Predictive Value of Body Posture and Pupil Dilation in Assessing Consumer Preference and Choice

In neuroeconomics and neuromarketing, the assessment of arousal has become a key measure in our effort to understand the basic mechanisms of value-based choice. Whereas neurophysiological responses such as pupil dilation and galvanic skin response (GSR) have provided a significant explanatory value in the mechanisms of decision-making, other, less known physiological responses indicators, such as body posture, may provide additional valuable insight into decision-making processes. Here, we report the results from two separate high-resolution eye-tracking studies in which pupil dilation and body posture provide both independent and interacting contributions in predicting preference judgments and choice. These results suggest an improved assessment and prediction of choice by using a combination of pupil dilation and posture, relative to only employing 1 of the measures. However, the use of this combined measure needs to be employed with care, as the dynamic relationship between pupil size and posture is affected by different categories of stimuli, in particular, fashion brands, and wine brand logos. We discuss these findings in light of the academic and commercial call for neuroimaging and physiology measures that can predict and explain the mechanisms underlying preference formation and value-based choice.