Decoding the consumer’s brain: Neural representations of consumer experience

Understanding consumer experience – what consumers think about brands, how they feel about services, whether they like certain products – is crucial to marketing practitioners. ‘Neuromarketing’, as the application of neuroscience in marketing research is called, has generated excitement with the promise of understanding consumers’ minds by probing their brains directly. Recent advances in neuroimaging analysis leverage machine learning and pattern classification techniques to uncover patterns from neuroimaging data that can be associated with thoughts and feelings. In this dissertation, I measure brain responses of consumers by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in order to ‘decode’ their mind. In three different studies, I have demonstrated how different aspects of consumer experience can be studied with fMRI recordings. First, I study how consumers think about brand image by comparing their brain responses during passive viewing of visual templates (photos depicting various social scenarios) to those during active visualizing of a brand’s image. Second, I use brain responses during viewing of affective pictures to decode emotional responses during watching of movie-trailers. Lastly, I examine whether marketing videos that evoke s

Elicited production of wh-questions in Cantonese-speaking children

Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2004."A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong, December 31, 2004."Also available in print.published_or_final_versionSpeech and Hearing SciencesBachelorBachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science

Neural correlates of fanhood:the role of fan identity and team brand strength

Introduction: We analyzed the importance of fan identity and brand strength on fans’ neural reactions to different team-related stimuli.Methods: A total of 53 fMRI scans with fans of two professional sport teams were conducted. Following up on a previous study we focused on the differences between fandom levels as well as the contrast between two team “brand” strength. Neural responses were compared among individuals based on their levels of fan identity. In sum, group comparisons between relatively high and lower identity and between weak and strong teams were made based on the notion that the latter reflects team brand strength (strong brand and weak brand).Results: Findings indicate that brain activity in emotion regulation, memory, and cognitive control circuits is influenced by the relative level of fan identity.Discussion: Higher-level identified fans showed increased reactivity to positive stimuli and the under-recruitment of their cognitive appraisal circuits, suggesting more vulnerability to marketers’ messages. The strength of the team brand activates different neural mechanisms. Interestingly, the posterior cingulate showed larger recruitment both for weaker brands and lower fan identification, suggesting that visual memory processes are more active in these cases. Neurally processed content depends on the relative brand’s strength, highlighting the importance of brand-focused communications

Knee stability assessment on anterior cruciate ligament injury: clinical and biomechanical approaches

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is common in knee joint accounting for 40% of sports injury. ACL injury leads to knee instability, therefore, understanding knee stability assessments would be useful for diagnosis of ACL injury, comparison between operation treatments and establishing return-to-sport standard. This article firstly introduces a management model for ACL injury and the contribution of knee stability assessment to the corresponding stages of the model. Secondly, standard clinical examination, intra-operative stability measurement and motion analysis for functional assessment are reviewed. Orthopaedic surgeons and scientists with related background are encouraged to understand knee biomechanics and stability assessment for ACL injury patients

Orthopaedic sport biomechanics: a new paradigm

This article proposes a new paradigm, "Orthopaedic sport biomechanics", for the understanding of the role of biomechanics in preventing and managing sports injury. Biomechanics has three main roles in this paradigm: (1) injury prevention, (2) immediate evaluation of treatment, and (3) long-term outcome evaluation. Related previous studies showing the approach in preventing and managing anterior cruciate ligament rupture and anterior talofibular ligament tear are highlighted. Orthopaedics and biomechanics specialists are encouraged to understand what they could contribute to the current and future practice of sports medicine

Neural Signals of Video Advertisement Liking:Insights into Psychological Processes and their Temporal Dynamics

What drives the liking of video advertisements? The authors analyzed neural signals during ad exposure from three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data sets (113 participants from two countries watching 85 video ads) with automated meta-analytic decoding (Neurosynth). These brain-based measures of psychological processes—including perception and language (information processing), executive function and memory (cognitive functions), and social cognition and emotion (social-affective response)—predicted subsequent self-report ad liking, with emotion and memory being the earliest predictorsafter the first three seconds. Over the span of ad exposure, while the predictiveness of emotion peaked early and fell, that of social cognition had a peak-and-stable pattern, followed by a late peak of predictiveness in perception and executive function.At the aggregate level, neural signals—especially those associated with social-affective response—improved the prediction of out-of-sample ad liking compared with traditional anatomically based neuroimaging analysis and self-report liking. Finally, earlyonset social-affective response predicted population ad liking in a behavioral replication. Overall, this study helps delineate the psychological mechanisms underlying ad processing and ad liking and proposes a novel neuroscience-based approach for generating psychological insights and improving out-of-sample predictions

A non-invasive biomechanical device to quantify knee rotational laxity: Verification of the device in human cadaveric specimens

Background: Biomechanical measurement tools have been developed and widely used to precisely quantify knee anterior-posterior laxity after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. However, validated objective device to document knee rotational laxity, though being developed by different researchers, are not yet widely used in the daily clinical practice. A new biomechanical device was developed to quantify knee internal and external rotations. Methods: The reliability of the new biomechanical device which measures knee rotations were tested. Different torques (1-10Nm) were applied by the device to internally and externally rotate human cadaveric knees, which were held in a flexion angle of 30 . The rotations were measured by the device in degrees. There were two independent testers, and each tester carried out three trials. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability were quantified in terms of intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficient among trials and between testers. The device was verified by the comparison with a computer assisted navigation system. ICC was measured. Mean, standard deviation and 95% confident interval of the difference as well as the root mean square difference were calculated. The correlations were deemed to be reliable if the ICC was above 0.75. Results: The intra-rater and inter-rater reliability achieved high correlation for both internal and external rotation, ranged from 0.959 to 0.992. ICC between the proposed meter and the navigation system for both internal and external rotation was 0.78. The mean differences were 2.3 and 2.5 for internal and external rotation respectively. Conclusions: A new knee rotational laxity meter was proposed in this study. Its reliability was verified by showing high correlation among trials. It also showed good correlation to a gold standard of measurement. It might be used to document knee rotational laxity for various purposes, especially after ACL injury, after further validation of the device in human subject

Effect of medial arch-heel support in inserts on reducing ankle eversion: a biomechanics study

Background. Excessive pronation (or eversion) at ankle joint in heel-toe running correlated with lower extremity overuse injuries. Orthotics and inserts are often prescribed to limit the pronation range to tackle the problem. Previous studies revealed that the effect is product-specific. This study investigated the effect of medial arch-heel support in inserts on reducing ankle eversion in standing, walking and running. Methods. Thirteen pronators and 13 normal subjects participated in standing, walking and running trials in each of the following conditions: (1) barefoot, and shod condition with insert with (2) no, (3) low, (4) medium, and (5) high medial arch-heel support. Motions were captured and processed by an eight-camera motion capture system. Maximum ankle eversion was calculated by incorporating the raw coordinates of 15 anatomical positions to a self-compiled Matlab program with kinematics equations. Analysis of variance with repeated measures with post-hoc Tukey pairwise comparisons was performed on the data among the five walking conditions and the five running conditions separately. Results. Results showed that the inserts with medial arch-heel support were effective in dynamics trials but not static trials. In walking, they successfully reduced the maximum eversion by 2.1 degrees in normal subjects and by 2.5-3.0 degrees in pronators. In running, the insert with low medial arch support significantly reduced maximum eversion angle by 3.6 and 3.1 degrees in normal subjects and pronators respectively. Conclusion. Medial arch-heel support in inserts is effective in reducing ankle eversion in walking and running, but not in standing. In walking, there is a trend to bring the over-pronated feet of the pronators back to the normal eversion range. In running, it shows an effect to restore normal eversion range in 84% of the pronators

Comparison of two surgical techniques for reconstructing posterolateral corner of the knee: a cadaveric study evaluated by navigation system

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the immediate effect on knee kinematics by 2 different techniques of posterolateral corner (PLC) reconstruction. Methods: Five intact formalin-preserved cadaveric knees were used in this study. A navigation system was used to measure knee kinematics (posterior translation, varus angulation, and external rotation) after application of a constant force and torque to the tibia. Four different conditions of the knee were evaluated during the biomechanical test: intact knee and PLC-sectioned knee and PLC-reconstructed knee by the doublefemoral tunnel technique and singlefemoral tunnel technique. Results: Sectioning of the PLC structures resulted in significant increases in external rotation at 30° of flexion from 11.2° (SD, 2.6) to 24.6° (SD, 6.2), posterior translation at 30° of flexion from 3.4 mm (SD, 1.5) to 7.4 mm (SD, 3.8), and varus angulation at 0° of flexion from 2.3° (SD, 2.1) to 7.9° (SD, 5.1). Both reconstruction techniques significantly restored the varus stability. The external rotation and posterior translation at 30° of flexion after reconstruction with the doublefemoral tunnel technique were 10.2° (SD, 1.3) and 3.4° (SD, 2.7), respectively, which were significantly better than those of the singlefemoral tunnel technique. Conclusions: Both techniques of reconstruction showed improved stability compared with PLC-sectioned knees. The doublefemoral tunnel technique in PLC reconstruction showed better rotational stability and resistance to posterior translation than the singlefemoral tunnel technique without compromising varus stability. Clinical Relevance: PLC reconstruction by a doublefemoral tunnel technique achieves better rotational control and resistance to posterior translation

Lack of Evidence for Human-to-Human Transmission of Avian Influenza A (H9N2) Viruses in Hong Kong, China 19991

In April 1999, isolation of avian influenza A (H9N2) viruses from humans was confirmed for the first time. H9N2 viruses were isolated from nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens collected from two children who were hospitalized with uncomplicated, febrile, upper respiratory tract illnesses in Hong Kong during March 1999. Novel influenza viruses have the potential to initiate global pandemics if they are sufficiently transmissible among humans. We conducted four retrospective cohort studies of persons exposed to these two H9N2 patients to assess whether human-to-human transmission of avian H9N2 viruses had occurred. No serologic evidence of H9N2 infection was found in family members or health-care workers who had close contact with the H9N2-infected children, suggesting that these H9N2 viruses were not easily transmitted from person to person