Book excerpt: Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 Are we influenced by ads even when we fast-forward them? Do brands extend our personalities? Why do we spend more when we pay with a credit card? Psychological Foundations of Marketing considers the impact of psychology on marketing practice and research, and highlights the applied aspects of psychological research in the marketplace. This book presents an introduction to both areas, and provides a survey of the various contributions that psychology has made to the field of marketing. Each chapter considers a key topic within psychology, outlines the main theories, and presents various practical applications of the research. Topics covered include: Motivation: The human needs at the root of many consumer behaviors and marketing decisions. Perception: The nature of perceptual selection, attention and organization and how these perceptual processes relate to the evolving marketing landscape. Decision making: How and under what circumstances it is possible to predict consumer choices, attitudes and persuasion? Personality and lifestyle: How insight into consumer personality can be used to formulate marketing plans. Social behavior: The powerful role of social influence on consumption. This book will be of great interest to a diverse audience of academics, students and professionals, and will be essential reading for courses in marketing, psychology, consumer behavior and advertising.