Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2025
14:04
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
Published on: August 26, 2011
12.5K
Charitable crowdfunding donation-intention estimation depending on emotional project images using fNIRS-based
SuJin Bak1, Minsun Yeu2, Dongwon Min3
1Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Plos One
|May 8, 2024
Summary
Emotional appeals in charitable crowdfunding impact donations differently than expected. Brain activity analysis reveals distinct patterns between donors and non-donors, offering insights for fundraising strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Marketing
Background:
- Online charitable crowdfunding platforms heavily utilize emotional appeals in project images to encourage donations.
- The effectiveness of negative versus positive emotional imagery in motivating charitable giving remains debated.
- Existing research presents contradictory findings on whether negative or positive emotional appeals are more effective.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain activation differences in the prefrontal cortex associated with donation decisions based on emotional imagery.
- To compare brain activity and donation intentions in response to negative versus positive project images in charitable crowdfunding.
- To explore the potential of neuroimaging techniques to predict donor behavior and understand mental functioning.
Main Methods:
- Utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a neuroimaging device, to measure brain activation in the prefrontal cortex.
- Analyzed brain hemodynamic signal variations and functional connectivity between donors and non-donors.
- Correlated brain activity with donation intentions elicited by emotionally valenced project images.
Main Results:
- Found minimal correlation between donation intentions and brain activity for both negative and positive project images.
- Observed significant quantitative brain hemodynamic signal variations distinguishing donors from non-donors.
- Demonstrated that functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortex can predict and detect donor mental functioning.
Conclusions:
- Donation intentions and associated brain activity show little differentiation between negative and positive emotional imagery in crowdfunding.
- Neuroimaging, specifically fNIRS, can identify distinct brain activity patterns linked to charitable giving behavior.
- Findings provide critical insights for optimizing marketing strategies and project image selection on charitable crowdfunding platforms.
