Electroencephalography for Enhanced Understanding of Consumer Preference

Abstract

Conventional measurements used to study consumer response to food products may be subject to cognitive bias, as measurement data was consumer’s reported thoughts or through questionnaires. Therefore, for an unbiased approach electroencephalography (EEG), an electrophysiological method can provide implicit and extensive data. EEG uses electrical activity of brain to record and explain perceptive, attentive as well as emotional processes of consumer towards foods. The asymmetry of EEG signal between right and left hemispheres of anterior (frontal lobe) or posterior (parietal and occipital lobe) parts of brain can be used to determine acceptability of stimuli in a stimulated person. The accurate measurement through EEG enables marketers to compare consumer response to different marketing stimuli and impact moments associated with particular product or brand for better positioning of product in market.