Mapping a multidimensional emotion in response to television commercials

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Marketing Science
• Psychology

Background:

• Previous neuroimaging studies focused on discrete emotions or behavior-linkage.
• Limited research explored the neural basis of dimensional emotion constructs like PAD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the three-dimensional emotion construct (pleasure, arousal, dominance - PAD) using neuroimaging.
• To identify brain regions associated with PAD dimensions induced by marketing communication.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activation.
• Advertisement Self-Assessment Manikins (AdSAM) assessed emotional responses (PAD).
• fMRI data analysis was modeled using AdSAM responses to marketing stimuli.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in pleasure and arousal ratings were observed.
• Bilateral activations in inferior frontal and middle temporal gyri correlated with pleasure.
• Right superior temporal and middle frontal gyri activations correlated with arousal.

Conclusions:

• Findings support a dimensional approach to understanding emotional processing in the brain.
• This study enhances comprehension of human responses to advertising stimuli.
• Identifies specific neural correlates for pleasure and arousal dimensions in marketing contexts.