Comments on: Will everyone please stop saying neuro!

By: Jeremy Rosenberg

Jeremy Rosenberg — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:13:25 +0000

I studied psychology and cognitive neuroscience and so it seems especially obvious that all things we think and most things we do emanate from the brain and subsequently cause changes in the brain (i.e. experience, learning etc.). So identifying any changes before or after something, say an ad campaign, doesn’t necessarily explain it, but usually just describes it. As Harry says, those times when neuro is invoked to ‘explain’ something it’s usually nothing more than filling a gap with the seductive appeal of science – the fallacy of an appeal to authority.

By: Harry Brignull

Harry Brignull — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:05:56 +0000

Excellent link, thanks Mark!

By: Mark Parnell

Mark Parnell — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:47:28 +0000

Neurowash is popular purely because it sounds science-y, not because it provides data of any sort of reliability or quality. Vaughan Bell, as ever, puts it best over at Mind Hacks ; you generally get better data from just asking people how they think/feel, and you generally need to ask people to be able to interpret the EEG data - so why not just ask people?

By: Harry Brignull

Harry Brignull — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:24:10 +0000

I suddenly thought of Neuro Web Design *after* I hit publish. I really like that book – the only thing wrong with it is the title.

By: Laurence Veale

Laurence Veale — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:02:29 +0000

Read that book on Neuro-web design? Not a bad read. Plently of Chris Heathcote’s & Cennydd’s CS & SO in it too.

By: Cennydd

Cennydd — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:18:43 +0000

As Chris Heathcote tweeted yesterday: "Still have never seen a presentation on neuromarketing that wasn't common sense or snake oil."