Perception and Exposure

• Perception is a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something, acting as a mental impression involving neurophysiological processes, including memory, that determines how human beings process the world around them.

Exposure

• Exposure occurs when a stimulus is detected by a person's sensory receptor nerves.
• Smelling cookies in the oven provides an example of exposure.
• Exposure can be either voluntary or involuntary.
• Involuntary exposure includes forced exposure through billboards, product placement in T.V., or native advertising, where content blends in with paid advertising.
• Voluntary exposure involves choosing to be exposed to content, such as allowing a company to send emails with permission-based marketing.

Selective Exposure

• Selective Exposure uses tools to filter what people want to be exposed to.
• Examples include changing the channel, fast-forwarding commercials, or muting.
• Zipping, zapping, and muting are examples of selective exposure.

Attention

• Attention is when stimulus information is sent to the brain for processing, and is highly variable based on factors like:
  • Stimulus
  • Individual
  • Situational circumstances
• Physical characteristics affecting attention include
  • Size
  • Intensity
  • Attractive visuals (picture superiority effect)
  • Color/movement
  • Position
  • Format
  • Isolation
  • Information quantity
  • Contrast and expectations, described by habituation and the adaptation level theory.

Individual Factors

• Motivation and product involvement dictate interest in a product
• Ability and brand familiarity dictate familiarity

Situational Factors

• Situational factors involve things that happen in the moment and impact how information is received, such as clutter or program involvement.

Non-Focused Attention

• Non-focused attention includes the cocktail party effect, hemispheric lateralization, and subliminal stimuli.

Hemispheric Lateralization

• The left brain functions include
  • Analytical thought
  • Logic
  • Language
  • Reasoning
  • Science and math skills
  • Written and number skills
  • Right hand control
• The right brain functions include
  • Art awareness
  • Creativity
  • Imagination
  • Intuition
  • Insight
  • Holistic thought
  • Music awareness
  • 3-D forms
  • Left-hand control
• The left brain is logical, good with numbers, and analytical but gets tired when studying.
• The right brain is creative, processes music and arts, and scans the area, working without much effort or fatigue.

Subliminal Stimuli

• Subliminal stimuli is shown to the brain without awareness.

Interpretation

• Interpretation is a relative process where different people interpret the same thing differently, and depends on:
  • Traits, like ones physiological sensitivity
  • Affect intensity
  • Need for cognition
  • Learning and knowledge
  • Influence of brand loyalty
  • Expectations
  • Learned associations

Situational Characteristics

• Situation can include things like:
  • Contextual cues
  • Color
  • Music
  • Programming

Stimulus Characteristics

• Stimulus traits include:

Organization

• Organization is based on Gestalt principles.
• Changes- in sensory discrimination.
• A change can be made without anyone realizing the original form has been altered

Gestalt Principles

• Proximity: When objects are placed together, the eye perceives them as a group
• Similarity: When objects look similar to one another, the eye perceives them as a group or pattern.
• Continuance: The eye is compelled to move from one object through another.
• Closure: When an object is incomplete or not completely enclosed.
• Figure & Ground: When the eye differentiates an object from its surrounding area.

Detecting Price Changes

• Reference prices are the prices we have in our head for what something should cost

Consumer Inferences include:

• Quality signals - price perceived, advertising intensity, warranties, country-of-origin, package size • Interpreting images

• Missing information and ethical concerns

Perception is how we interpret the world through neurophysiological processes and memory. Exposure happens when our senses detect a stimulus, and it can be voluntary or involuntary. Selective exposure involves filtering what we're exposed to, like changing channels or muting commercials.