Consumer Neuroscience: Applications, Challenges, and Possible Solutions

Hilke Plassmann, Vinod Venkatraman, Scott Huettel, Carolyn Yoon

Journal of Marketing Research · 2015 · Volume 52 · Issue 4

Abstract

The first decade of consumer neuroscience research has produced groundbreaking work in identifying the basic neural processes underlying human judgment and decision making, with the majority of such studies published in neuroscience journals and influencing models of brain function. Yet for the field of consumer neuroscience to thrive in the next decade, the current emphasis on basic science research must be extended into marketing theory and practice. The authors suggest five concrete ways that neuroscientific methods can be fruitfully applied to marketing. They then outline three fundamental challenges facing consumer neuroscientists and offer potential solutions for addressing them. The authors conclude by describing how consumer neuroscience can become an important complement to research and practice in marketing.

Keywords

consumer neuroscience, reverse inference, replication, brain–behavior relationships

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