Ethical issues in neuromarketing research: a literature review
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Abstract
The advancement of technology allows the use of new tools in investigations in a more precise and active way. In recent years, composed of Neuroscience and Marketing, a new interdisciplinary subject has emerged, with whose techniques researchers can evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing strategy through the analysis of the consumer's cognitive processing. However, the appearance of Neuromarketing has raised some concerns and criticisms in relation to the intrusion of physiological measurement in the study of consumer behavior. Numerous researchers have claimed that the use of some of the Neuromarketing tools, such as facial coding or fMRI, can cause a loss of personal privacy and even lead to discrimination, stigmatization and coercion of specific individuals or groups. Hence, the discussion about ethics and responsibilities in neuromarketing experiments has arisen. Based on a review of the scientific literature, this study aims to discuss ethical problems in Neuromarketing studies, taking into account their emergence, developments and futures. This article provides neuromarketing researchers with a reference on the ethical dilemmas of neuromarketing and also lays the groundwork for the author's follow-up research.
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