Study of consumer behavior more than a hundred years the history of the formation of the two paradigms - positivism and non-empirical study of consumer behavior represents the meaning of the basic achievements. Positivist paradigm to non-positivist paradigm shift represents a shift consumer behavior research, consumer behavior research is a revolutionary change. This paradigm shift, but also makes the assumption that consumer behavior research, research methods, study, basic knowledge of related disciplines, and many borrowed paradigm composition have changed dramatically. Background of this changing environment to promote the 20th century, 80 years after the world economic growth and prosperity, the industrial structure has undergone tremendous changes, purchasing power has been an unprecedented increase, the pursuit of individuality and freedom of consumers desire to become increasingly The more intense.
The first ,Positivist paradigm of consumer behavior research
Empirical studies of consumer behavior paradigm by famous Western philosopher Aristotle, philosophical ideas. Kurt Lewin in \conflict and more\the habit of scientific research. People are used and the frequency by the law to understand the law of development of things, and people like to explore the stability and the tendency of things with the law of development, except for the unusual and the regularity of things will feel cold. Lewin said, when someone mentioned a movie in a child-specific actions, psychologists think the first question is \action? Or at least it is a common action.\this means that repeatability is a phenomenon worthy of study, or whether something is an important indicator.
Positivism is the philosophy of science as Aristotle thought. It assumes that consumers are rational, identifiable, and mental stability, their motivation is to identify behavioral control and prediction; consumer practice in the real existence of simple truth; emphasis on scientific observation and testing, the observed empirical evidence, to gain general rule to predict and control the behavior of consumers. Thus, in the positivist paradigm, consumer behavior research is the assumption that consumer behavior is controlled by some force, but most of these forces are beyond the scope of consumer self-control. Changes in consumer behavior is not so much a manifestation of the subjective will of consumers, it is more affected by various internal and external factors affecting the results. For example, the behavior of the concept of consumer behavior theory suggests that consumer behavior is mainly caused by the stimulation of the external environment. Therefore, the hypothesis \to reduce cognitive inconsistency, the inner state of mind to maintain balance, consumers are always seeking behavior of the internal balance.\From a certain perspective, this behavior is a static concept. As Firat commented it: \the theory of consumer behavior consistent with the orderly conduct.\Thus, consumer behavior characteristics
(such as cognitive reaction, reflex, personal characteristics, etc.) variables follow the \predict certain behaviors of consumers, and forecasts marketing activities of enterprises of great reference.
In short, the positivist paradigm in consumer research, consumers are only a passive, passive object. For example, the act of self-awareness concept assumes that consumers lack the ability, so that through the environmental impact of corporate marketing strategy will be able to control and guide the consumer, such is the positivist paradigm of attack focus. Positivist paradigm assumes that consumers are passive objects, in fact, this assumption is the customer first serious departure from the philosophy of marketing. American Marketing Association Conference in 1988 reiterated the theme: \knowledge in the production of consumer behavior research, consumers unfortunate enough to be converted into laboratory guinea pigs, they became to be observed, the object of interviews and experiments.\
Because of positivism can be assumed that the consumer is an object of knowledge, and experience in consumer spending and therefore the process can be separated, can be broken down into different components. We can use a variety of objective methods of analysis and experience of the consumer process to analyze the different components. These methods include the standard questionnaire, experiment and personality tests. However, these methods are unable to conduct a comprehensive wealth of consumer behavior analysis. As a factor in a process separate and detailed analysis, it ignores the complexity of the system and interaction. Braithwaite believes that the standard quantitative survey methods (such as questionnaires) will limit the description of consumer spending, resulting in a negative way respondents answer questions.
Although a lot of criticism, but we should also see the traditional method of consumption patterns abstract out the prediction of consumer behavior and control role: some of the methods of scientific investigation in the conclusions they come within the scope of observation is credible . In addition, the positivist paradigm \theory of consumer behavior,\of marketing practice.
The second, non-positivist-oriented consumer behavior research
Non-positivist paradigm of consumer behavior is no longer the consumer as a passive response, but for psychological proactive with the ability of actors, they have to interpret the environment of the consumer and construction capabilities. For example, the interpretation of the view that the subjective views of consumer behavior by consumers, content and structure of domination. Shaughnessy said: \the purchase can not simply be based on product benefits and to make rational cost-benefit calculation, but the consumer sense of the process of collection of personal experience.\subjective value system. Postmodern perspective of consumer behavior research and
interpretation of consumer behavior under the focus of research is the consumer's subjective values, language and rhetoric.
Brown said in the marketing sense, the interpretation of the concept is different from post-modernism in the fact that the former assumes that man is a self-governing body, freedom of thought, self-understanding of the individual. For example, the concept of humanism and phenomenology that consumers are internally consistent and rational, and can determine their own process of consumer experience and value. Thus, similar to the traditional view, outlook also assumes that the consumer has the interpretation that constitute the essence of nature. In addition, the interpretation of the concept also emphasize that consumers should have a good fantasy, emotional experience and the pursuit of happiness consumption side, that consumers are always on the environment and the internal consistency of the statements describe subjectivity, thus making the environment more meaningful and more predictable; Moreover, the consumer's subjective description of the community can also assume that most people understand and share.
Then modernist view of consumption is that consumers do not mind the essence of both fixed or something to drive their behavior. Therefore, the subjective feelings of self-recognition and context-specific and dependent on the atmosphere. The context and the atmosphere but also by the impact of social roles among consumers. Therefore, the consumption of the resulting image is constantly changing and subjective feelings or transformation. Their consumption by the consumers with whom, what kind of consumer environment, and why consumer spending and other variables. Postmodernism insists that consumer identity is intermittent, incomplete, and subject to change. Firat that consumers self-image performance, characteristics and values of a multi-dimensional variability, and they are not aware of the changing and contradictory values and lifestyles between the incompatibility. Therefore, the post-modernist view of consumer behavior to focus on consumers through their own consumption and lifestyle different to change their living environment as reflected in the creativity and autonomy capabilities.
Through the analysis of the various points of view can know that consumers making purchasing decisions, not only focus on product effectiveness, but also pay attention to the symbolic value of the product. Material goods to meet consumer needs only appearance, but more important is that we must pay attention to the symbolic value of the product. For consumers, the consumer can have symbolic value in two areas: increasing consumer self-identity and symbolic value of self-identity of the community to improve the social symbolic value. Match the consumer with this act as individuals and consumers to create and maintain meaning and value of the social environment an important role. Therefore, advertising is often seen as symbolic construction and maintenance of a major symbol means. These tend to focus on the brand of cultural significance, so Elliot that the brand is often used to create and maintain a sense of identity such as the primary means of symbolism. Firat think it also reflects consumer culture contact with the general human
freedom: the product obtained by replacing a different image, to gain a different self. This new image to obtain the freedom of self, that is, from a single, rigid, and the result of the liberation tradition.
However, the interpretation of the concept of non-positivist and post-modern paradigm has also been criticism of the following aspects: (1) neglect of Africa undisciplined factors on consumer behavior consumer behavior constraint. Thompson et al pointed out that the post-modernist view of consumption is based on an ideal assumption: the consumer behavior of the constraints of culture, history and reality of physical limits as a precondition for the development of the status quo. Therefore, the non-positivist paradigm with special emphasis on the consumer can freely choose the image of self-identity without any fear, uncertainty and threat. This assumption is clearly unrealistic. (2) Some scholars, such as Foxall that the non-positivist research methods is simply to give up the nature of science, always out in their content consumption environment, and thus their views and conclusions do not constitute research and to facilitate in-depth understanding of the complete theoretical system. (3) non-positivist research methods, if not based on empirical findings of research based on the doctrine, then the explanatory power will be greatly reduced. Non-positivist research methods rely mainly on external interpersonal subjective evidence, that these interpersonal need positivist approach.
In short, non-positivist paradigm and the interpretation of post-modern perspective view of consumer behavior research for the different research methods, they are often discussed from the perspective of abstract marketing theory and practice of major issues, so these basic assumptions and theoretical perspective conclusions are puzzling, but also difficult to apply the training and education marketers.
消费者行为学研究一百年多的发展历史所形成的两大范式——实证主义与非实证义代表着消费者行为研究的基本成就。实证主义范式向非实证主义范式的转换代表着消费者行为模式研究的转向，是消费者行为研究的一次革命性变革。这一范式的转向，也使得消费者行为研究的假设前提、研究方法、研究对象、对相关学科基础知识的借用等诸多范式构成成分都发生了巨大变化。推动这一转变的环境背景是20世纪80年代以后世界各国社会经济持续增长与繁荣，产业结构发生了巨大的变化，社会购买力得到了空前的提高，消费者追求个性与自由的愿望变得越来越强烈。
一、实证主义范式下的消费者行为研究
消费者行为研究的实证主义范式深受西方著名哲学家亚里斯多德哲学思想的影响。Kurt Lewin在《亚里斯多德与伽利略思想模式冲突与比较》一书中指出，亚里斯多德的哲学思想一直影响着我们，也影响着科学研究的习惯。人们习惯于通过规律及发生频率来了解事物的发展规律，而且人们喜欢探索具有稳定性与倾向性的事物的发展规律，对于不常见和例外事情的规律性会感到感冒。Lewin说道，当某人提到某部电影中某个孩子特定的动作时，心理学家想到的第一个问题就是“所有小孩子都做过这个动作吗？或至少它是一个共同性动作。”有规律性的东西总是常见的，这意味着可重复性是现象或事物是否值得研究的一个重要指标。
实证主义正是以亚里斯多德思想作为其科学哲学。它假定消费者是理性、可识的、心智稳定，他们的行为动因都是可以识别控制与预测的；在现实的消费者实践中存在简单化的真理；强调科学观察与检验，观察到经验性的证据，从而获得普遍的规律用于预测与控制消费者的行为。因此，在实证主义范式下，消费者行为研究的假设基础就是消费者行为被某些力量所控制，而这些力量大部分都超越了消费者的自控范围。消费行为的变化与其说是消费者主观意志的体现，倒不如说是受各种内外因素影响的结果。比如，行为观的消费者行为理论认为消费者的行为主要是由外在环境剌激造成的。所以，其假设“动机的主要或惟一的目的就在于降低认知的不协调，保持内在心态平衡，消费者总是追求行为的内在平衡”。从某个角度来看，这也是一种静态行为观。正如Firat所评论的那样：“消费者行为理论相信行为一致性与有序性。”因此，消费者的行为特征(如认知反应、条件反射、个人特征等)变量遵循“消费者总是追求内在平衡”这一假设，研究者能够对消费者的某些行为进行预测，而预测结果对企业的营销活动具有重大借鉴意义。
总之，在实证主义的消费者研究范式中，消费者只是一种消极、被动的客体。比如，行为观假定消费者缺乏自我意识能力，因而认为通过环境的影响，企业的营销战略就能控制和引导消费者，这也是人们攻击实证主义研究范式的焦点所在。实证主义范式假定消费者是被动的客体，事实上这一假定是对顾客至上的营销哲学的严重背离。美国营销协会在1988年主题会议上重申：“在产生营销知识的消费者