Page 55 - DMGT506_CONSUMER_BEHAVIOUR

Consumer Behaviour

Notes 3. These traits and their relative degree when identified and measured, are useful in
characterising individual personalities.

Table 4.1: Cattell’s List of Sixteen Personality Traits
1. Reserved versus Outgoing
2. Less intelligent versus More intelligent

3. Affected by feelings versus Emotionally stable
4. Submissive versus Dominant
5. Serious versus Happy-go-lucky
6. Expedient versus Conscientious

7. Timid versus Venturesome
8. Tough-minded versus Sensitive
9. Trusting versus Suspicious
10. Practical versus Imaginative

11. Forthright versus Shrewd
12. Self-assured versus Apprehensive
13. Conservative versus Experimenting
14. Group-dependent versus Self-sufficient

15. Uncontrolled versus Controlled
16. Relaxed versus Tense

Trait theorists construct personality inventories (personality tests) and ask respondents to record
their responses to many items. Respondents are asked to agree or disagree with certain statements
as they please or express their likes or dislikes for certain situations or kinds of people. The
responses are then statistically analysed and reduced to a few personality dimensions.
R B Cattell isolated 171 traits but concluded that they were superficial and lacking in descriptive
power. He sought a reduced set of traits that would identify underlying patterns and identified
16 personality factors, which he called as source or primary traits.

Personality tests that measure just one trait (such as self-confidence, or innovativeness) are
called single-trait personality tests. Such tailor-made tests are increasingly being developed for
use in the study of consumer behaviour. Ronald E. Goldsmith and Charles F. Hofacker and also
Marsha L Richins and Scott Dawson have reported that these tests are used to measure traits such
as innovativeness, susceptibility to interpersonal influences and materialism.

Notes Consumer Innovativeness Scale
1. In general, I am among the last in my circle of friends to buy a new (Game CD*) when
it appears.
Agreement scale 5 4 3 2 1
2. If I heard that a new (Game CD) was available in the store, I would be interested
enough to buy it.
Agreement scale 5 4 3 2 1 Contd...

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