Social influences on consumer behaviour

Start with social influences

Begin with the mind map Consumer Behavior - Social Influences for an overview. Then look at the mind map on social influence from Lecture 8, which organizes its material around informational, normative and value-expressive influence. It also introduces reference groups: people, groups and institutions used as guides for values and behavior.

These maps offer a starting point for studying the different ways social influences appear in the resources on this page.

Explore groups, families and culture

After the introductory maps, use the flashcards on groups and social media to consider how groups relate to decisions. They ask what a reference group is and when its effects are more important. The group influence quiz then asks about group members' effects on attitudes, opinions and behaviors, as well as the role of family.

For another view of family, Families and family decision making maps family life-cycle stages. The mind map Marketing covers culture and cultural learning, including acculturation and enculturation.

Study social class and spending

The flashcards Income and Social Class ask about factors affecting consumer spending, discretionary spending and responses to economic recessions. The deck Income & Social Class also covers components of social class and its impact on consumer behaviour.

Use the questions in these decks alongside the maps to organize what you are studying. For example, compare the questions about social class with the maps' treatment of groups and culture.

Use the resources together

This topic is a section of the Consumer Behaviour unit in Marketing, advertising and sales. Within it, the maps provide an overview while the flashcards and quiz give you questions to work through. Return to a map when a question points you toward a term or relationship you want to study again.

Choose a resource that fits where you want to begin.