An Introduction to Consumer Neuroscience & Neuromarketing (Coursera)

An Introduction to Consumer Neuroscience & Neuromarketing (Coursera)

How do we make decisions as consumers? What do we pay attention to, and how do our initial responses predict our final choices? To what extent are these processes unconscious and cannot be reflected in overt reports? This course will provide you with an introduction to some of the most basic methods in the emerging fields of consumer neuroscience and neuromarketing. You will learn about the methods employed and what they mean. You will learn about the basic brain mechanisms in consumer choice, and how to stay updated on these topics. The course will give an overview of the current and future uses of neuroscience in business.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
What is Neuromarketing all About?
We first need to define the field – what are the key concepts, what are the key methods and reasons for employing neuroscience to study consumers and communication effects? In this module, we will introduce the topic and how some specific studies provide key insights into what neuroscience has to offer in relationship with more traditional methods.

WEEK 2
Attention & Consciousness
In the second module of this course we are turning to the functions of the brain, and we will first focus on attention and consciousness. This module will focus on some key concepts in attention and consciousness.

WEEK 3
Sensory Neuromarketing
In this module we will have contents filled on the topic of sensory neuromarketing. How are our senses affected differently as consumers? What can you do to organise your communications to better use all the senses? How does the brain actually use the senses? What tools do we have for assessing the use of senses, and how they affect consumers?

WEEK 4
Emotions & Feelings, Wanting & Liking
In this module, everything is about emotions and feelings, and the relationship between emotions and preference.
As we will see, our minds have a dual side: a conscious and an unconscious response and motivation, which are crucial to understanding consumer preference and choice. Indeed, unconscious emotional responses may turn out to be driving consumer choice to the same - or even larger - degree than conscious feelings. Are conscious feelings a mere after-the-fact rationalization upon conscious choice?

WEEK 5
Learning & Memory
This module will focus on Learning & Memory. We will determine not only that there are multiple kinds of memory, but that they also serve multiple purposes. If anything, learning is the vehicle we need to understand the most in consumer behaviour. What causes memory, and can we be affected unconsciously by our memories? How can we measure memory effects, and what is the relationship between brand equity and the brain?
This module, we also have an interview with Prof. Richard Silberstein, who shares his view on neuromarketing and consumer neuroscience. Prof. Silberstein is the Founder and chairman of the neuromarketing company Neuro-Insight.

WEEK 6
Neuroethics and Consumer Aberrations
This module, we will focus on both the ethics of neuromarketing, as well as aberrant consumer behaviours. We see that consumer choice can sometimes become the centre focus on a person's life, be it pathological gambling, "shopaholism" or digital dependencies. This module, we will focus on some of these issues, and combine them with the ethical aspects that we face when talking neuro. This module we also end off with two interviews: one with Prof. Jan Trzaskowksi at the CBS, who is working on marketing and the law, where we discuss what the ethical and legal aspects of neuromarketing is. As you will see, Jan has a very particular take on this that I am sure you will find interesting. Our second interview is with Carl Marci, who is the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Innerscope Research on his background and their take on neuromarketing and consumer neuroscience.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Computational Neuroscience (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Computational Neuroscience (Coursera)

This course provides an introduction to basic computational methods for understanding what nervous systems do and for determining how they function. We will explore the computational principles governing various aspects of vision, sensory-motor control, learning, and memory. Specific topics that will be covered include representation of information by spiking neurons, processing of information in neural networks, and algorithms for adaptation and learning.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Les partenariats qui changent le monde : alliances innovantes entre entreprises et associations (Coursera) Coursera
ESSEC Business School

Les partenariats qui changent le monde : alliances innovantes entre entreprises et associations (Coursera)

Ce MOOC, crée en partenariat avec Le RAMEAU, a pour vocation de vous aider à mieux appréhender la dynamique des partenariats entre entreprises et associations. Que vous soyez une entreprise responsable, soucieuse d’avoir un impact positif sur votre communauté, une association désireuse d’augmenter votre impact, ou si vous êtes tout simplement curieux de comprendre pourquoi est-ce que secteur privé lucratif et structures d’intérêt général travaillent ensemble, ce MOOC est fait pour vous !

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Moving to the Cloud (Coursera) Coursera
University of Melbourne

Moving to the Cloud (Coursera)

The cloud is taking business by storm. In fact, due to the extraordinary growth of the cloud, it has been described as a tornado, not a fluffy white floating object! Commercial research analysts consider cloud as one of the most significant trends with a potential to change the whole global IT industry. Governments, including those in the US, Britain, and Australia, have cloud-first policies now in place which mandate cloud over non-cloud services in ICT procurement.

Aug 24th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Negocios Internacionales I (Coursera) Coursera
University of New Mexico

Negocios Internacionales I (Coursera)

Vivimos en un mundo cada vez mas globalizado, en el cual el éxito en los negocios internacionales se ha convertido en el factor determinante del desarrollo económico y la prosperidad. Esta materia, Entorno Global de Negocios, Parte I, introduce al alumno a una comprensión fundamental del entorno político, cultural, lingüística y socio-económico en el cual opera una empresa internacional.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Strategy and Sustainability (Coursera) Coursera
IESE Business School

Strategy and Sustainability (Coursera)

Business and environmental sustainability are not natural bedfellows. Business is about making money. Sustainability is about protecting the planet. Business is measured in months and quarters. Sustainability often requires significant short term costs to secure a sometimes uncertain long-term benefit. To some activists, all executives are exploitative, selfish one percenters. To some executives, all activists are irresponsible, unyielding extremists.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector, Nonprofit Organizations, Nonprofit Leadership and Governance (Coursera) Coursera
The State University of New York

Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector, Nonprofit Organizations, Nonprofit Leadership and Governance (Coursera)

This course introduces you to the nonprofit sector, nonprofit organizations, and the concepts of leadership and governance. While this course has been developed with North American culture in mind, we do appreciate that in other parts of the world the nature of the nonprofit sector, nonprofit organizations, nonprofit leadership and governance may not be the same. Nevertheless, it is our hope that much of the course content will still be of value to those in other parts of the world.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Investment Management in an Evolving and Volatile World by HEC Paris and AXA Investment Managers (Coursera) Coursera
HEC Paris

Investment Management in an Evolving and Volatile World by HEC Paris and AXA Investment Managers (Coursera)

Have you ever wanted to invest in financial markets, but were always afraid that you didn’t have the proper tools or knowledge to make informed decisions? Have you ever wondered how investment management companies operate and what fund managers do? AXA Investment Managers, in partnership with HEC Paris, will introduce you to the most important ideas and concepts in investment management, to help you better understand your financial future.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
International Business I (Coursera) Coursera
University of New Mexico

International Business I (Coursera)

We live in a world of intensifying global relationships, one in which international business has become the key determinant of economic development and prosperity. This course, Global Business Environment, Part I, introduces students to a fundamental understanding of the socioeconomic political, cultural, and linguistic environment in which international businesses operate.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Managing Social and Human Capital (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Managing Social and Human Capital (Coursera)

Based on their popular course at Wharton, this course will teach you how to motivate individual performance and design reward systems, how to design jobs and organize work for high performance, how to make good and timely management decisions, and how to design and change the your organization’s architecture. By the end of this course, you'll have developed the skills you need to start motivating, organizing, and rewarding people in your organization so that you can thrive as a business and as a social organization.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Management of Urban Infrastructures – part 1 (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Management of Urban Infrastructures – part 1 (Coursera)

Sustainability, Resilience and Efficiency are fundamental considerations for city managers in managing urban infrastructures. Today, more than 3.9 billion people, making up more than 54% of the global population, live in cities. Urbanization is expected to continue in the coming years, raising the urban population to 6.0 billion by 2045. This dramatic increase in urban populations will inevitably increase the demand for energy, mobility (transportation), water, and other urban services in every city around the world. Without functional governance and management structures that ensure efficient, resilient and sustainable performance in cities, the current urbanization growth might become a catastrophic risk threatening the quality of life of the humanity.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Ethical Leadership Through Giving Voice to Values (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Ethical Leadership Through Giving Voice to Values (Coursera)

This course offers an action-oriented introduction to Giving Voice to Values (or GVV), an exciting new approach to values-driven leadership development in the workplace, in business education and in life. GVV is not about persuading people to be more ethical, but instead it starts from the premise that most of us already want to act on our values, but that we also want to feel that we have a reasonable chance of doing so effectively.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks