Use of Modern Technology
Investigating the relationship
between cognitive factors and
behavior
PET
New York University of Medicine
• Developed brain-scan-based computer
program that measures metabolic activity in
hippocampus
• PET Scan + computer program
– Showed that in early stages of Alzheimer’s, there
is reduction in brain metabolism (Lisa Mosconi
2005) even before the patients have detected
something themselves
MRI
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
– Provides 3-dimensional picture of brain structures
– Work by detecting changes in use of oxygen in
blood
– When area of brain is more active, it uses more
oxygen
– Used to monitor areas when performing cognitive
tasks
Case study of HM
• HM (Corkin et al. 1997), results confirmed the
relationship between damage of the
hippocampus and the amygdala and his amnesia.
Thanks to the scan it became clear exactly which
areas were affected by the operation.
• MRI scanning showed where his brain damage
had happened which provided insight into the
relationship between cognitive factor and
behaviour
Neuromarketing
• it aims at helping companies to better understand
how the brains of their customers work
• To stand out from the flood of advertisements,
Neuromarketing will try to propose new solutions. This
tool is fairly new
• How about, in fact, if tomorrow it was possible to
manipulate your wishes, your desires?
• Is Neuromarketing a contribution or a danger to
society?
Neuromarketing
• Over the time, advertisers and marketers have
continued to refine their campaigns in order to
increase sales.
• Why did she/he choose this product over
another? Was he/she influenced by advertising,
if so, how? These questions seem simple but are
actually much more complex than one think
• Marketers have considered the issue and seem to
have developed a new tool that combines
science and marketing in order to respond. This
tool is Neuromarketing.
How Does Neuromarketing Work?
Two commonly used brain scans are:
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and
electroencephalography (EEG)
Utilizing fMRI involves using a powerful magnet to track the brain’s
blood flow as subjects respond to audio and visual cues. This allows
examiners to access a deep part of the brain known as the “pleasure
center”. The downfalls of fMRI are its price tag and inconvenience;
equipment is very expensive to operate (up to $1,000 per machine per
hour) and subjects must lie completely still in a large machine.
EEG, on the other hand, is much cheaper than fMRI. By using a cap of
electrodes attached to the sample’s scalp, it also allows for movement.
These electrodes measure electrical waves produced by the brain and
allow researchers to track instinctual emotions such as anger,
excitement, sorrow, and lust through fluctuations of activity.
However, unlike fMRI, EEG does not grant access to deep parts of the
brain where the pleasure center is located.
Task
• Read the section on p. 87 and answer the
following questions:
1. What did Kilts investigate?
2. What did Kilts found out?
3. What type of scan was used in the tests?
4. What are some fears about this kind of
research (or findings) for the future?
Role of Brain in Product Preferences
• Clinton Klits, Emory University, 2003
• Self-selected sample of volunteers
– Ask to rate number of consumer goods (points
according to attractiveness)
– Participants were put into MRI scanner
– Asked to rate pictures shown while scanner registered
brain activity
• Found out, there was activity in medial prefrontal
cortex, as participants rated a product attractive
Medial Prefrontal Cortex
-Plan complex
cognitive
behaviors
-Basic activity is
orchestration of
thoughts and
actions in
accordance to
internal goals
Pepsi or Coca Cola?
• Read Montague, Baylor College of Medicine
– Invited 70 participants to a blind taste-test of cola
– Pepsi was more preferred
– When consumers were told which brand of cola
during taste-test, they preferred Coca Cola (75%)
– Found activity in ventral putamen of brain
(pleasure center in the brain)
– concluded that the subjects were associating the
drink with positive images and branding
messages from Coke commercials
Ventral
Putamen
-Round structure
located in
forebrain
-Regulate
movements and
influence learning
• Understanding of what happens in consumers’
heads when making a decision of consumer
brands
• Kilts works with the US company Bright House
Institute
– Department for neurostrategy
• You can use knowledge from neuromarketing
to make tools for testing efficiency of
marketing campaigns
HOWEVER
• Not everyone is happy about this
development
• Manipulation of people to serve your own
ends
• Consider the ethical aspect
Examples
•
The results of neuromarketing research
can be surprising. In Buyology,
Martin Lindström documents a three-year study. Among his
findings:
• Warning labels on cigarette packages stimulate activity in a
brain area associated with craving -- despite the fact that
subjects said that they thought the warnings were
effective.
• Images of dominant brands, such as the iPod, stimulated
the same part of the brain activated by religious symbols.
• An image of a Mini Cooper activated the part of the brain
that responds to faces.
http://www.martinlindstrom.com/
Another example
• In 2007, a team of scientists from Carnegie
Mellon University, Stanford University and the
MIT Sloan School of Management were able
to use MRI to study what the brain does
while making a purchasing decision. By
watching how different neural circuits lit up or
went dark during the buying process, the
researchers found they could predict whether
a person would end up purchasing a product.
Future
• “In the 21st century, the multidisciplinary approach will prevail,”
Marci says. “All the diverse information I have gathered enables me
to bring added value to my clients’ businesses.
• “Last year, I talked to Alec Balasescu, a neuroanthropologist and
marketing consultant, about the importance of the cultural
environment when applying different marketing techniques. He has
global academic exposure himself, as he holds a Ph.D from the
University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree from the
University of Lyon. He believes that we will soon be mixing
knowledge from different fields, such as marketing, neurology,
psychology, anthropology, sociology, arts and linguistics to create
refined and intelligent marketing and communication strategies.”
•
http://www.agencypost.com/the-importance-of-being-earnest-the-growing-field-ofneuromarketing/
Strengths and limitations of using
technology in investigating cognitive
processes
Strenghts
1. Thanks to the use of brain
scans in research it
provides new insight
about the brain and
cognitive processes (how
and where they work)
2. Mapping parts of the brain
3. Useful in diagnosing of
brain diseases or damage
such as Alzheimer’s
Limitations
1. not a natural environment,
low ecological validity
2. The use of colours may
exaggerate the different
activities of the brain
3. Brain activates for various
reasons – parts can be
“lighted” but not
necessarily used in the
response
Videos
• Can brain scans tell us who makes a good
chief executive? By Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology correspondent, BBC News
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business11730685
• Brain scan research 'reconstructs images from
human minds'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZieFvCtMCc
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