Page 67 - DMGT506_CONSUMER_BEHAVIOUR

Consumer Behaviour

Notes 5.1 Elements and Dynamics of Perception

Schiffman and Kanuk have defined perception as “the process by which an individual selects,
organises and interprets stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world.” A stimulus
is any unit of input to a sensory receptor. In a marketing context, the stimuli include brand
names, advertisements, colours, sounds and packages etc.

5.1.1 Sensation (Exposure to Stimuli)

Sensation is the immediate and direct response of sense organs to simple stimuli such as an
advertisement, a brand name, or a package etc. Sensitivity to stimuli varies among individuals
and depends on the quality of sensory receptors.

Example: Some people have more acute hearing or sharper eyesight.
Sensation for a stimulus depends on differentiation of input. A relatively static and unchanging
environment provides little or no sensation even though the sensory input is strong. For example,
a person living near a busy railway station would probably receive no sensation from car or
train horns or other traffic noises. Increase or decrease of one or two honking horns would never
be noticed. When the quantum of sensory inputs is high, the senses fail to detect small differences
in sensory inputs.

Absolute Threshold

Absolute threshold refers to the lowest level at which an individual can experience a sensation.
At this point an individual can detect a difference between “something” and “nothing” and this
point would be that individual’s absolute threshold for that stimulus. For instance, one individual
may sense the sound pitch at 20 cycles per second and the second individual may sense the sound
pitch at 30 cycles per second. Absolute threshold for sound in case of these two individuals
would be different. Many individuals’ ability to discriminate sensory characteristics such as
taste, smell, hearing, or feel is small.
The senses are likely to become increasingly dull under conditions of constant stimulation and
the absolute threshold increases. For example, if someone drives for half an hour through a
corridor of billboards, it is doubtful that any particular billboard will register any impression.
This is known as ‘adaptation’ and refers to “getting used to” certain sensations.
Sensory adaptation is a problem for many TV advertisers because of advertising clutter. It is
because of this reason that advertisers are inclined to change their ad campaign frequently
fearing that target audiences will get so adapted to the current ads that these will no longer
provide sufficient sensory input to be noticed.

Differential Threshold

Differential threshold is the smallest detectable difference between two values of the same
stimulus. This is also referred as JND (Just Noticeable Difference). A German scientist of
nineteenth-century, Ernst Weber discovered that the just noticeable difference between two
stimuli was an amount relative to the intensity of the initial stimulus. To measure the differential
threshold for a stimulus, one commonly changes its intensity in very small amounts. An
individual’s threshold exists when she/he first notices that the stimulus has changed. The
difference between this value and the starting value is the just noticeable difference. Weber’s
Law (after the name of the scientist) states that stronger the initial stimulus, greater the additional
intensity needed for the second stimulus to be perceived as different. For example, if a producer

62 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY