Perception - Perceptional Process

Kotler's buying decision suggests that consumers will respond in particular ways to different stimuli after they have 'processed' those stimuli in their minds. In more detail, kotler suggests that factors external to the consumer will act as a stimulus for behaviour, but that the consumer's personal characteristics and decision-making process will interact with the stimulus before a particular behavioural response is generated.

The perceptual process is a sequence of steps that starts with the stimuli that happen in our surroundings and leads through nerve transmission through peripheral and central nerves and the brain to our perception of what is going on. It also includes our resulting action to the original stimulus.

So, the perceptual process involved when we go outside from a room with no windows on a rainy day is that the simulus from the environment - the fact that it is raining and cold and we are getting wet - is recognised by our senses. Our eyes, ears, cold receptors and touch receptors all send signals to the brain, which works out that its raining.

The cognitive process within the brain then comes up with the decision to go back inside and pick up a coat and an umbrella before we set out again. This is our response to the stimulus.

The percetional process come in three stages:

1. Selection

we select the stimuli through our senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch

2. Organisation

we arrange the stimuli information so we can understand or make sense out of stimuli

3. Interpretation

Our interpretations are subjective and based on our own personal values.