According to Fishbein's key proposition, what causes overall attitude?

The correct answer highlights that overall attitude is influenced by evaluations of salient beliefs, which is central to Fishbein's model of attitudes. Fishbein proposed that an individual's attitude toward an object is determined by their beliefs about the object's attributes and the evaluation of those attributes. Essentially, what matters is not just the presence of beliefs but how positively or negatively those beliefs are assessed.

For example, if a consumer believes that a product has high quality, and they evaluate this attribute positively, it contributes to a favorable overall attitude toward that product. Conversely, if their beliefs about the product are negative, the overall attitude would be less favorable. This framework allows marketers to understand how targeting specific beliefs and their evaluations can effectively shape consumers' attitudes toward products or brands.

In contrast, emotion-driven responses, marketing communication effectiveness, and product price compared to competitors are important factors that can influence consumer behavior, but they do not directly explain how attitudes are formed according to Fishbein's theory. Emotions might impact how a consumer feels about a brand, and effective marketing communication can convey beliefs, but neither replaces the fundamental role that evaluations of salient beliefs play in constructing overall attitudes.