A current idea about the persistence of tinnitus is that fixation of this phantom auditory perception in the central auditory system may be influenced by attention to it. The present study investigated the mechanisms of involuntary attention and analysed performance in categorising sounds in tinnitus, simulated-tinnitus and control subjects. The sounds were presented in one ear and were preceded by presentation of frequent and deviant stimuli in the other ear. The results showed classical attention capture by deviant stimuli. In addition, the unilateral tinnitus subjects responded more accurately in the tinnitus ear than in the non-tinnitus ear. In contrast, the ‘simulated-tinnitus’ group showed no difference in the results between the ear where the tinnitus simulation was presented and the opposite ear. These findings suggest a difficulty in attention directing when the attention location coincides with the tinnitus ear and provides evidence for an attention focus on the tinnitus ear.

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We investigated the effects of angry prosody, varying focus of attention, and laterality of presentation of angry prosody on peripheral nervous system activity. Participants paid attention to either their left or their right ear while performing a sex discrimination task on dichotically presented pseudo-words. These pseudo-words were characterized by either angry or neutral prosody and presented stereophonically (anger/neutral, neutral/anger, or neutral/neutral, for the left/ right ear, respectively). Reaction times and physiological responses (heart period, skin conductance, finger and forehead temperature) in this study were differentially sensitive to the effects of anger versus neutral prosody, varying focus of attention, and laterality of presentation of angry prosody.

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International audience– This paper aims to investigate the impact of brand attachment and familiarity on perceived congruence between the logo and the brand.It explores the role of an under-researched factor, surprise, on perceived congruence in the case of a radical logo change.Design/methodology/approach – A study was conducted with 220 students following a university logo change. Perceived congruence betweenthe logos (old and new) and the school brand values was measured for two kinds of students, current and future (i.e. applicants).Findings – Results show the importance of surprise in the acceptance of a logo change. Brand familiarity and brand attachment affect surprise inopposite ways, such that higher familiarity increases negative surprise, whereas higher attachment enhances positive surprise.Research limitations/implications – This research used a school logo. Because schools represent a particular type of company, brand attachmentto another type of brand could be different. The current model needs to be tested in different contexts.Practical implications – Companies must pay special attention when communicating with their most attached consumers. In particular, companiesthat aim to change their logos must prepare for the change by relying on communications that can lead to positive surprise.Originality/value – This study was conducted in a real context of logo change. It is the first study to focus on the link among familiarity, attachmentand surprise when a radical logo change takes place within a company

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Skin whitening has been studied mainly using a postcolonial attitude analysis emphasizing conscious reasons behind skin bleaching. Studies dedicated to gaining a rich understanding of nonconscious motivations for skin whitening are scarce, especially in Asia. Therefore, two studies were conducted by using an innovative mix of research protocols to access to both conscious and nonconscious motivations. The studies were conducted among 92 female regular skin whitening users, aged 18-24 years, in Bangkok, Thailand. Study 1, among 42 women, used three-combined qualitative research techniques of laddering, projective technique, and photo elicitation. Study 2 was conducted among 50 women to quantitatively test nonconscious motives implicitly associated with different white skin tones. The results revealed that motives are not linked to westernization. In a very competitive environment, light skin is seen as a strategic method to maintain men's loyalty, enhance self-esteem, and guarantee career success. Managerial and methodological implications for marketers are discussed.

Many physiological functions, such as the digestive function, are broad, complex scientific topics. Therefore, to build relevant, accessible claims about functional foods that relate to these functions, marketers need to understand what consumers know about them, in terms of the associated symptoms, diseases and health benefits. Such knowledge cannot be captured effectively through direct questioning; it requires implicit testing that can limit biases and reveal unconscious knowledge. For this study, 240 consumers were invited to participate in an implicit lexical decision task via an online platform, and their responses reveal that the concept of ‘immunity’ is associated in mothers' minds with three symptoms related to their personal experiences with their children. By measuring associations that emerge without pre-existing rational processes, this implicit measure offers a more precise picture of the semantic network for immunity, which consumers could not express explicitly in response to direct questioning. Thus the recommended protocol is not only new to market research but also adds substantial value to the tests that currently serve to dig into consumers' minds.