Neural Correlates of Purchasing Behavior in the Prefrontal Cortex: An Optical Brain Imaging Study

Existing neuroimaging studies in decision making predominantly employ the fMRI method. Despite its superior spatial resolution, fMRI is an expensive and impractical neuroimaging technology for purchasing behavior studies in the field. This study aims to explore the role of prefrontal cortex during purchasing behavior by utilizing functional nearinfrared (fNIR) spectroscopy; a low-cost, non-invasive and portable optical brain imaging methodology. The findings suggest that fNIRS can be effectively used for developing a neuro-physiologically informed, predictive model of purchasing behavior based on multivariate effects of activations in frontopolar, dorso-medial and dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex

Ethical Issues in Neuromarketing: "I Consume, Therefore I am!"

Neuromarketing is a recent interdisciplinary field which crosses traditional boundaries between neuroscience, neuroeconomics and marketing research. Since this nascent field is primarily concerned with improving marketing strategies and promoting sales, there has been an increasing public aversion and protest against it. These protests can be exemplified by the reactions observed lately in Baylor School of Medicine and Emory University in the United States. The most recent attempt to stop ongoing neuromarketing research in France is also remarkable. The pertaining ethical issues have been continuously attracting much attention, especially since the number of neuromarketing companies has exceeded 300 world-wide. This paper begins with a brief introduction to the field of neurotechnology by presenting its current capabilities and limitations. Then, it will focus on the ethical issues and debates most related with the recent applications of this technology. The French Parliament's revision of rules on bioethics in 2004 has an exemplary role in our discussion. The proposal by Murphy et al. (2008) has attracted attention to the necessity of ethical codes structuring this field. A code has recently been declared by the Neuromarketing Science and Business Association. In this paper, it is argued that these technologies should be sufficiently discussed in public spheres and its use on humans should be fully carried out according to the ethical principles and legal regulations designed in line with human rights and human dignity. There is an urgent need in the interdisciplinary scientific bodies like ethics committees monitoring the research regarding the scientific and ethical values of nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, confidentiality, right to privacy and protection of vulnerable groups

Neural Correlates of Purchasing Decisions in an Ecologically Plausible Shopping Scenario with Mobile fNIR Technology

In this paper we present our preliminary findings for the neural correlates of purchasing decisions made in a computerized setting as well as in an ecologically plausible supermarket environment. Participants who were randomly recruited from a database of typical customers maintained by a marketing consultancy company were given a specific budget and asked to make purchasing decisions for basic grocery items in two separate conditions. In the first condition, participants made their decisions in a computerized scenario, where in each trial a single product and its price were displayed for a fixed duration of time, and then the participants clicked on buttons to specify which products they wish to purchase. In the second experiment, participants made similar purchasing decisions while wandering around a custom-made grocery aisle with shelves including physical products. In both conditions participants' brain activities in their prefrontal cortices as well as their eye movements were recorded with a wireless fNIR device and a glass eye tracker respectively. In both conditions we observed higher mean oxygenation levels for the purchase decisions at the left dorso-medial prefrontal cortex. Despite the limited sample size, the oxygenation trends were similar in both purchasing situations. Our preliminary findings suggest that fNIR can effectively be employed to investigate neural correlates of purchasing behavior in ecological settings