Many People Assume That Personality Must Be Related to Consumer

question 64

Essay

Many people assume that personality must be related to consumer behavior. Knowing a customer's personality profile should help predict what she or he will buy, and how decisions will be made in the marketplace. Researchers, however, have been frustrated in their search for a unified theory of personality that would explain consumer behavior. Use trait theory to explain why this is so.

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Definitions:

Generalizable

The extent to which findings from a study can be applied or extended to larger populations beyond the sample studied.

Client Variables

Aspects or characteristics of clients that might influence the outcome of a service, program, or study, such as their background or personal preferences.

Psychological Experiments

Research methods in psychology that involve manipulating one variable to determine its effect on another variable.

Generalizability

The extent to which the findings of a study can be applied to other groups, settings, or times, beyond the specific conditions of the original study.