Brain Activity Can ID Potential Buyers

In a study recently published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of Florida found that activation of the prefrontal cortex can identify people are who are more responsive to advertisements. Researchers already know that the prefrontal cortex helps humans make decisions. However, during the current study, researchers sought to answer this question: Can activation in that part of the brain reveal the people who are more responsive to campaign advertisements prior to viewing the advertisement? Results of the study show that the short answer is yes. “Higher variations in blood flow in the prefrontal cortex indicated less certainty about purchasing decisions,” said an Institute of Food and Agricultural Science faculty member. During the study, 44 participants underwent fMRI scans so that researchers could study brain activity in the prefrontal cortex while participants simultaneously made decisions about purchasing regular eggs vs. cage-free eggs — which have a more humane production method, but are also more expensive. After making purchasing decisions about the eggs inside of the fMRI machine, participants were divided into three groups and were showed one of three videos. One video showed a campaign ad in support of Proposition 2 (California legislation aimed at increasing humane production methods like cage-free eggs), the second video showed a campaign ad in opposition of Proposition 2, and the third video — the control video — showed a flowing stream of water. Researchers found that the brain activity in the prefrontal cortex prior to the participants’ video viewing was a good indicator of which specific people might be more likely to change purchasing decisions based on new information they received after viewing the ads. To read more about this study, click here.