Associative learning under a low level of contingency awareness and its implication in brand-image formation

Cindy Theresiana (2011). Associative learning under a low level of contingency awareness and its implication in brand-image formation Honours Thesis, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland.

       
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Author Cindy Theresiana
Thesis Title Associative learning under a low level of contingency awareness and its implication in brand-image formation
School, Centre or Institute School of Psychology
Institution The University of Queensland
Publication date 2011-10-13
Thesis type Honours Thesis
Supervisor Dr Jason Tangen
Total pages 64
Language eng
Subjects 1701 Psychology
Abstract/Summary This study aimed to assess whether concept-laden associative learning can occur under low-levels of awareness. Specifically, whether the repeated pairings of a brand with eco-friendly images or eco-unfriendly images would influence how people associate a brand with the concept of eco-friendliness or eco-unfriendliness. This study also investigated whether the associative learning that occurs under low-levels of awareness could explain how brand image is formed. During the learning phase, we paired affordable or expensive brand names with a series of environmentally friendly or environmentally unfriendly images. To reduce the possibility of contingency awareness, half of the affordable brands were paired with eco-friendly images, and another half was paired with eco-unfriendly images. We performed the same procedure with the expensive brands. For the test phase, an Implicit Association Task (IAT) was used to assess whether the participants learned the association during the learning phase and whether the transfer of meaning had occurred. Here, the participants were expected to categorise brands as affordable or expensive, and images as eco-friendly or eco-unfriendly. We hypothesised that if learning occurred, participants would be faster and more accurate in categorising congruent stimuli (the association during pair-recognition task and IAT were the same) rather than incongruent stimuli (the association during pair-recognition task and IAT were different). Contrary to our prediction, participants did not respond faster or more accurately when presented with congruent items compared to incongruent items, which suggested that participants failed to learn the association between the brands and the eco-concepts conveyed by the images. Follow-up studies are being planned to clarify these null results.
Keyword Concept-laden associative learning
Low-levels of awareness
Association of brand with concept

 
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