**5. Conclusion**

64 Infrared Spectroscopy – Life and Biomedical Sciences

lobe was correlated with impression and WTU; under the written condition, brain activation in the right superior frontal lobe was correlated with impression and WTU. Under the application condition, brain activation in the right superior frontal and parietal areas were related to impression and WTU. Under the smell and touch conditions, activation in the left

Three different trends emerged from comparisons among areas showing statistically significant activation while the subjects performed tasks (Fig. 5). Statistically significant correlations related to subjective rating are shown in Figure 6. The first trend involved the statistically significant relationship between channels and brain activation during tasks but did not include a correlation with subjective ratings. Most channels followed this trend (86% of all channels). The second trend involved a statistically significant relationship between channel and brain activation during tasks and a significant correlation with subjective ratings. Only a few channels followed the second trend; one channel followed it under the written condition, two followed it under the smell condition, and five followed under the application condition. The third trend involved statistically non-significant relationships between channels and brain activation during a task but included significant correlations with subjective ratings. Thus, brain activations following the first and third trends showed

In the current experiment, participants learned about a facial cream in five different ways while their brain activity was monitored. They then rated their impressions and WTU the facial cream. The results suggested that different ways of learning about a facial cream activated different brain areas. Moreover, some channels showed a correlation between

Many studies have suggested that WTP judgments are based on activation in the medial OFC. Because this area is not on the brain surface, it is difficult to monitor this activation with NIRS. We have shown that brain activation in the right superior frontal and the left and right parietal lobes was related to WTU. Because of the limitations of NIRS measurements, it is unclear whether the medial OFC was activated in the current

Participants with different nationalities and different cultural backgrounds are expected to have different styles of thinking. A number of studies have suggested that people from different cultures have different cognitive processing styles (e.g., North Americans attend to focal objects more than do East Asians). Although these cultural differences may cause the correlations between brain activations and subjective ratings to differ among cultures, our

and right parietal lobes was related to impression and WTU.

**3.5 Brain activation by subjective ratings and/or by task** 

stronger influences on subjective ratings.

brain activation and subjective ratings.

experiments and related to WTU judgments.

**4. Discussion** 

**4.1 Summary of results** 

**4.2 Relationship with WTP** 

**4.3 Difference by race** 

The current study was to investigate the relationship between different ways of learning about a cosmetic and brain activations. In the current experiment, participants learned about a facial cream in five different ways while their brain activity was monitored, and then rated their impressions and WTU on the facial cream. The results suggested that different ways of learning about a facial cream activated different brain areas. Moreover, some channels showed a correlation between brain activation and subjective ratings.
