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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. 49)
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. another stimulus
b. sensation
c. a perception
d. a just noticeable difference
(b; Easy; p. 49)
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. 49)
4. Michelle is looking at two used cars; one has good gas mileage, and the other leather
seats. She has always wanted a car with a leather interior. She loves the way it feels
and the impression of richness that it conveys. Even though she doesn't have much
money, she buys the car with the leather seats. Michelle has just engaged in
________.
a. a subliminal reaction
b. perceptual vigilance
c. perceptual positioning
d. hedonic consumption
(d: Moderate; p. 50)
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Chapter 2: Perception
5. Combining exotic scents and aesthetically designed containers to cleaning supplies is
an example of ________.
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: Easy; pp. 50–51)
6. Colors may influence our emotions. It has been found that advertisements with a
________ background are better liked than backgrounds of other colors.
a. blue
b. red
c. orange
d. black
(a: Easy; p. 51)
7. Marketers rely heavily on visual elements. Meanings are communicated on the visual
channel through a product's color. In many Eastern societies, the color ________ is
associated with mourning.
a. yellow
b. purple
c. white
d. black
(c; Moderate; p. 52)
8. Hispanics tend to prefer brighter colors than European Americans. According to your
text, the primary reason for this preference is ________.
a. the intense lighting conditions in Latin America
b. the historical availability of different dyes in different cultures
c. a result of preferences from the European cultures of Spain and Portugal
d. an attempt of Hispanics to differentiate themselves from a dominant Anglo
culture
(a: Moderate; p. 52)
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. 55)
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Section 2: Consumers as Individuals
10. With respect to sensory stimulation, research has shown that ________ is a direct line
to good or bad feelings, hunger, and even memories of happy times. This sense is
processed by the limbic system, the most primitive part of the brain and the place
where immediate emotions are experienced.
a. smell
b. sight
c. touch
d. taste
(a; Moderate; pp. 55–57)
11. _________ can stir emotions or create a calming feeling.
a. Vibrations
b. Taste
c. Odors
d. Subliminal advertising
(c; Hard; pp. 56–57)
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; Moderate; p. 61)
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; Moderate; p. 61)
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: Moderate; p. 61)
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Chapter 2: Perception
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: Easy; p. 66)
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; Moderate; p. 66)
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
(b; Moderate; p. 67)
18. There are a variety of ways to get consumers to notice the differences between stimuli
(products and services). According to the text, which of the following is not one of
the changes that create contrast?
a. Size
b. Position
c. Novelty
d. Cost
(d; Hard; pp. 68–69)
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. 71)
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Section 2: Consumers as Individuals
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. 72)
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. 72)
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. hyperreality
d. consumer-modeling connections
(c; Moderate; p. 73)
23. What is the primary purpose of a perceptual map?
a. The map outlines how the perceptual 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; Easy; p. 73)
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Chapter 2: Perception
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. 49)
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. 49)
26. Advertisers know that messages must have three effective hits before the promotion
will have much power to influence customer behavior. This highlights the importance
of ________ in the perceptual process.
a. sensory receptors
b. the power of vision to influence customers
c. attention
d. schema
(c; Moderate; p. 49 (Fig. 2.1))
27. If you were designing an advertisement to warn Japanese smokers of health dangers,
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; pp. 51–52)
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Section 2: Consumers as Individuals
28. Colors often look duller to older people. Because of this fact, car companies often
make adjustments in color selections aimed at older consumers. Because Lexus sells
to many mature consumers, which of the following car colors accounts for 60 percent
of all Lexus sales?
a. Black
b. Blue
c. Red
d. White
(d: Moderate; p. 52)
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. 57)
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. 58)
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. 58)
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; Moderate; p. 59 (Table 2.1))
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Chapter 2: Perception
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; p. 60)
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 was
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. 61)
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 differential threshold
b. The absolute threshold
c. The intensity threshold
d. The relative threshold
(b; Hard; p. 61)
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. 61)
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Section 2: Consumers as Individuals
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; pp. 61–62)
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; p. 61)
39. Psychophysical studies have shown that changes below a j.n.d. will typically go
unnoticed. If you were advising a state government that wished to change the sales
tax utilizing psychophysics, at what rate would you warn them in strong terms to
decrease the tax rate?
a. 5 percent
b. 10 percent
c. 20 percent
d. 30 percent
(c; Moderate; p. 62)
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?
a. Gestalt psychology
b. Freudian psychology
c. subliminal perceptual persuasion
d. Pseudopsychodrama
(c; Hard; p. 63)
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Chapter 2: Perception
41. Mary Nabholz travels the same way to work every day. She notices advertisements in
store windows when the ads first go up. However, after a few days, Mary no longer
pays any attention to these ads because they have become familiar. Which of the
following personal selection factors is affecting Mary Nabholz?
a. perceptual vigilance
b. perceptual defense
c. perceptual selection
d. adaptation
(d; Hard; p. 68)
42. All customers carry a schema in their minds when they enter the marketplace.
According to the principles of perceptual vigilance and defense, a marketer should be
careful to create a promotion for the new product that ________.
a. conforms to the customers' schemata
b. violates the customers' schemata
c. requires that customers defend their current views about the product category
d. is simple and easy to understand
(a; Moderate; p. 70)
43. Rusty Thompson was very excited about a new seafood restaurant that just opened
across from his college campus until he saw the featured menu item—fried squid.
Rusty had been taught from childhood that "squirmy things" should not be put in your
mouth. Rusty's bias against even trying the restaurant's featured menu item was
probably due to a set of beliefs from his past. This set of beliefs is best described as
being _________.
a. action articles
b. schema
c. evaluation purpose
d. directional bias
(b; Hard; p. 70)
44. A new Green Giant ad campaign relied on the ________ when it used a redesigned
package for Green Giant products that showed the Green Giant in a "sea of green." It
was felt that the Green Giant products were now unified under a common design
banner.
a. principle of similarity
b. figure-ground principle
c. interpretational principle
d. closure principle
(a; Moderate; p. 71)
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Section 2: Consumers as Individuals
45. A common practice among advertisers is to create new relationships between objects
and interpretants by inventing new connections between products and benefits. How
would a marketer use hyperreality to find a new use for baking soda?
a. By associating the soda with its ability to absorb odors
b. By associating the soda with a fictional character called Mrs. Clean
c. By emphasizing the low cost of the soda
d. By informing the customers of the historic importance of baking soda
(b; Hard; p. 73)
Understanding
46. Which of the following comes the closest to the concept of "hedonic consumption"?
a. Bill can't get an advertising jingle out of his mind when he enters a store and sees
the product has seen advertised.
b. Kim can never buy fashionable clothes without looking carefully at their
construction and then feeling the quality of the cloth with her fingers.
c. John complains to his traveling companion that he can't get through the airport
without buying a fattening cinnamon roll. "The smell of those things gets me
every time," he says.
d. A new computer game rapidly replaced an older one because it had much faster
action.
(b; Moderate; p. 50)
47. Which of the following most accurately reflects the current thinking about the use of
subliminal perception in marketing promotions?
a. Subliminal messages are below the threshold of perception, so cannot be utilized
in marketing.
b. Subliminal ads can be effective, but customers do not like them and so marketers
avoid them.
c. There is some evidence that subliminal perception can have limited effects, but
they are not specific enough to make subliminal messages effective in advertising.
d. It comes down to a matter of attention. If a viewer will pay enough attention to a
subliminal message, then it can have some specific effects.
(c; Moderate; pp. 63–64)
48. Readership of a magazine ad increases in proportion to the size of the ad. So also
does the impact of the ad, which is said to follow the "square root" law. Assuming
this to be true, if your current ad was 3 by 4 inches, and you increased it to 6 by 8
inches, the impact of the ad would be increased by ________.
a. 50 percent
b. two times
c. four times
d. eight times
(b; Hard; p. 68)
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Chapter 2: Perception
49. Perception is not immediate. It takes time for the brain to process information, but
sensations can be immediate and continuous. This means that the perceptual process
requires a person to pay attention to some stimuli, and not to others, but it also
implies that the process requires ________.
a. Gestalt rules to organize information rapidly
b. some sort of temporary memory to store sensation
c. that the intensity of the stimuli must be strong
d. that habituation is needed to dampen the strength of stimuli
(b; Hard; p. 49, 65, 71)
50. If you were in charge of creating the ads in the subway described in the text, what
would you need to know to design the advertisements?
a. The exact speed of the subway
b. The width of each panel of the ad
c. The exact color combinations of each ad
d. Both the speed of the subway and the width of each panel
(d; Moderate; pp. 78–79 (Case Study))
True/False
Fact
51. Perception refers to the immediate response of our sensory receptors to such basic
stimuli as light, color, and sound.
(False; Moderate; p. 49)
52. The first step in the perception process is exposure to a stimulus. Without exposure,
there would be no perception.
(True; Moderate; p. 49)
53. If a behavioral researcher is studying how consumers use multi-sensory, and fantasy
in selecting products, the researcher is studying what is called hedonic consumption.
(True; Moderate; p. 50)
54. Hedonic consumption is centered on fantasy, but the accompanying emotions are not
important to marketers.
(False; Moderate; p. 50)
55. Some colors can become so associated with a company that the corporation may be
granted exclusive use of these colors.
(True; Moderate; p. 55)
56. Fragrance is processed by the limbic system, the most primitive part of the brain and
the place where immediate emotions are experienced.
(True; Hard; p. 56)
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Section 2: Consumers as Individuals
57. Marketers have generally failed in their efforts to introduce scented marketing
practices and products to the American consumer.
(False; Moderate; p. 57)
58. A consumer's ability to detect a difference between two stimuli is relative to the
strength of those stimuli.
(True; Moderate; p. 61)
59. Weber's law states that the intensity of the stimulus is four times as great if it is
accompanied with a monetary reward.
(False; Hard; p. 61)
60. Consumers are more likely to be aware of stimuli that relate to their current needs.
This is an example of perceptual vigilance.
(True; Moderate; p. 67)
Application
61. One of the primary purposes of packaging is to create a positive perception in the
minds of shoppers. This can be done by merely exposing the package on a shelf to a
customer.
(False; Moderate; p. 49)
62. The reason that Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation makes its insulation pink is
so the product's color will fit with the company's spokesperson (The Pink Panther).
(True; Moderate; p. 50)
63. Kansei engineering allowed the Japanese automobile manufacturers to introduce
Muzak features and Bose speakers into all of their cars.
(False; Moderate; p. 58)
64. The absolute threshold is dependent upon how strong a marketer makes a stimulus.
(False; Hard; p. 61)
65. The terminal threshold refers to the ability of a sensory system to detect changes or
differences between two stimuli.
(False; Moderate; p. 61)
66. Coca-Cola once created a "new" coke that was met with strong resistance from
Coke's brand loyal customers. The company would have done better to have changed
the sweetness of its product in incremental steps below the j.n.d. for sweetness. After
several changes, the "new" coke could then be sold without most brand loyal
customers knowing the difference.
(True; Hard; pp. 61, 74)
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Chapter 2: Perception
67. Sarah Palmer realizes she just made a big mistake. In her hurried shopping trip, she
picked up the yellow plastic squeeze bottle from the grocery store shelf assuming that
it was French's mustard. To her dismay, it was the store brand. Her confusion is an
illustration of what happens when there is a problem with the difference threshold in a
consumer's decision.
(True; Moderate; p. 61)
68. The sound emitted by a dog whistle is too high to be detected by human ears. This is
an illustration of a stimulation that is beyond our absolute threshold.
(True; Easy; p. 61)
69. According to Weber’s Law, when a sale catalog is created, the prices (on average) of
the products in the catalog should be reduced by about 20 percent.
(True; Moderate; p. 61)
70. In semiotics, it is known that creating a recognized icon would be more difficult than
producing a recognized symbol.
(False; Moderate; p. 72)
Understanding
71. Because the perceptual process is not instantaneous, sensory information has to be
temporarily stored or perception would be impossible.
(True; Hard; p. 49)
72. Sensation can exist without perception.
(True; Moderate; p. 49)
73. You can understand the following sentence because of the Gestalt principle of
closure. Perskction is imphlcant in undurwsfjling conlhmer behlshor.
(True: Moderate; p. 71)
74. The icons on the restroom doors in a bar in Wyoming were a doe and a buck. This is
an excellent example of hyperreality.
(False; Moderate; p. 73)
75. The advantage of placing still advertising in the subway in such a manner that it
appears to create moving images will guarantee that the messages stay fresh with the
subway travelers.
(False; Hard; pp. 78–79 (Case Study))
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Section 2: Consumers as Individuals
Essay
Fact
76. What is the difference between sensation and perception?
Answer:
 Sensation—The immediate response of sensory receptors (such as the eyes, ears,
nose, mouth, and fingers) to such basic stimuli as light, color, and sound.
Anything that activates a receptor is called a stimulus.
 Perception—The process by which basic stimuli such as sights and smells are
selected, organized, and interpreted. The eventual interpretation of stimulus
allows it to be assigned meaning. It is of critical importance to marketers.
(Easy; p. 49)
77. Outline and explain the parts of the perceptual process that would allow a shopper to
recognize a ketchup bottle in a supermarket.
Answer:
The "sensory stimuli" is the bottle that is detected by the "sensory receptors" in the eye.
This "exposure" will result in a "sensation." If the shopper pays "attention" to the
sensation, her mind will "organize and interpret" these sensations through the process of
"perception."
(Moderate; p. 49)
78. List the three stages of the perception process and give a brief definition of each.
Answer:
The three stages are exposure, attention, and interpretation.
 Exposure—The degree to which people notice a stimulus that is within range of
their sensory receptors
 Attention—The extent to which processing activity is devoted to a particular
stimulus
 Interpretation—The meaning that we assign to sensory stimuli
(Moderate; pp. 49, 60, 65, 69 (Fig. 2.1))
79. Identify what perceptual selection is and comment on the types of barriers that
prevent clear perception and reception of marketing stimuli.
Answer:
 Perceptual selection means people attend to only a small portion of stimuli to
which they are exposed.
 Perceptual filters, based on our past experiences, influence what we decide to
process. For example, perceptual vigilance occurs because consumers are more
likely to be aware of stimuli that relate to their current needs. The flip side is
perceptual defense. This means that people see what they want to see—and don't
see what they don't want to see. Adaptation is the degree to which consumers
continue to notice a stimulus over time. Factors that influence adaptation are
intensity, duration, discrimination, exposure, and relevance.
(Hard; pp. 67–68)
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Chapter 2: Perception
80. What does the study of semiotics attempt to do?
Answer:
Semiotics examines the correspondence between signs and symbols and their role in the
assignment of meaning.
Moderate; p. 72)
Application
81. As people age their sensory detection abilities decline. The Baby Boomers are fast
reaching retirement age. How will advertisements in the future change sensory stimuli
to accommodate this changing demographic?
Answer:
Colors look duller to older people who prefer purer and brighter colors. It becomes
increasingly difficult for older persons to separate background sounds from direct speech
(figure-ground), requiring less distraction in the sound track. Because smell has the
power to bring older memories to consciousness, it may become more important in
advertisements in the future.
(Moderate; p. 52)
82. Research has shown that people buy and select coffee for a number of reasons,
including nostalgia. Explain how you would create a TV ad using the perceptual
process to emphasize past experiences and feelings that people associate with coffee.
Answer:
Mellow colors such as yellow and light shading can be used. The ad emphasizes the smell
of brewing coffee that people remember from their youth. Family members and
associations are emphasized.
(Hard; pp. 49–59)
83. Evaluate subliminal persuasion and messages. Be sure to demonstrate your
knowledge of the evidence on the success of the technique as presented in the text.
Answer:
Under very specific conditions, some clinical psychologists suggest that people can be
influenced by subliminal messages. However, the technique seems unlikely to be of use
in marketing contexts; effective messages must be tailored to specific individuals rather
than to mass markets.
It has also been found that there are wide differences in individual threshold levels. In
order for a message to avoid conscious detection by consumers who have a low
threshold, the message would have to be so weak that it would not reach those with a
high threshold. Next, advertisers lack control over where consumers are positioned in
relationship to the source of the message; perhaps only a few would be within range of
the stimulus. Lastly, consumers typically shift their attention when watching television or
a movie. They might not even be looking at the screen when the message was flashed.
Contrary to the above, most consumers believe that subliminal persuasion is being used
on them in some form.
(Moderate; pp. 63–64)
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Section 2: Consumers as Individuals
84. Advertising has increasingly become less effective because of increased clutter. How
could you use the principles of attention to cut through this clutter?
Answer:
Attention can be enhanced by intensity, duration, discrimination, exposure, relevance,
size, color, position, and novelty. Attention can be enhanced by current needs through
perceptual vigilance and the avoidance of perceptual defense.
Moderate; pp. 65–69)
85. Blind taste tests in the 1980s showed that most Coke drinkers preferred a cola that
was sweeter than the current product. When Coca-Cola attempted to make their
product sweeter, their brand loyal customers revolted and demanded the old product
be returned. Explain how you could have used the principles of psychophysics to
introduce the new coke without creating these problems.
Answer:
If the sweetness of the cola was increased by less than a j.n.d. in stages over time, the
final product would be much sweeter without most brand loyal customers recognizing the
change.
(Moderate; pp. 74)
Understanding
86. At a business meeting, a consultant states that "perception is reality, because a
customer never works with the actual product, but only with her perception of that
product." In a university lab, researchers determine that when a rat is looking at a
brightly colored rectangle, a close inspection of the rat's optic nerves (that connect the
eyes to the cortex) show no visible change from when the rat is looking at a green
circle; but electrodes placed in the nerve show a different pattern of transmitted
codes. How are these two events related, and what does this relationship tell us about
perception?
Answer:
The human mind never actually comes in contact with an outside stimulus such as a
product. The mind only receives sensations created by the receptors, and then must
interpret what those sensations are. This interpretation is a perception. The only thing the
mind processes of the product is the perception created by that mind of that product,
hence "perception is reality."
(Hard; p. 49)
87. Subliminal perception is obviously impossible in that physical receptors cannot react
to stimuli below their absolute threshold. Consequently, if a so-called "subliminal
advertisement" was shown to change someone's emotional state, then the stimuli
could not be below the absolute threshold. What then would constitute "subliminal"
stimuli?
Answer:
These stimuli would have to be above the absolute threshold, but would have to remain
outside the consciousness of the individual. This could occur either because the stimuli
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Chapter 2: Perception
were handled by the subconscious, or if the stimuli were clearly observable but were
interpreted differently on one level of consciousness than on another.
(Moderate; pp. 63–64)
88. Explain how the concept of a worldview is related to the concept of a schema.
Answer:
A worldview is the way persons organize their knowledge of the world and what values
they place on objects, events, and relationships. Much of this is related to a set of beliefs
of the nature of the world. A schema is a set of beliefs about the world that allows
persons to know how to assign stimuli. A schema therefore is related to the worldview.
(Moderate; p. 70)
89. What does the word gestalt mean, and how does the term describe an important
principle that makes the perceptual process different from a mere recording such as a
video?
Answer:
Gestalt means that the whole is greater than its parts. In the perceptual process, an
analysis of each component of complex stimuli will not create the entire perception.
Individual components are organized into a whole greater than any of its parts.
(Hard; p. 71)
90. A sign on a drawer in the kitchen of a fraternity said "Plastic Silver." The drawer
contained plastic spoons, forks, and knives for casual dinners. Use the principle of
hyperreality to explain why users of the kitchen would know what was in the drawer
without looking.
Answer:
Dining implements in more upscale homes were often made of silver. More casual ware
was generally made to look silver even when it didn't contain silver metal. Eventually, all
dining implements became known as "silver." This drawer, however, contained plastic
objects, but the objects were used for dining, hence "plastic silver."
(Hard; p. 73)
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