Situational influences on consumers' attitudes and behavior

While classical and operant conditioning are frequently implicated in the formation of attitudes, there is no generally accepted theoretical portrayal of the processes involved and how the two conditioning processes might interact. We describe a model of attitude-behavior relations, the behavioral perspective model (BPM), which suggests how situational influences on consumer choice may be categorized, and employ Mehrabian and Russell's [An approach to environmental psychology. Cambridge (MA): MIT Press, 1974] approach to environmental psychology to test that model in the contexts of attitude formation and attitude-behavior consistency. Venezuelan consumers (N=254) rated descriptions of consumer situations based on the contingency categories identified by the BPM in terms of pleasure, arousal and dominance. The results indicate that attitude responses to consumer environments vary as predicted by the model. Moreover, the model presents a framework for managerial action through the understanding of how structural components of consumer situations (namely, utilitarian and informational reinforcement and behavior setting scope) are related to the generation of affective responses (pleasure, arousal and dominance) and approach-avoidance responses.