Consumer neuroscience: usability of brain imaging methods in marketing research

Consumer neuroscience (neuromarketing) is an emerging field of marketing research which uses brain imaging techniques to study neural conditions and processes that underlie consumption. The purpose of this study was to map this fairly new and growing field in Finland by studying the opinions of both Finnish consumers and marketing professionals towards it and comparing the opinions to the current consumer neuroscience literature, and based on that evaluate the usability of brain imaging techniques as a marketing research method. Mixed methods research design was chosen for this study. Quantitative data was collected from 232 consumers and 28 marketing professionals by means of online surveys. Both respondent groups had either neutral opinions or lacked knowledge about the four themes chosen for this study: benefits, limitations and challenges, ethical issues and future prospects of consumer neuroscience. Qualitative interview data was collected from 2 individuals from Finnish neuromarketing companies to deepen insights gained from quantitative research. The four interview themes were the same as in the surveys and the interviewees’ answers were mostly in line with the current literature, although more optimistic about the future of the field. The interviews also exposed a gap between academic consumer neuroscience research and practical level applications. The results of this study suggest that there are still many unresolved challenges and relevant populations either have neutral opinions or lack information about consumer neuroscience. The practical level applications are, however, already being successfully used and this new field of marketing research is growing both globally and in Finland.

Reconsidering the concept of ‘dual-use’ in the context of neuroscience research

Commentaire / Commentary

Impulsivity: A view from the behavioral neuroscience and developmental psychology

Impulsivity has been linked to three main factors: performing without direct involvement of the frontal lobe functions, an increase in the speed of response, and the acquisition of immediate gratification. This behavioral inhibition deficit involves a variety of behaviors including aspects of hyperexcitability, behavioral disinhibition and higher order decision making. Although by tradition, the definition of this executive function has been conceptualized from a psychopathological view, currently, the wide variety of neuropsychological, developmental and animal models assessment techniques encourage us to establish dialogues that integrate the knowledge of these theoretical perspectives for the interpretation and understanding of impulsivity.

Consumer Neuroscience as a reserach issue, concepts and applications. A paradigmatic approach

Consumer neuroscience allows a fullest and objective understanding about desires andactions of consumers, turning itself in a fickle tool to the use of the companies and to improve their Marketing strategies. The use of the Neuroscientific methods to the analysis, description and comprehension of human behavior related to consume open a lot of unknown possibilities to discover. Neuromarketing or The consumer Neuroscience as is known too is the study of mental process been part of the consumer behavior and contexts concerning the marketing as well, apply and follow in the environment of the real life of human been. Its supported by the paradigms and the technological development of Neurosciences whose progress has made possible for the seekers to deep in knowledge abouthow the brain work. Physiological operations of mind are a product of a structural and functional ensemble including the brain, as organ, and mind, emotion and cognition, asfunctions. Mind events just can be understood in the middle of the interaction between the organism and his environment. Neuromarketing paradigm it’s still in his infancy and whatfor it’s full of research possibilities. Inside the consumer neuroscience the ethic building doesn’t collapse, the morality isn’t threaten, inside the normal individual Will it’s alwaysWill. The present paper looking for a place to the consumer neuroscience paradigm over the perspective of research open to the Marketing, from the technological advances and hermeneutical vision offer by Neuroscience; it’s propose some of several possibilities ofresearch and practice been explored actually. To give an example its offer one of methods of research as is the Evoked Potentials.

How neuroscience and sensorial theories can affect the marketing of different companies’ products and services?

El vertiginoso y competitivo panorama actual de los negocios, hace del mercadeo una herramienta muy importante para crecer o incluso sobrevivir. Hay muchas teorías alrededor de como vender un producto, servicio o idea, sin embargo la mayoría de estas consideran sólo las preferencias expresadas de forma consciente y las decisiones racionales. Este trabajo pretende hacer un acercamiento a las teorías de la neurociencia, como la sinergía entre los sentidos del ser humano y de como estas pueden nutrir el ámbito del mercadeo, por ello, se van a estudiar bibliografía relevante en torno a esta área para enmarcar el propósito del estudio. Después de la información obtenida a través de esta revisión, se analizaran dos importantes ejemplos de empresas mundialmente conocidas que han hecho uso de la neurociencia para el desarrollo de su mercadeo. Después de esto se concluye, a través de la información estudiada y analizada, cómo la neurociencia y las teorías multisensoriales pueden afectar el mercadeo de los diferentes productos y servicios. Este documento pretende vislumbrar efectos del mercadeo sobre las preferencias que nuestros cerebros muestran a través de la neurociencia, incluso si no sabemos sobre ellas.

Using the brain to understand the developing mind : commentary on the article 'Where developmental psychology and neuroscience meet : a threatening or a felicitous encounter' by María-José Rodrigo. 'Usar el cerebro para comprender el desarrollo de la mente : un comentario al artículo 'Donde la psicología evolutiva y la neurociencia se encuentran : ¿un encuentro amenazador u oportuno?' de María-José Rodrigo'.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

A happy marriage between developmental psychology and neuroscience, yes but... with some problems. 'Un matrimonio feliz entre la psicología evolutiva y la neurociencia, sí pero... con algunos problemas'.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Where developmental psychology and neuroscience meet : a thereatening or a felicitous encounter?. 'Donde la psicología evolutiva y la neurociencia se encuentran : ¿un encuentro amenazador u oportuno?'.

Resumen basado en el del autor

Reductionism's long shadow : commentary on ' Where developmental psychology and neuroscience meet : a threatening or a felicitous encounter?' by María José Rodrigo. 'La sombra del reduccionismo es alargada : comentarios sobre ' donde la psicología evolutiva y la neurociencia se encuentran : ¿un encuentro amenazador u oportuno?', por María José Rodrigo'.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Coming of age: a review of embodiment and the neuroscience of semantics

Over the last decade, there has been an increasing body of work that explores whether sensory and motor information is a necessary part of semantic representation and processing. This is the embodiment hypothesis. This paper presents a theoretical review of this work that is intended to be useful for researchers in the neurosciences and neuropsychology. Beginning with a historical perspective, relevant theories are placed on a continuum from strongly embodied to completely unembodied representations. Predictions are derived and neuroscientific and neuropsychological evidence that could support different theories is reviewed; finally, criticisms of embodiment are discussed. We conclude that strongly embodied and completely disembodied theories are not supported, and that the remaining theories agree that semantic representation involves some form of Convergence Zones (Damasio, 1989) and the activation of modal content. For the future, research must carefully define the boundaries of semantic processing and tackle the representation of abstract entities.