude change, but that the consumer's involvement with the product plays an important role. This resulted in another proposition, namely that the higher the product involvement, the greater the amount of information seeking, evaluation of alternatives, etc. The study was conducted according to these guidelines. The factorial structure of consumer orientation was firstly determined.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:13369 |
| Date | 02 March 2015 |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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