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products which might solve the problem. Consumer learning also can occur unintentionally.
One benefit of the learning mechanism is that consumers are able to adapt to a changing
environment. Appreciation of learning and memory processes can aid our understanding of
how frequently to repeat advertising messages.
Learning involve the development of connections between a stimulus and some response to
it. The association of a response and a stimulus is the connection that is learnt. A portion of
this group minimises the importance of reinforcement, while others stress its crucial role.
Reinforcement is employed with the help of two fundamentally different methods of learning
connections: Classical and instrumental conditioning. Classical conditioning pairs one
stimulus with another that already elicits a given response. Over repeated trials, the new
stimulus also elicits the same or a very similar response. Certain types of habitual behaviour
can be explained through classical respondent conditioning. Instrumental conditioning also
involves developing connections between stimuli and responses, but it requires the learner to
discover an appropriate or correct response, which will be reinforced. Classical conditioning
involves an already established response to another stimulus. Its outcome is not dependent on
the learners actions. It influences development and changes in opinions, tastes and goals.
Instrumental conditioning requires no previous stimulus response connection. Its outcome is
dependent on the learners actions. It influences changes in goal directed behaviour
Stimulus generalization is a process when a given response to stimulus has been learnt, and it
tends to be elicited not only by the original stimulus but also by stimuli that are similar to it.
The gradient of generalisation relates the degree of similarity between two stimuli to the
likelihood that both will generate the same response. Conversely, the more dissimilar two
stimuli are, the smaller the likelihood of stimulus generalization occurring. Learning of all
but the simplest tasks appears to follow a pattern which has become known as a learning
curve. The term distributed practice refers to learning sessions with rest periods, while
learning without rest is known as massed practice. The unlearning process is termed
extinction, which takes place when no reinforcement takes place after responses made to a
stimulus. Forgetting can be defined as the loss of retained material due to non-use or
interference from some other task.
The various methods of long term memory coding can be grouped into three general
categories which interact with each other: Episodic memory, procedural memory, and
semantic memory. In episodic memory, events are stored according to the time order in
which they occurred. Procedural memory holds knowledge about skills and methods.
Semantic memory contains general knowledge we have about the world. Long term memory
is organised into numerous groupings or packets of information. It is an interconnected
system of nodes representing the information. Each concept in memory is integrated into an
organised structure involving one or more other concepts. It is possible for memory to
contain more than what was actually received from the environment. Several factors are
important influences on the process of retrieval: Extent of original learning, goals involved in
the original learning situation, and context of the situation. Retrieval typically involves
bringing and interrelated packet of information to consciousness.
Numerous memory concepts have significant implications in the field of advertising like:
Messages with unique aspects have greater potential for being remembered, Messages that
encourage immediate rehearsal of material stimulates its retention, more information can be
retained if it is chunked, memory is cue-dependent, and presentation of relevant cues will
stimulate recall, meaningful material is learned more quickly and has greater chance of being
retained. Methods for accomplishing retention include visual material, interactive imagery,
showing mistakes, incomplete messages, and mnemonic techniques.