Reading Minds: Mobile Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy as a New Neuroimaging Method for Economic and Marketing Research—A Feasibility Study

Due to the limitations of established neuroimaging techniques, in terms of cost, usability, and mobility, a new technology, known as mobile functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), has a high potential for applications in marketing research. FNIRS is a noninvasive optical brain imaging technique that combines the measurements of cerebral blood flow and hemodynamic response in a specific brain area when neural activity occurs. Nevertheless, the feasibility of mobile fNIRS has not yet been verified, because it is rarely used in neuroeconomic and neuromarketing studies. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of mobile fNIRS for marketing and economic research situations. Twelve subjects viewed three different advertisements of the same product, and then rated these pictures. All pictures showed the same product, but with different surroundings. The surroundings included an attractive female and male, shown to male and, respectively, female subjects, a cat, and a relatively neutral landscape. The results indicate that there are significant differences in the activation of the prefrontal cortex when viewing the different pictures. This was especially noticeable for the sexual picture and the childlike picture compared with the landscape. Also, significant differences were found on the group level and between subgroups. The activation was higher for the childlike picture than for the sexual picture, and this effect was stronger for the female subgroup. In addition, significantly higher activation was found during decision-making processes. The results of the present study suggest that using fNIRS is a promising method for measuring economic decision-making processes and consumer attention.