Cognitive segmentation: Modeling the structure and content of customers' thoughts

Abstract

This paper proposes a cognitive segmentation technique that models both customers' cognitive content and structure. Cognitive segmentation provides a quantitative operationalization of idiographic cognitions that can be compared and integrated across customers to move beyond the in-depth understanding and wide generalizing trade-off. In addition, cognitive segmentation utilizes participants' own semantics for eliciting and aggregating cognitions. This method allows researchers to understand content in light of structure, as participants' elicited cognitive contents are further interpreted as a function of the complexity of their cognitive structures. The conceptual

Perception‐based Supplier Attributes and Performance Implications: A Multimethod Exploratory Study

“…The repertory grid technique, used to identify the perception‐based supplier attributes in Study 1, is a cognitive mapping tool used in a structured interview to elicit and evaluate mental models of individuals concerning personal constructs (Wright, ). The “approach captures cognitive content within the person’s specific meaning of his/her knowledge while also integrating cognition, affect, and behavior within the act of ‘construing’…” (Carrillat, Riggle, Locander, Gebhardt, & Lee, , p. 484). The repertory grid technique can be applied to obtain information about the underlying perception‐based attributes that operate in purchasing managers’ minds in characterizing suppliers (Flint et al, ).…”

Analysis of Kano‐model‐based customer needs for product development

“…), psychographic factors (attitude, value, life‐style, etc.) and so on (see Carrillat et al 2009 and the references therein). For example, recall the case shown in Table I, wherein a respondent has chosen “Like” from the functional side and “Neutral” from the dysfunctional side.…”

Sustainable consumption and marketing

“…Cacioppo, Von Hippel, & Ernst, 1997;Ni, 1998;Preece, 1976). Research into the cognitive structure of sustainability aims at discovering the structural relations between those words (Carrillat et al, 2009;Wilson, 1980), and the description, the classification and the generalisation of sustainability in terms of objects and attributes. These three properties (description, classification and generalisation) are summarised in the dimensionality of cognitive structure (Scott, Osgood, & Peterson, 1979).…”

“…Barsalou, 1983;Neisser, 1976;Ratneshwar et al, 2001;Ratneshwar et al, 1996). Motivational structure is assumed to be context dependent and purchase specific (Carrillat et al, 2009;Grunert & Grunert, 1995;Ng & Houston, 2009). Motivational structure is made salient by directional goals (Kunda, 1990), that prompt stereotyped categorisation (Carlston & Eliot, 1996) into functionally relevant groups.…”

“…These articulated perceptions of sustainability in policy and management literature are contrasted by a general lack of insight in consumer perceptions of sustainability. Nevertheless, understanding how consumers structure information in general is a topic of enduring interest in marketing and consumer behaviour (Carrillat, Riggle, Locander, Gebhardt, & Lee, 2009;Christensen & Olson, 2002;Cowley & Mitchell, 2003;Ng & Houston, 2009).…”