How valid are response-time measures for capturing implicit brand attitudes?

With the advent of neuroscientific approaches in marketing and consumer research, implicit processes—processes consumers may not be aware of and therefore cannot deliberately report—have received increased attention (e.g., Bridger, 2015; Gattol et al., 2011; Scheier and Held, 2006). As neuroscientific methods such as EEG and fMRI are very cost- and time intensive, and even heart rate and skin conductance measurements cannot be applied in online questionnaires due to their dependence on sensor equipment, implicit measures based on response times may offer an efficient alternative route to capturing implicit attitudes (Scheier, 2006). These indirect question techniques augur access to consumers’ unconscious attitudes, but without the need for invasive physiological measurements and expensive equipment.