MKTG6104 Psychology of Marketing Decisions
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · S2 2026MKTG6104 Overview
- University of Sydney
- Semester 2 2026
- Postgraduate marketing unit
- Five assessment components
Psychology of Marketing Decisions examines why consumers, managers and groups depart from a fully rational decision sequence.
- Assessed through the semester A supervised written test and a group poster and report carry most of the published weighting.
- Mechanisms matter Strong answers connect a cue to a psychological process, a decision consequence and a suitable correction.
- Project analysis is integrated Examples earn value when theory explains how and why the influence works and what lesson follows.
- Practice stays original The captured folder contains no past paper, so every practice scenario here is newly authored.
How MKTG6104 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | 20% | Portfolio or journal activities across multiple weeks; timing depends on the task |
| Early feedback task | 5% | Out-of-class multiple-choice quiz lasting fifteen minutes; Week 3, due 21 August 2026 at 23:59 |
| In-semester test | 30% | One-hour written multiple-choice test, closed book, in person and supervised; Week 11, due 24 October 2026 at 09:50 |
| Group project: poster | 15% | One-page poster with an approximately five-hundred-word synopsis; Week 13, due 6 November 2026 at 23:59 |
| Group project: report | 30% | Group written report of two thousand five hundred words; Week 13, due 6 November 2026 at 23:59 |
What MKTG6104 covers
The guide follows the captured teaching sequence from decision models and consumer choice through thinking systems, heuristics, bounded awareness, framing, commitment, noise, motivation, emotion and fairness.
Decision Models and Consumer Choice
decision stages, classical, administrative and political models, consumer involvement and model selectionDecision analysis begins by separating the visible choice from the process that produced it. This chapter maps goals, alternatives, decision rules and choice, then compares classical optimisation with administrative satisficing and political bargaining.
- Decision anatomy
- Classical model
- Administrative model
- Political model
- Consumer involvement
- Satisficing boundaries
Thinking Systems and Decision Traps
dual process thinking, regulatory modes, anchoring, status quo, sunk cost and confirming evidenceThis chapter separates fast and automatic System 1 processing from slower System 2 review, then distinguishes cognitive processing from assessment and locomotion orientations.
- System 1 thinking
- System 2 thinking
- Assessment orientation
- Locomotion orientation
- Decision traps
- Matched mitigation
Heuristics in Marketing Decisions
representativeness, availability, anchoring and adjustment, adaptive shortcuts and predictable errorHeuristics reduce effort by substituting a manageable cue for fuller analysis. This chapter compares representativeness, availability, and anchoring and adjustment through the information each shortcut uses.
- Mental shortcuts
- Representativeness
- Availability
- Anchoring and adjustment
- Adaptive use
- Cue quality
Bounded Awareness and Attention
inattentional blindness, change blindness, focalism, information use, sharing and choice overloadBounded awareness explains how relevant and accessible information can remain outside active attention. This chapter follows failures to see, seek, use and share information, then distinguishes inattentional blindness, change blindness and focalism.
- Information focus
- Inattentional blindness
- Change blindness
- Focalism
- Distributed knowledge
- Choice overload
Framing and Prospect Theory
gain and loss reference points, risky choice, attribute, goal and message framing, and reframingFrames organise how a decision is perceived by highlighting some features and hiding others.
- Reference points
- Gain framing
- Loss framing
- Attribute framing
- Goal framing
- Reframing method
Commitment, Consistency and Noise
systematic bias, random variability, organisational commitments, escalation and forward review rulesDecision quality can fail through systematic direction, random variability or persistence protected by prior investment.
- Bias direction
- Noise variation
- Commitment domains
- Defining commitment
- Transforming commitment
- Escalation control
Motivation, Emotion and Fairness
affect, cognition, separate and joint evaluation, fairness appraisal and ethical marketing influenceEmotion supplies meaning, urgency and motivation while cognition supports deliberate comparison and planning. This chapter examines their interaction rather than treating them as enemies.
- Affective response
- Deliberate cognition
- Separate evaluation
- Joint evaluation
- Fairness appraisal
- Ethical influence
The unit begins with classical, administrative and political models, then develops dual process thinking, cognitive bias, heuristics, bounded awareness, framing, commitment, consistency, noise, motivation and emotion. These ideas are connected rather than isolated.
A vivid example may become available in memory, provide an anchor, narrow attention and protect an existing commitment at the same time.
The guide follows the detailed teaching material captured for Weeks 1 to 7. It does not invent later topics where only the schedule label is available.
Each concept chapter uses original marketing scenarios to distinguish close theories, explain the operative mechanism, and propose an intervention that changes the decision process.
The figures visualise the relationships that students must reconstruct under time pressure.
Assessment is distributed across participation, an early feedback task, an in-semester written test, and a group project comprising a poster and report. The official rows sum to one hundred percent. The timed task is a closed-book, supervised multiple-choice test rather than a final examination.
The project asks groups to analyse real-life encounters with psychological influences and draw lessons for marketers and consumers.
Use the guide in two modes. For the test, practise rapid concept boundaries and explain why the closest distractor is weaker. For the project, build a causal chain from context and cue through mechanism to consequence, critique and recommendation.
The most defensible work makes its assumptions visible, tests an alternative interpretation and includes an ethical boundary where persuasive design could weaken informed choice.
Worked example · free
From complaint cue to retention review
- 2Identify availability as the reason one vivid complaint defines the problem.
- 2Explain how loss framing changes the reference point around accumulated rewards.
- 1Connect the renewal default with status quo preference.
- 1Use bounded awareness to explain why complaint evidence stays outside review.
- 2Recommend equivalent information, clear comparison and independent review ownership.
Key terms
- Administrative model
- A descriptive model in which bounded rationality, uncertainty and constraints lead decision makers to satisfice.
- Anchoring
- The tendency for a starting value or idea to influence judgement when later adjustment is insufficient.
- Availability heuristic
- A shortcut that estimates likelihood or frequency from how easily examples are recalled.
- Bounded awareness
- A failure to see, seek, use or share relevant and accessible information during a decision.
- Change blindness
- A failure to detect an alteration when attention, distraction or gradual movement conceals it.
- Cognitive bias
- A systematic and predictable deviation in judgement rather than a random mistake.
- Commitment
- A present action that binds or restricts future choices for a person or organisation.
- Escalation
- Continued investment protected by prior commitment even when forward evidence supports change.
- Framing effect
- A change in response caused by how equivalent or related decision information is presented.
- Noise
- Unwanted variability in judgements across people, occasions or cases.
- Representativeness
- A shortcut that judges an option by its resemblance to a familiar category or stereotype.
- Satisficing
- Stopping search when an option meets an acceptable threshold rather than proving it is optimal.
MKTG6104 FAQ
How is the unit assessed?
The official Semester 2 2026 record lists participation at twenty percent, an early feedback task at five percent, an in-semester written test at thirty percent, a poster at fifteen percent and a group report at thirty percent. Those five numeric rows total one hundred percent.
What is the timed test format?
The published task is a one-hour, closed-book, in-person and supervised written test using multiple-choice questions. The available materials do not publish a question count or sample paper, so preparation should focus on precise concept boundaries rather than an assumed paper structure.
What does the group project reward?
The poster rewards relevant content, connection to examples and effective visual design. The report rewards coverage, theory integration, depth of analysis, critique, synthesis and written presentation. Collaboration and a coherent context matter across the combined project.
How should heuristics be evaluated?
Treat a heuristic as a shortcut that can be adaptive or bias-inducing. Identify the cue it uses, test whether that cue predicts the required judgement in this environment, and propose evidence that would reveal when the shortcut becomes misleading.
How can bias answers become more specific?
Name the cue, the psychological process and the consequence for a real decision. Then match the correction to the mechanism, such as an independent estimate for anchoring, forward evidence for sunk cost, or disconfirming search for confirming evidence.
Are past papers included in the materials?
The captured teaching folder contains no past examination, sample paper, practice final or solution paper. The questions in this guide are original and reflect only the published multiple-choice test format, taught concepts and project marking points.
What is the best way to revise?
Build one comparison table for close concepts, practise classifying new scenarios, and explain why a tempting alternative is weaker. For project preparation, rehearse a longer chain that connects context, mechanism, evidence, limitation, ethical concern and decision recommendation.
Questions students ask in each MKTG6104 chapter
- How do the three decision models differ?
- The classical model asks what a fully rational chooser should do, the administrative model describes choice under limits and uncertainty, and the political model explains decisions shaped by conflicting goals, bargaining and coalition support. Chapter 01 · Decision Models and Consumer Choice
- Is System 1 always biased?
- No. Automatic processing can be efficient and skilled when the environment is stable and feedback supports learning. Bias becomes more likely when a familiar cue is a poor substitute for the evidence required by the decision. Chapter 02 · Thinking Systems and Decision Traps
- Why can heuristics be useful?
- A simple cue may support timely decisions when information is costly, feedback is stable and the shortcut has learned validity. Complexity does not guarantee accuracy, so the evaluation should ask whether the cue predicts the target judgement. Chapter 03 · Heuristics in Marketing Decisions
- How is bounded awareness different from missing information?
- The information may already be accessible to the decision maker. The problem is that attention, search, integration or communication excludes it. Analysis should identify where the evidence sits and the point at which it drops out. Chapter 04 · Bounded Awareness and Attention
- What must be checked before claiming a framing effect?
- Verify that the versions preserve the relevant facts. If probabilities, outcomes, populations or time periods differ, the comparison may reflect a substantive offer change rather than presentation around one reference point. Chapter 05 · Framing and Prospect Theory
- Can a consistent process still be biased?
- Yes. Judges can agree closely while all moving away from an appropriate benchmark in the same direction. Consistency concerns dispersion, while accuracy also requires comparison with an external criterion or valid outcome. Chapter 06 · Commitment, Consistency and Noise
- Are emotion and cognition opposites?
- No. They interact in judgement. Emotion can highlight values, threat or care, while deliberate reasoning compares evidence and plans action. The important question is how the evaluation context changes their relative influence. Chapter 07 · Motivation, Emotion and Fairness
How to prepare for the assessments
Revise in short comparison cycles. Begin with one pair that students commonly blur, such as availability and bounded awareness, or bias and noise. Write each definition from memory, add the distinctive information cue, and invent a fresh marketing example. Next, answer one practice item without notes and explain why every rejected option fails.
For the project, use a separate routine: identify the real-life encounter, state what changed in attention or interpretation, connect the change to behaviour, test an alternative explanation, and finish with a lesson for both marketers and consumers. Revisit the figures after a delay and redraw their logic without copying. In the final week, keep the timed test and project preparation separate.
The test rewards fast recognition of mechanisms under closed-book conditions, while the poster and report reward integration, critique, visual clarity and evidence. Do not infer an unpublished question count or mark allocation. Use the current Canvas task instructions for operational details.
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