All 2 entries tagged Cognitive Psychology

People are split 50/50 in how we decide similarity. Half feature based & half thematic.

Writing about web page http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/research_finds_split

Reseach by Dr Zachary Estes of our Psychology department has split all of us down the middle on our perception of similarity. Half link thematically; crown and Queen and half by feature, crown and hat.

Initially the proportions were 46% thematic and 31% feature based.

Further experiments indeed showed that there was a group of people who rushed into a decision and tended to chose a theme based similarity and that there was a second group of people that thought about things a little more chose a physical feature based similarity. However what was most surprising was that the Warwick researchers found a third group of people that also thought about things a little more and yet still always chose a theme based similarity. That left an overall split in the population of around 50% who were more thoughtful and chose a physical feature based similarity (such as net and rope) and another 50% for who always went for the thematic option (net and fish) whether they used instinct or deeper thought.

The press release presents this as a discovery that can double the opportunities for pay-per-click Adwords marketing for cake – cookie or biscuit and cake – birthday. Actually split-testing Adwords professionals have discovered these two ways of association a long time ago. This peer-reviewed research will help inform search advertisers however. It confirms not ony that we are split 50/50 but that there are 3 groups when you record their instinctive and thoughtful responses.

Robert McGonigle : 06 Oct 2008 16:48 |  Tags: Adwords Cognitive Psychology Psychology Similarity Perception |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Want to ask a Big Favour? Ask for a little one first!

Writing about web page http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/

I was checking out the websites where our Adwords campaign for Neuromarketing 2008 were showing and was taken back to the Neurosciencemarketing Blog . The latest entry by Roger Dooley describes two experiments that showed that the best way to get a stranger to do you a big favour was to ask for a little one first.

His second case taken from the book, right, described how residents were persuaded to put 6×3 foot ‘Drive Carefully’ signs in their front gardens. Going straight in produced a commendable 17% success rate in an upmarket area. Asking to put a small sticker in the window first with the same message produces almost total acceptance but remarkably, 2 weeks later, 76% of these agreed to the big signs that needed holes in their lawns. Over 4 times the success rate just by asking for the little thing first. Why?

The psychology seemed to be a sort of subconscious feeling that having granted one request, it would be consistent to grant a somewhat bigger one.
(Roger Dooley )

We can also think about how our human collaborative evolution is built upon building relationships. I wonder if this two stage process also helps the requester. Even researchers cold calling need to build themselves up. We all put off asking for that big important deliverable. Does having a smaller thing to ask for first allow us to ask quicker and more naturally?

Of course the email autoresponder marketing experts have been up-selling using this phased ‘foot in the door’ for years.

If you are involved in a charity or need help for a big event check up the whole entry. It was certainly food for thought.

Robert McGonigle : 11 Sep 2008 11:14 |  Tags: Charity Cognitive Psychology Giving Neuroimaging Neuromarketing Neuroscience |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem