Is your brain green? An ERP based study of consumers' choice over recycling services

It is well agreed that recycling of WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) is vital to the protection of the world's environment and resources. However, although the `green' concept has been adopted by many, recycling rate is lagged far behind, even by people who claim to be environmentalists. Our research explores this phenomenon from a neurological angle. In our study, 26 subjects were presented with different product service portfolios and were required to make purchase decisions, while the event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. As a result, P300 was identified with consumers reported with high green attitude and the amplitude of P300 was positively correlated with the green attitude level. The experiment result showed although green attitude didn't make a distinction over the final purchase decisions, it did formed different responding level in the early cognitive process in the brain.