Information processing and cognitive structures

The consumer as a processor of stimuli (inputs) and responses (outputs).

Complex models, such as that of Howard and Sheth (1969), conceptualize the consumer as a rational information processor operating within cognitive boundaries.

This system receives "inputs" or stimuli of various kinds: significant (related to brand, price and quality), symbolic (derived from advertising and image) and social (influence of reference groups and family).

These inputs do not generate an automatic response, but pass through an internal "filter" composed of hypothetical constructions of perception and learning.

The final result, or "output", is the observable purchase behavior, which is the product of having processed and rationalized all this incoming information to satisfy a specific need.

Exogenous variables: culture, social class and personality

Mental processing does not occur in isolation; it is profoundly conditioned by external or exogenous variables that shape the consumer's mental software.

Psychosocial factors such as culture, social class and individual personality dictate how stimuli are interpreted.

For example, the importance attached to a purchase or the time available are environmental forces that put pressure on the decision.

These exogenous variables influence the values and norms the individual uses to judge brands, causing the same advertising message to be decoded differently depending on the social context and personality traits of the recipient.

Learning and memory in brand choice

Models such as Engel's, Kollat's and Blackwell's emphasize the central role of memory and stored experience.

Consumers do not eva luate products from scratch; they draw on a mental archive of past experiences, both conscious and unconscious.

This prior learning forms rigid eva luation criteria that are used to compare new alternatives.

Loyalty to one brand or rejection of another are, in essence, manifestations of this consolidated learning.

Likewise, brand recognition acts as a cognitive shortcut, where confidence and prior knowledge reduce uncertainty and facilitate purchase intention, demonstrating that current behavior is always a reflection of information retained in the individual's history.

Summary

Complex models view the consumer as a rational processor within its boundaries. This system receives symbolic and social stimuli that pass through an internal filter.

External variables such as culture and personality profoundly shape this mental processing. These factors dictate how stimuli are interpreted and condition decisions according to context.

Memory and prior learning are central to brand choice. Consumers draw on past experiences as rigid criteria for eva luating new alternatives.