Reaction Time Tests (RT): implicit attitude measurement
Brands exist as a collection of memories represented in the brain by a network of associations. Attitudes, colours, shapes, images, sounds constructed and reinforced, or eroded, by exposure to advertising, experiences, what people say and so on. All of this influences how we make decisions. The stronger the link between these associations the faster we can access them: this is how brands become shortcuts in decision-making. RT reflects the strength and accessibility of the attitudes. It shows the emotional certainty of the expressed attitudes, allows us to tap into respondents’ beliefs and emotional opinions. It also indicates how likely the attitude is going to be translated into actual behaviour.