Exploring Frontal Alpha Asymmetry as a Neural Indicator of Consumer Preferences: The Impact of Evaluative Conditioning with Climate-Change Related Stimuli

Abstract

Introduction: Many social problems, including climate change, are partially driven by the behavior of individuals. One area where individual choice-behavior impacts the climate is in the context of supermarket purchases. This study aimed to investigate Frontal Alpha Asymmetry (FAA) as a neural indicator of consumer preferences, with a particular focus on the effects of evaluative conditioning (EC).

Methods: We conducted a pilot study to collect and validate the video stimuli used in this research, these videos were paired with images of supermarket products in an EC experiment. Three conditioning types were used, consisting of positive, negative and neutral videos. During the experiment, electroencephalography (EEG) was conducted to calculate FAA scores, which were compared before and after conditioning.

Results: No significant effect of conditioning type or time on FAA scores was found. Additionally, no interaction effect between conditioning type and time was observed. The results suggest that EC did not influence the FAA scores and may not be a reliable neural indicator of consumer preferences in the context of supermarket product packaging.

Discussion: This study contributes to investigating the use of FAA as a neural indicator for behavior change in the context of climate change. Although no direct link between EC and FAA scores was found, the findings provide valuable insights for future research into neural mechanisms underlying consumer preferences. The results underscore the complexity of using FAA as a standalone neural indicator, suggesting its role within a broader network processing emotional valence and motivation.