Pros and cons of the different techniques

EEG, MEG, PET, fMRI, and body response measurement all require fairly complex techniques, specific expertise, and a somewhat longer time period for data acquisition than some traditional methods used in consumer and marketing research. They also differ from each other with respect to their advantages and disadvantages for research in this area.

In general, practicality and applicability are the major factors that determine the relative fit of these alternative measurement techniques to the research challenges of consumer and marketing research.  Marketers and product developers need reliable results, delivered in a timeframe that matches their development and rollout cycles, that are cost effective, and that can provide actionable results.

Of the techniques reviewed here, body response and brain-EEG measures match these requirements most closely.  They can be especially effective when used together, enabling multiple measurements to be compared and "triangulated," thereby providing more reliable and replicable results.

The other approaches play large roles in academic research and have generated theoretical and practical insights that continue to drive and inform research across the neuroscience field.  However, due to the limitations identified, they are not yet "ready for prime time" in the day-to-day world of consumer and market research.