GOAL-ORIENTED EXPERIENCES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF KNOWLEDGE

This research investigates the learning that occurs throughout several information acquisition and choice experiences. The effects of three factors that may naturally vary in consumer experiences are studied: a consumer's goals, how much the consumer knows about the product's features prior to information acquisition and choice, and the content of feedback received after choice. Results show that the information consumers learn is organized in memory around the goal(s) that drives the experiences. Further, higher levels of prior feature knowledge result in more accurate knowledge after experience, but, contrary to predictions, subjects with no prior feature knowledge are quite adept at focusing on their goal in the choice process and at learning goal-appropriate information. The presence of feedback and its consistency with a consumer's goal are also shown to affect the goal orientation and organization of brand and feature knowledge gained during choice experiences.