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

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.

7 Deep Metaphors
more developed and
abstract unconscious
guidance structures that
affect perceptions, emotions
and behaviours
(Prof Gerald Zaltman)

Higher Brain
Emotional Brain
Primeval
Brain

7 Emotional
Command Systems
Basic motivations
required for survival
(Dr Jaak Panksepp)

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.

"You need to doublecheck the banks'

offers - the bank is
like a snake, you
never know where
it'll get you"

"Spiders weave webs

to attract prey. I
think the consumers
are prey"

"Something
unexpected - only
after you remove
the mask do you
discover the catch"

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.
2.
3.
4.
5.

A balance between hunger and satiation

A balance between relaxation and stimulation
An emotional balance
A balance between health and pleasure
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

Data Collection
The use of Guided Imagery

Why Guided Imagery?

Data
collection

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

Fantasy Groups - Diving into the unconscious

Data
collection

Guiding the participants to their unconscious

Relaxation
Guided imagery
Visual images
Sensory metaphors
Drawing

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
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"

"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)

"Origami box - on
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"

"A woman having the

world on her shoulders
- makes me, as a woman,
prefer the Internet option as
it is easy, fast and less timeconsuming"

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.

Sensorial metaphors
Negative visual metaphors relating to Internet-shopping
Touch: glassware and monitors cold
and alienated - illusion, alienation

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: the salesperson is a robot

Touch: plastic, you are unable to touch

the truth, a lack of connection and
contact

Vision: pharmacy - all extremely sterile

Vision: I'm late, I'm late stress, fear

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 "Internetshopping" a picture of alienation, unfamiliarity, stress and the lack of human contact arose,
all causing confusion up to estrangement and avoidance.

How does it work?

Integrated
conclusions

A Study of Consumers' Choice of College

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.

Emotional Brain
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.

Primeval Brain
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!