Visual Stimulus Comprehension 1. Understanding symbols and Signs

Visual Stimulus Comprehension 1. Understanding symbols and Signs

Visuals Stimulus Comprehension.

  
*Visuals can be pictures on their own or combined with words to convey meaning.

*Symbols, signs, maps, diagrams and storyboards use visuals for a purpose.

*All visuals contain a message. The message could be interpreted as a story, a warning, an advertisement or as information to educate or influence people to buy something or to take some action.

1. Understanding Symbols and Signs

*Symbols are internationally recognised visuals with a clear message.
*They are understood by people everywhere, no matter what language they speak.

Look at these familiar symbols used at airports, on road signs, etc, and their meanings.

Train station

toilet

*Signs use symbols, colors, words or numbers to convey a message.

*Read signs can be a warning for driver safety (yellow signs), orders to be followed (red signs), or additional information (green signs).

*A sign with a cross through it signifies something cannot be done.

Look at these familiar signs and their meanings.

Sharp Turn Ahead

Skimming and Scanning

Skimming and Scanning

Skimming refers to the process of reading only main ideas within a passage to get an overall impression of the content of a reading
selection.

How to Skim:* Read the title.
* Read the introduction or the first paragraph.
* Read the first sentence of every other paragraph.
* Read any headings and sub-headings.
* Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs.
* Notice any italicized or boldface words or phrases.
* Read the summary or last paragraph.

Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want to find specific information quickly. In scanning you have a question in your mind and you read a passage only to find the answer, ignoring unrelated information.

How to Scan:

* State the specific information you are looking for.

* Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help you locate the answer. For example, if you were looking for a certain date, you would quickly read the paragraph looking only for numbers.

* Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might contain the information you are looking for.

* Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage.

(From College Reading and Study Skills and

Academic Reading and Study Skills for International Students)

Limitations of price skimming

There are several potential problems with this strategy.

• It is effective only when the firm is facing an inelastic demand curve. If the long run demand schedule is elastic (as in the diagram to the right), market equilibrium will be achieved by quantity changes rather than price changes. Penetration pricing is a more suitable strategy in this case. Price changes by any one firm will be matched by other firms resulting in a rapid growth in industry volume. Dominant market share will typically be obtained by a low cost producer that pursues a penetration strategy.
• A price skimmer must be careful with the law. Price discrimination is illegal in many jurisdictions, but yield management is not. Price skimming can be considered either a form of price discrimination or a form of yield management. Price discrimination uses market characteristics (such as price elasticity) to adjust prices, whereas yield management uses product characteristics. Marketers see this legal distinction as quaint since in almost all cases market characteristics correlate highly with product characteristics. If using a skimming strategy, a marketer must speak and think in terms of product characteristics to stay on the right side of the law.
• The inventory turn rate can be very low for skimmed products. This could cause problems for the manufacturer's distribution chain. It may be necessary to give retailers higher margins to convince them to handle the product enthusiastically.
• Skimming encourages the entry of competitors. When other firms see the high margins available in the industry, they will quickly enter.
• Skimming results in a slow rate of stuff diffusion and adaptation. This results in a high level of untapped demand. This gives competitors time to either imitate the product or leap frog it with a innovation. If competitors do this, the window of opportunity will have been lost.
• The manufacturer could develop negative publicity if they lower the price too fast and without significant product changes. Some early purchasers will feel they have been ripped off. They will feel it would have been better to wait and purchase the product at a much lower price. This negative sentiment will be transferred to the brand and the company as a whole.
• High margins may make the firm inefficient. There will be less incentive to keep costs under control. Inefficient practices will become established making it difficult to compete on value or price.

Questions

Select the answer you think is correct.

	The main idea of paragraph one is:
	Scientists are worried about New York City
	Logging is destroying the rainforests
	Governments make money from logging
	Salmon are an endangered species
	The main idea of paragraph two is:
	Canadian forests are especially under threat
	Hemp is a kind of plant
	Canada is a major supplier of paper and pulp
	Canada produces a lot of hemp
	The main idea of paragraph three is:
	Paper could be made from hemp instead of trees
	Hemp is useful for fuel
	Hemp has been cultivated throughout history
	Hemp is essential for building large ships
	The main idea of paragraph four is:
	Hemp is used to produce drugs
	Many famous people used to grow hemp
	It is illegal to grow hemp
	Hemp is useful for producing many things
	The main idea of paragraph five is:
	Hemp should be illegal because it is dangerous
	Recently, many people have been working to legalize hemp
	Hemp was made illegal in 1938
	Marijuana is not a dangerous drug