Measuring Emotions in a Consumer decision-making Context – Approaching or Avoiding

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify suitable methods for measuring future-oriented emotions in a consumer context, where they have been shown to play an important role in decision-making. However the experience and knowledge of future-oriented emotions in consumer research is limited and it is thus necessary to broaden the perspective to cover emotions in general to gain insight into the possible methods. This paper examines the methods for measuring emotions in a consumer context. Emotions have recently gained increasing attention but the measurement of emotions is complex and the experience is limited. However several methods have been applied over time and a review of these methods and the experiences gained can build a foundation for further research in the area of future-oriented emotions in consumer decision-making. Three overall approaches to the measurement of emotions in consumer research are found: Self report, autonomic measures and brain imaging. Verbal Self Report and fMRI are assessed to be the most important methods. Self report is the most commonly used technique to measure emotions especially in consumer research and this is primarily verbal self report. However the method is found to have severe limitations. Brain imaging and especially fMRI has contributed significantly to the progress in cognitive neuroscience and the technique has also entered consumer research in form of neuroeconomics or consumer neuroscience often focusing on emotional aspects and decision making. fMRI is found to offer intriguing new possibilities for insight. However the method is extremely expensive and requires special equipment and expert knowledge that are not usually found in consumer research. Although problematic and challenging it is found that further work on the measurement of emotions in general and future-oriented emotions in specific are important to consumer research.