Category Activation Model: A Spreading Activation Network Model of Subcategory Positioning When Categorization Uncertainty Is High
Joseph Lajos, Zsolt Katona, Amitava Chattopadhyay, Miklos Sarvary
Journal of Consumer Research · 2009 · Volume 36 · Issue 1
Abstract
We develop a spreading activation model, which we call the category activation model, to predict where within a category structure consumers are likely to position a subcategory that they have created to accommodate a new hybrid product. Based on this model, we hypothesize that the probability that an individual will position a new category subordinate to a particular category i is proportional to the relative number of categories that are already subordinate to i. We report the results of two studies that support this hypothesis and provide evidence that accessibility is an underlying mechanism.
Keywords
Categorization, Experimental Design and Analysis (ANOVA), Mathematical Models
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