Chapter 2: Perception
CHAPTER 2
PERCEPTION
Multiple Choice
Fact
1. The immediate response by our eyes, nose, mouth or fingers to such basic stimuli as light, color, sound, odor and texture is called ______.
a. reception
b. awareness
c. perception
d. sensation
(d; Easy; p. 52) {AACSB: communication}
2. A shopper sees a ketchup bottle on a shelf. The bottle is referred to as a stimulus. If you saw the same bottle, then your eyes would create ______.
a. an equal but different response
b. sensation
c. a perception
d. raw competitive appraisal
(b; Moderate; p. 52) {AACSB: communication}
3. A shopper notices that the ketchup in a new container is blue in color. This recognition initially creates some confusion because the shopper's ______of ketchup is that it is red.
a. stimulus
b. sensation
c. perception
d. hedonic consumption
(c; Moderate; p. 52) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
4. A female buyer is looking at two used cars; one has good gas mileage, and the other leather seats. The buyer has always wanted a car with a leather interior. The buyer loves the way it feels and the impression of richness that it conveys. Even though the buyer doesn't have much money, she buys the car with the leather seats. The female buyer has just engaged in ______.
a. a subliminal reaction
b. perceptual vigilance
c. perceptual positioning
d. hedonic consumption
(d: Hard; p. 53) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
5. “Competitive advantage comes not just from patents, but also from incorporating design into products, much like Apple, Sony, or Dell” would be a phrase consistent with which of the following categories?
a. hedonic consumption
b. purely social interaction and this interaction's ability to influence decision making
c. design economy
d. consumption motivated by subliminal suggestion
(c: Moderate: pp. 54-55) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
6. Colors may influence our emotions. It has been found that advertisements with a(n)______background are better at promoting the spirit of adventure and passion.
a. blue
b. red
c. orange
d. black
(b: Moderate: p. 58) {AACSB: communication}
7. Some color combinations come to be so strongly associated with a corporation that they become known as the company’s ______.
a. position
b. public perception
c. trade dress
d. color axiom
(c; Hard; p. 58) {AACSB: communication}
8. If a gas station blows “fresh coffee smell” around the gas pumps to tempt customers to come inside for a cup, the gas station is using a form of ______to influence customers.
a. one-on-one marketing
b. technology marketing
c. differentiated marketing
d. sensory marketing
(d: Moderate; p. 60) {AACSB: ethical reasoning}
9. In a recent court case, Kodak successfully defended its right to protect the Kodak colors (yellow, black, and red) from competitor infringement. When a company is strongly associated with a color or combination of colors, it is called the company's ______.
a. color lock
b. trade dress
c. hue orientation
d. color right
(b: Moderate; p. 58) {AACSB: ethical reasoning}
10. A philosophy that translates customers’ feelings into design elements is called ______.
a. Kansei engineering
b. pleasure engineering
c. relationship engineering
d. neo-engineering
(a; Moderate; p. 62) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
11. When a stimulus comes within the range of someone’s sensory receptors ______occurs.
a. vibration
b. retention
c. subliminal suggestion
d. exposure
(d; Moderate; p. 64) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
12. The ______refers to the minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected on a sensory channel.
a. absolute threshold
b. differential threshold
c. intensity threshold
d. relative threshold
(a; Hard; p. 65) {AACSB: analytic skills}
13. The minimum difference that can be detected between two stimuli is known as the ______.
a. "bare" minimum
b. gradual differentiation
c. j.n.d. (just noticeable difference)
d. graded difference
(c; Hard; p. 65) {AACSB: analytic skills}
14. If the strength of a stimulus is increased by four times, then the j.n.d. will be increased by ______times.
a. two
b. four
c. eight
d. sixteen
(b: Hard; p. 65) {AACSB: analytic skills}
15. The average adult is exposed to about 3,500 pieces of advertising information every single day. These adults are often exposed to far more information than they can or are willing to process. This phenomenon is often described as being one of ______.
a. advertising bombardment
b. sensory overload
c. sensory shifting
d. circuit overcapacity
(b: Moderate p. 71) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
16. The ability to process information from more than one medium at a time is known as ______.
a. multitasking
b. perceptual hyperactivity
c. perceptual chunking
d. interactive attention
(a; Easy; p. 71) {AACSB: communication}
17. Because the brain's capacity to process information is limited, consumers are very selective about what they pay attention to and tend to select stimuli that relates to their current needs. This process is called ______.
a. perceptual defense
b. perceptual vigilance
c. perceptual selection
d. adaptation
(c; Hard; p. 72) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
18. Readership ad scores in magazines increase in proportion to the ______of the ad.
a. size
b. color
c. novelty
d. cost
(a; Moderate; p. 73) {AACSB: analytic skills}
19. ______roughly means whole, pattern, or configuration, and this perspective is best summarized by the saying "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
a. Freudian traits analysis
b. Marshallian psychology
c. Gestalt
d. Hobbesian pattern analysis
(c; Hard; p. 75-76) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
20. The sign that Toyota places on all their products to identify them as Toyota vehicles would be classified as a(n) ______.
a. icon
b. index
c. symbol
d. schema
(c; Moderate; p. 79) {AACSB: communication}
21. The field of ______examines the correspondence between signs and symbols and their role in the assignment of meaning.
a. semiotics
b. enunciation
c. pronunciation
d. logo design
(a; Moderate; p. 77) {AACSB: communication}
22. A common practice among advertisers is to create new relationships between objects and interpretants by inventing new connections between products and benefits. A classic example of this was equating Marlboro cigarettes with the American frontier spirit. Which of the following terms best describes this practice?
a. subliminal persuasion
b. figure ground projection
c. semiotic relationships
d. consumer-modeling connections
(c; Hard; p. 78) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
23. What is the primary purpose of a perceptual map?
a. The map outlines how the product process functions.
b. Perceptual maps diagram the differences between the sense systems.
c. Perceptual maps outline where a product stands in the minds of consumers compared to other competitors.
d. The map shows the threshold values of various retail stimuli.
(c; Moderate; p. 80) {AACSB: analytical skills}
Application
24. In the past ketchup formed an unbecoming "scum" on its surface if it was exposed to the air, so manufacturers created the traditionally shaped ketchup bottle with the narrow opening. When chemicals were developed to reduce this oxidation, it was then possible to sell ketchup in more conveniently shaped containers. Customers, however, rejected bottles that didn't have the traditional ketchup shape. This is an example of the power of selective customer ______in the marketplace.
a. exposure
b. thresholds
c. hyperreality
d. perception
(d: Moderate; p. 52-53) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
25. Nadia Ali loves the feel of her new sweater and the smell of her leather car seats on a crisp fall day. As she passes a billboard, she sees an ad for Baskin-Robbins ice cream and immediately does a U-turn into the shopping center where she knows the famous ice cream store is located. In the above example, Nadia is responding to ______.
a. sensory inputs emanating from the external environment
b. sensory inputs emanating from the internal environment
c. emotional outputs
d. decision sequences dictated by sensory outputs
(a; Hard; p. 53) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
26. Of the three stages in the perceptual process, which stage would an advertiser be targeting if bold primary colors were used in promotions and package design?
a. exposure
b. attention
c. interpretation
d. alternative selection
(b; Moderate; p. 53 [Fig. 2.1]) {AACSB: communication}
27. If you were designing an advertisement to warn Japanese smokers of the deadly consequences of smoking, what colors would you choose to dominate the ad?
a. black foreground with light blue background
b. white background with a red foreground
c. bright colors such as red and orange
d. brown and grays
(b; Hard; p. 56) {AACSB: multicultural and diversity}
28. Fuji Film has a distinctive look. A big part of this look is the colors chosen by Fuji to represent its brand. The same would be true for rival Kodak. What would be the correct term to describe companies that have been given legal right over certain colors and color combinations?
a. vision control
b. optical dominance
c. visual strategy
d. trade dress
(d: Moderate; p. 58) {AACSB: communication}
29. The Muzak Corporation estimates that its recordings are heard by 80 million people every day. If a company wishes to counteract a lull in consumer activity, Muzak can program their music to increase tempo gradually to offset consumer inactivity. In formal terms, this technique would be called ______.
a. stimulus progression
b. stimulus input
c. stimulus polarity
d. stimulus recession
(a; Hard; p. 61) {AACSB: communication}
30. When Jane shops, she must feel the fabric of any potential clothing buy before she even bothers to see what the design is. She has a high need to touch. Which sense system is important to Jane in her clothing shopping?
a. visual
b. basic orientation
c. haptic
d. defensive
(c: Moderate; p. 61) {AACSB: communication}
31. The Japanese are tuned to using sensory mechanisms and stimulations in the construction of their cars. The Japanese usage of what they call Kansei engineering is associated with which of the following sensory elements?
a. taste
b. smell
c. sight
d. touch
(d; Moderate; p. 62) {AACSB: multicultural and diversity}
32. Males and females have different appreciations of textures (touch sensitivity). When feeling fabrics, which of the following fabrics is evaluated as "high class" by males?
a. wool
b. silk
c. denim
d. cotton
(a; Hard; p. 63 [Table 2.1]) {AACSB: multicultural and diversity}
33. Ben Perez is driving along a mountain road. In the distance, he sees a road crew working on a fallen tree that has blocked the highway. When Ben first sees the road crew, which of the following perceptual processes has been engaged?
a. exposure
b. attention
c. comprehension
d. interpretation
(a; Easy; pp. 64-65) {AACSB: communication}
34. One of the principles of psychophysics is that changes in the physical environment are not always matched by equal changes perceptually. If Madison Wilson were creating a new drink, what would psychophysics tell her?
a. She could make the drink twice as sweet by adding twice the amount of sugar.
b. She would need to research how the perception of "sweetness" changed by the amount of sugar added.
c. She would need to look at the subliminal aspects of "sweetness."
d. She would need to create promotions to tell customers how "sweet" the new drink is.
(b; Hard; p. 65) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
35. A billboard is positioned correctly beside a busy highway. However, the merchant that has purchased the billboard is complaining that no response is being generated by his advertising message. Upon closer inspection, the billboard company determines that the typeface used is too small to be effectively read by a motorist going 60+ mph on the highway. Which of the following sensory thresholds would be most appropriate to explain the failure of this advertisement to connect with motorists?
a. the intensity threshold
b. the differential threshold
c. the absolute threshold
d. the relative threshold
(c; Hard; p. 65) {AACSB: reflective thinking}
36. Jason and Mark were talking in class, but so was everyone else. As they continued to discuss their day's adventures, it suddenly became clear to them that the teacher was staring at them. They didn't realize that the class had been called to order and what was once only one conversation among many was now disruptive. Jason apologized quickly and the teacher resumed her normal activities. This would be a good example of how a consumer's ability to detect a difference between two stimuli is ______.
a. absolute
b. negligible
c. relative
d. gender specific
(c; Moderate; p. 65) {AACSB: analytical skills}
37. A producer of a candy product wants to be the "sweetest" candy on the market, but he has found that consumers are having difficulty telling exactly which of several competing candy products is really the "sweetest." This producer might be having difficulty with which of the following sensory thresholds?
a. absolute threshold
b. differential threshold
c. intensity threshold
d. relative threshold
(b; Moderate; p. 65) {AACSB: analytical skills}
38. A retailer decides to reduce the price of a sport coat that normally costs $98. The reduction in price is $3. The storeowner believes that the reduction will catch the eye of the value shopper. If the sport coat does not sell, the retailer might wish to consider which of the following before making another price change?
a. Hermann's theorem
b. Packard's law
c. Sensory theory
d. Weber's law
(d; Moderate; pp. 65-66) {AACSB: analytical skills}
39. Psychophysical studies have shown that changes below a j.n.d. (just noticeable difference) will typically go unnoticed. If you were advising a state government that wished to change the sales tax utilizing psychophysics, what tax rate would you advise them to avoid?
a. 1 percent
b. 3 percent
c. 4 percent
d. 10 percent
(d; Moderate; p. 65) {AACSB: analytical skills}
40. A consumer sees a magazine ad for chocolate chip cookies. The ad shows a child lying out in an open field staring up at the clouds in the blue sky. If the consumer were to look very closely, there is a message in the puffy white clouds. The message reads "How about a cookie?" If this ad actually occurred, the advertiser would be using which of the following techniques to try and influence consumers?