| Consumer Psychology Essay, Research Paper
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Consumer psychology (CP) is the study of human responses to products
and services. (Beall & Allen, 1997) They study the psychological factors that
determine an individual’s behavior as a consumer. (Maloney, 1990) Consumer
psychology started only recently. It was established in a division by the
American Psychological Association in 1960 as a sub-catorgory of social
psychology. (Mittelstaedt, 1990) Consumer psychology includes many things,
such as marketing, consumer behavior and motivations, promotion, and
communication. (Beall & Allen, 1997)
Marketing is a very important part of consumer psychology. (Kotler &
Armstrong, 1991) Understanding why people buy what they buy is at the heart of
all marketing research. (Kotler & Armstrong, 1991) Companies depend on
research on marketing products and consumer behavior. (Maloney, 1990)
Responses to information about products and services are influenced by three
major factors: (1) personality variables, prior attitudes and opinions, (2)
situational variables and (3) person by situation interactions. (Beall & Allen,
1997) Many responses are relevant, including emotional, cognitive (beliefs and j
Judgments), and behavioral (purchase decisions and consumption related
practices) responses. (Beall & Allen, 1997) In order for the consumer
psychologist to figure out what the average consumer is thinking, they must be
able to: (Beall & Allen, 1997)
? Define problem areas
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? Create a system to analyze data
? Offer new perspectives
? Develop new solutions for recurring problems
? Evaluate theories and evidence
? Compare/constrast ideas and information
? Observe people/data/things
? Hypothesize research question
? Develop ideas and theories
? Gather information
? Clarify goals/problems
? Organize and analyzing data
? Summarize results
? Synthesize conclusions
These tasks help the consumer psychologist learn the mind of the average
consumer, they are then able to accurately provide information to companies
and help consumers get products and services that best satisfy these needs and
wants. (Maloney, 1990)
Research methods provide the foundation for all knowledge in a field of
inquiry. (Mittelstaedt, 1990) Consumer psychology depend critically on the
quality and sophistication of available research methods and computer
simulation. (Kotler & Armstrong, 1991) Sophisticated physiological measures,
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scale development procedures, and multivariate statistical techniques are also
used by consumer psychologists. (Kotler & Armstrong, 1991) The ability to
understand consumers’ reaction to product and service entails a variety of skills
such as:
? Analyzing/modifying behavior
? Motivating
? Perceiving and understanding individual differences
? Fostering group dynamics
? Exhibiting empathy toward others
? Identifying and understanding needs
? Influencing and persuading people/groups
? Informing/explaining ideas
? Mediating/negotiating conflicts
? Writing clearly
? Presenting information effectively
These skills are the key for the psychologists’ understanding of the consumers’
needs, wants and preferences. (Beall & Allen, 1997)
Consumer psychologists are educators, researchers, and administrators. (Maloney, 1990) A bachelor’s degree in psychology offer very few opportunities
directly related to psychology. Without additional academic training, a bachelor’s
degree holders opportunities in psychology are severely limited.(McMichael,
2000) Master’s degree consumer psychologists may work as industrial-
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organizational psychologists. (Mittelstaedt, 1990) Masters’ degree holders with
several years of industrial experience can obtain jobs in consulting and
marketing research. (McMichael, 2000) Others work as psychological
assistants, under the supervision of doctoral-level psychologists, and conduct
psychological evaluations. In the Federal Government, candidates having at
least 24 semester hours in psychology and one course in statistics qualify for
entry-level positions. (McMichael,2000) Because this is one of the few areas in
which one can work as a psychologist without an advanced degree, competition
for these jobs is very high. (McMichael, 2000) Persons with a Ph.D. in consumer
psychology qualify for a wide range of teaching, research, clinical, and
counseling positions in universities, elementary and secondary schools, private
industry, and government. (McMichael, 2000) Most States certify those with a
master’s degree as school psychologists after completion of an internship.
(McMichael, 2000)
Some consumer psychologist maintain part-time clinical practices as well.
(McMichael, 2000)In contrast to the many psychologists who have flexible work
schedules, some who work in government and private industry have more
structured schedules. (McMichael, 2000)Reading and writing research reports,
they often work alone behind a desk. Many experience the pressures of
deadlines, tight schedules, heavy workloads, and overtime work.(McMichael,
2000) Their routine may be interrupted frequently. Travel may be required to
attend conferences or conduct research.(McMichael, 2000)
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Consumer psychology is a relatively young field with a very exciting
future. (Kotler & Armstrong, 1991) Opportunities for people holding doctorates
should have particularly good prospects. Increasing numbers are in
management and policy level positions. (Maloney, 1990) Psychologists with
extensive training in quantitative research methods and computer science may
have a competitive edge over others without this background. (Kotler &
Armstrong, 1991)
The salary in 1999 for psychologists who have only obtained a bachelor’s
degree was about $20,600 to $25,500, depending on you undergraduate
academic records. (McMichael, 2000) Those with a master’s degree and 1 year
of experience start around $31,200. Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree psychologists
having one year of internship start at $37,800. Other Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree
psychologist having more experience start at $45,200. (McMichael, 2000)
Consumer psychologist are seen by critics as tools to assist business in
influencing consumer attitudes and actions by means of advertising and other
marketing activities. (Oelander, 1990) These psychologist are using what they
know about people to use and manipulate them instead of helping them.
(Oelander, 1990) Some justification about this view is shown in a content
analysis of leading journals about the field, but not as harshly or to the extent
taken by the critics. (Oelander, 1990) Consumer psychology purpose is to
communicate consumer needs to the marketing agency.
Consumer psychologists are found in a variety of settings, from academic
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institutions (where they teach and conduct research), to advertising agencies
(where they study consumer attitudes and preferences), to businesses and
government agencies (where they help with a variety of problems in organization
and management). (Beall & Allen, 1997) The goals of consumer psychologists
are to describe, predict, influence, and/or explain consumer responses to
products and services. (Kotler & Armstrong, 1991) As you can see it
incorporates a wide variety of disciplines. Consumer psychologists are
rewarding and the receive direct feedback from their work. (Oelander, 1990)
They see how it changes things through product sales, and word of mouth.
(Oelander, 1990) Consumer psychology is used to the benefit of consumers
themselves. By paying more attention to consumers’ actions, reactions and to
consumption patterns rather than single decision, CP can provide the basis for
helping consumer make decisions and provide what is best for them.
Bibliography
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Reference
Beall, Anne E. and Allen, Ted W. (1997). Career Paths in Psychology:
Where Your Degree Can Take You . Why We Buy What We Buy: Consulting in
Consumer Psychology
Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. [1991]. Principles of Marketing. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall
Maloney, John C.(1990) Consumer psychology’s potential contribution to
social science. Agres, Stuart J.(Ed); Edell, Julie A.(Ed); et al. Emotion in
advertising: Theoretical and practical explorations. (pp. 329-367).New York, NY,
USA: Quorum Books xviii, 383 pp.
McMichael, Mary Bureau of Labor Statistics (2000)
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm April 05, 2000
Mittelstaedt, Robert A. (1990) Economics, psychology, and the literature
of the subdiscipline of consumer behavior. Journal of the Academy of Marketing
Science. 1990 Fal Vol 18(4) 303-311
Oelander, Folke (1990) Consumer psychology: Not necessarily a
manipulative science. Aarhus School of Business, Denmark . Applied
Psychology: An International Review. 1990 Jan Vol 39(1) 105-126
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