The article gives an overview of problems connected with the dissemination of public consumer information. It brings out some implications of psychological research on consumers and other human beings. The perspective taken is that of the consumer's role in a market or mixed economy. It is stressed that psychological research has yielded interesting methodological paradigms amd hypotheses which could and should be explored in practical situations outside the laboratories. If this is done, better advice can be given to guide consumer information campaigns.
THE FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS OF THE DISCUSSION
Discussions of consumer information problems can refer to different levels of aggregation. Often a distinction is made between a macro level and a micro level. Sometimes an intermediate level is added to represent mass markets which are not quite as comprehensive as the aggregates of the macro level, yet more comprehensive than the decision units of the micro level. This paper concerns the micro level where the individual consumer/household is the unit, and consumer problems which are connected with the operation of mass markets.
The behavioral sciences, notably psychology and social psychology, serve as a basis for the presentation, but it should be stressed that the behavioral science studies must be seen in a wider perspective furnished by societal and human considerations. Three fundamental considerations which are of prime importance for the treatment of consumer information problems are first presented. They deal with:
i. The functioning of markets for consumer goods. 2. The media available for transmitting informatign.
- The way of functioning of the individual consumer/household.