neuromarketing
n. a subdiscipline of market research that examines changes in brain activity as they relate to product liking and purchasing and other consumer behavior. Measures commonly used in neuromarketing to reveal the frequency, location, and timing of neuronal activity include electroencephalography, electromyography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography, and skin conductance monitoring. For example, researchers may analyze blood flow to different regions of the brain or record the brain’s electrical activity as volunteers watch television advertisements or shop in supermarkets to help determine why those individuals prefer certain brands or how they make decisions to buy specific items. Some people criticize neuromarketing as an invasion of privacy—a peering into the mind to examine neurophysiological responses and emotional reactions that may not consciously be
registered—with potentially exploitative applications. Practitioners, however, note that the purpose of neuromarketing is only to provide insight and that their research complements already extant techniques (e.g., focus groups, surveys, interviews) that are used to create more effective products, services, and advertising campaigns. Also called consumer neuroscience. [coined in 2002 by Dutch cognitive neuroscientist Ale Smidts]