Abstract
This study explored brain responses to images that exploit incongruity as a creative technique, often used in advertising (i.e., surrealistic images). We hypothesized that these images would reveal responses akin to cognitive conflict resulting from incongruent trials in typical laboratory tasks (i.e., Stroop Task). Indeed, in many surrealistic images, common visual elements are juxtaposed to create un-ordinary associations with semantically conflicting representations. We expected that these images engage the conflict processing network that has been described in cognitive neuroscience theories. We addressed this hypothesis by measuring the power of mid-frontal Theta oscillations using EEG while participants watched images through a social media-like interface. Incongruent images, compared to controls, produced a significant Theta power increase, as predicted from the cognitive conflict theory. We also found increased memory for incongruent images one week after exposure, compared to the controls. These findings provide evidence for the incongruent images to effectively engage the viewer's cognitive control and boost memorability. The results of this study provide validation of cognitive theories in real-life scenarios (i.e., surrealistic ads or art) and offer insights regarding the use of neural correlates as effectiveness metrics in advertising.
Highlights
Surrealistic techniques, an outgrowth of the early 20th-century artistic movement, make a point of deliberately defying reason
Surrealistic techniques have had a profound influence in film, visual arts and in advertising, where they have become a form of communication strategy [1,2]
We found significant differences between incongruent and control images in frontal-medial Theta power between 370 ms and 710 ms, with 18 consecutive significant points, revealing that looking at incongruent images was associated with a higher Theta power compared to controls
Summary
Surrealistic techniques, an outgrowth of the early 20th-century artistic movement, make a point of deliberately defying reason. Cognitive conflict is defined as “the simultaneous activation of incompatible and competing representations” [3] It is typically tested in well-controlled laboratory protocols such as the Stroop task [4], the Simon task [5] or the Flanker task [6], which notably produce consistent behavioral [7] and physiological outcomes [8,9,10]. The impact of surrealistic ads on memory has been only tested in a seminal study by Homer & Kahle (1986) using a free-recall test They found that participants who saw surrealistic ads were less inclined to errors, compared to a control group, supporting the proposal that surrealistic images strengthen memory. The advertising industry often exploits conflict to boost memorability, our study seems to be the first that addresses this assumption from a neuroscientific perspective, combining electrophysiological and behavioral responses in a hypothesis-driven manner
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