Capturing the consumer’s unconscious: Applying the implicit association test in consumer research

Lauren is taking part in a study on “consumer preferences”. On the surface, the study seems straightforward. Lauren is given 12 dierent pairs of teas to smell. Each time, she must say which tea she prefers. A few times, Lauren is given back the tea she said she preferred. After smelling it once again, she is then asked to explain why she preferred it. The experimenter, Sam, makes a note of which tea Lauren picks on each trial, and the reasons she gives for preferring some over others.