The feasibility and ethics of neuromarketing: Dangerous manipulation or harmless snake oil?
Over recent years the field of brain-reading has shown that it is possible to decode with considerable detail what a person is thinking from their brain activity. While such brain-reading has been of general interest for studying the encoding of information in the human brain, it also holds promise for real-world applications. Besides brain-based control of prostheses and lie detection one such application is neuromarketing. In neuromarketing the idea is to enhance the sales of a product by optimizing the product’s response on the so-called reward system of the human brain. The idea is to create a craving, such that a person cannot avoid purchasing the product. This lack of self-control is similar to that for addictive drugs. Currently, many companies are offering services involving such neuromarketing techniques. This talk will provide an overview of the general approach, and will then clarify two questions: Is neuromarketing really feasible with current neuroimaging methods? And what are the ethical challenges raised by neuromarketing given that it relies on undermining a person’s self-control.
Lunedì 17 settembre 2018, ore 14.30
Sala Lauree del Dipartimento di Psicologia, U6 (3° piano)
Tutti gli interessati sono invitati a partecipare.
Per informazioni:
Prof. Eraldo Paulesu