Decision neuroscience and consumer decision making

This article proposes that neuroscience can shape future theory and models in consumer decision making and suggests ways that neuroscience methods can be used in decision-making research. The article argues that neuroscience facilitates better theory development and empirical testing by considering the physiological context and the role of constructs such as hunger, stress, and social influence on consumer choice and preferences. Neuroscience can also provide new explanations Mark Lett (2012) 23:473–485 DOI 10.1007/s11002-012-9188-z C. Yoon (*) Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA e-mail: [email protected] R. Gonzalez : I. Liberzon University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA A. Bechara University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA G. S. Berns Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA A. A. Dagher : L. Dubé McGill University, Montreal, Canada S. A. Huettel Duke University, Durham, NC, USA J. W. Kable University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA H. Plassmann INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France A. Smidts Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands C. Spence University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Author's personal copy