The Consumers Triune Brain

Why did we develop this model?

Over the last few years the Qual research in Israel has suffered from
two main problems:










Qual Quant
Our goal:
Finding a fresh methodology that would
improve abilities and excite clients
Theoretical Background:
What Do We Know Today of the Consumer's
Decision-Making Process?
The common research
estimations put 80-95% of our
behavior down to unconscious
elements.
Unconscious emotions have a
very early effect on the
process of decision-making.
the unconscious chooses,
deciphers and evaluates
information in order to make
that person feel well".

Prof. Timothy Wilson, Discovering the
Adaptive Unconscious

Relying on what the consumer "tells" us
does not show the whole picture

We need to understand what goes on in the
consumer's brain, or, to be exact,
in their Triune Brain!
Prof. Paul MacLean's Triune Brain Paradigm


The Primeval Brain (Reptile Brain):

The most ancient part of the modern brain
(evolved over 100 million years ago)

the most dominant part in the brains of
both reptiles and birds.

Responsible for physiological and
motivational elements of survival:
Breathing
digestion
and Fight or Flight motivations

-

Primeval
Brain
The Primeval Brain - Psychological Level
The Primeval Brain shows parallels to the unconscious part of
the Freudian structural model, in elements such as:
Focusing on the Self: obeying the "Pleasure Principal"
Contrast: enables fast decision-making
Dream-like Thought:
Visual
Metaphorical

The Emotional Brain - The Limbic System
The Limbic System The brain's
emotional centre
Responsible for "Social" feelings
Activated by feelings, emotions and images
Stores memories and retrieve them, also
awarding their value (pain/pleasure)

Emotional
Brain
The New Brain: Neo-Cortex
The last stage of mammalian evolution (40,000 years):

The location of nearly all of human
learning and thought, such as logic,
language and abstract and rational
thought.
Operates on the bases of information
received from lower parts of the brain.
Higher
Brain
The Consumers Triune Brain Model
Higher Brain
Emotional Brain
Primeval
Brain
How does it work?
Data collection
using novel
methodologies
Analysis in
accordance with
the theoretical
layout
Integrated
conclusions
Mental Structures of the Primeval and Emotional Brains
7 Deep Metaphors
more developed and
abstract unconscious
guidance structures that
affect perceptions, emotions
and behaviours
(Prof Gerald Zaltman)
7 Emotional
Command Systems
Basic motivations
required for survival
(Dr Jaak Panksepp)
Each time we come across a situation or an object, one or more
of the 7 emotional command systems and the 7 deep metaphors is
activated.

Higher Brain
Emotional Brain
Primeval
Brain
Example: Banking and finance
Primeval Brain: Emotional Command System - Fear System
Money represents life: without money life is impossible. The lack of money represents
death, and fear of death is the most basic and fundamental of all human fears.

"Something
unexpected - only
after you remove
the mask do you
discover the catch"
"Spiders weave webs
to attract prey. I
think the consumers
are prey"
"You need to double-
check the banks'
offers - the bank is
like a snake, you
never know where
it'll get you"
Example: Deep Metaphors
in a Chocolate-Milk consumption study

Chocolate-milk is experienced as a product aiding the reaching of, and
keeping a balance in the following aspects:

1. A balance between hunger and satiation
2. A balance between relaxation and stimulation
3. An emotional balance
4. A balance between health and pleasure
5. A balance between the needs of the mother and
the needs of the child

One of the participants
claimed he drank
chocolate-milk in order
to reach a state of
"calm and pleasure" -
that is, chocolate-milk
helps the attainment of
relaxation.
Data
collection
using novel
methodologies
Reaching the consumers unconscious level
The human brain experiences and stores
many things, most are non-verbal:
visual images, sounds, emotions, tastes and smells.

Thoughts appear mainly as feelings or images.

Decision-making =
retrieval from the conscious memory +
integration with emotional-sensory memories.


Our goal:
To expose the emotional-sensorial elements that
is related to the research objectives
Research Methodology: Mini Focus Groups
4-6 participants.

Enjoy the best of both worlds:
Fully investigate each participant (like IDIs)
Healthy group dynamic
Data Collection

The use of Guided Imagery

Data
collection
Why Guided Imagery?
Guided imagery is based on 2 main elements:
Visualisation of situations
Simulation of the use of other senses

Using imagination to associatively raise unconscious thoughts:
To move from rational thought into greater activity of
emotions, imagination, and creativity.
To return to a childlike place: less superego - awareness and
control, and more emotions and self expression.
To weaken the rational and social group defences

Data
collection
Fantasy Groups - Diving into the unconscious
Relaxation
Guided imagery
Visual images
Sensory metaphors
Drawing
Guiding the participants to their unconscious
Data
collection
Therapeutic Psychological cards
We use therapeutic psychological cards, used by psychotherapists for
treating both children and adults to achieve the following advantages:
Portray various subjects and situations
Act as a bridge between rational, conscious processes and emotional
and unconscious processes.
Different card sets
According to the researchs objectives

For issues expected to raise deep
emotional negative feelings

For issues that are expected to
raise rich, creative imaginative
metaphors


When personification is needed


For issues that require abstract
projective associations:



Pre-Tasks


Conclusion: most answers illustrate the fear and uncertainty the participants feel about
shopping on the Internet. The source of apprehension is the feeling of lack of control.
Example from an Internet-shopping study
The task: Images that best represent the perception of Internet-shopping
"Question mark - I don't know
where my credit card would end
up in"
on - Origami box "
the one hand, it
reminds me of the
simplicity of ordering
something through the
Internet without the
need to leave the
house. On the other
hand, the worry that
you don't know what it
is that you actually
bought and what you'll
get was shown for
illustration purposes
only"
"Lost Israeli travelers in Bolivia - the Internet too is
a wild frontier - you can discover amazing things or
experience formidable ordeals"
"Cat in a bag -
(Hebrew expression)
"Internet-shopping for
me is a cat in a bag. I
never know what I am
going to get" (A Pig In a
Poke)
"A woman having the
world on her shoulders
makes me, as a woman, -
prefer the Internet option as
it is easy, fast and less time-
consuming"
Negative visual metaphors relating to Internet-shopping

The participants' spontaneous perceptions are plain to see using the five-senses test. As soon
as the participants were asked to refer to the primary associations concerning "Internet-
shopping" a picture of alienation, unfamiliarity, stress and the lack of human contact arose,
all causing confusion up to estrangement and avoidance.
Touch: glassware and monitors cold
and alienated - illusion, alienation
Touch: plastic, you are unable to touch
the truth, a lack of connection and
contact
Vision: pharmacy - all extremely sterile
Smell: many perfumes, all the
scents get mixed up and you
end up smelling nothing
Taste: heart Bursts - a
combination of pain and
pleasure
Vision: I'm late, I'm late -
stress, fear
Vision: the sales-
person is a robot
Sensorial metaphors
How does it work?
Integrated
conclusions

















A Study of Consumers' Choice of College
Emotional Brain
Primeval Brain
Higher Brain
A wish for higher education in subjects that
could ensure a future successful career.
Emphasis on students like me, good lecturers
and easy access to college.
Deep metaphors:
Journey: education is perceived as an internal
"journey" symbolising the transition into adulthood.
Transformation: Like a caterpillar developing into a
butterfly, so the young adult transforms into a
mature individual, confident they can meet lifes
challenges.






Emotional Command System:
Energy Balance System
High levels of anxiety caused by
fear of upsetting the status quo
and fear of failure.

Integrated
conclusions
To sum up
We cannot rely or be satisfied with conventional focus groups Q & As, that
are based on rational thought .
We need to get into the deeper unconscious brains of consumers in order to
understand their real motivations.
During many studies we conducted we have reached useful and improved
techniques to reach this goal and analise the findings.

Thank you for your
attention!