Electroencephalographic Reponses to Gay Imagery in Advertising

• In Event: Advances in Audience Research

Abstract

Advertisements featuring gay imagery are becoming increasingly popular, but potentially negatively affect purchase intentions and attitudes towards brands that utilize this imagery. Although self-reported anti-gay attitudes have been shown to enhance these effects, self-reported attitudes may be subject to social desirability and not accurately reflect the manner in which behavior is affected. The use of electroencephalographic (EEG) techniques to investigate this phenomenon eliminates concerns about socially desirable responding. Furthermore, EEG has the potential to elucidate the timecourse of neural mechanisms by which consumer attitudes and behavior are affected. The current study aims to examine the timecourse of early selective attention, violation of expectancies, and emotion processes in response to advertisements featuring gay imagery using EEG. The N1, N2, P3 and LPP may help reveal if purchase intentions and brand attitudes are negatively affected via attention, the “novelty” of seeing gay couples in advertisements, and/or via emotional responses to the advertisements.

Authors

• Glenna Lee Read, Indiana University

• Irene Ingeborg van Driel, Indiana U

• Robert F. Potter, Indiana University