Events Archives - Split Second Research https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/category/events/ Split Second Research is a neuromarketing research agency bringing you knowledge of your market and competitive advantage to your business Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:59:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-cropped-SSR_logo2-1-32x32.png Events Archives - Split Second Research https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/category/events/ 32 32 Can You Love and Hate the Same Thing? https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/2025/08/19/can-you-love-and-hate-the-same-thing/ Tue, 19 Aug 2025 13:36:54 +0000 https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/?p=7929 Ambivalence When Love and Hate Collide Contact our team Psychologists have long suspected that the human mind can be home to some awkward roommates – two attitudes toward the same thing that can’t quite agree. We call this ambivalence, and it shows up everywhere: from politics to pudding, from friendships to public figures. Love–Hate in …

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Ambivalence

When Love and Hate Collide

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Psychologists have long suspected that the human mind can be home to some awkward roommates - two attitudes toward the same thing that can’t quite agree. We call this ambivalence, and it shows up everywhere: from politics to pudding, from friendships to public figures.

Love–Hate in Everyday Life
  • A teenager may say they hate a parent for strict rules, yet feel deep love and dependence.
  • After betrayal, someone may still love a partner for the happy memories.
  • We admire an artist’s work but dislike their personal values.

But ambivalence doesn’t stop at people. Can we also love and hate a brand or product at the same time?

The Psychology of Ambivalence

  • Supporters’ View: Attitudinal ambivalence is a real psychological state — positive and negative evaluations co-exist and influence behaviour.
  • Skeptics’ View: “Contradiction” is an illusion, caused by measurement error, changing moods, or separate attitudes stored in memory.
  • Neuroscience Evidence: Brain regions for love and hate overlap, both triggering strong emotional arousal (Zeki & Romaya, 2008).
This tug-of-war often plays out across:
  • Explicit attitudes (what we say)
  • Implicit attitudes (what we feel automatically)
Research Insights
  • Wilson, Lindsey & Schooler (2000) – The Dual Attitude Model: explicit vs implicit attitudes can diverge.
  • Greenwald & Banaji (1995) – Implicit Social Cognition: hidden biases differ from reported views.
  • Hofmann et al. (2005) – Implicit–explicit divergence in consumer goods, even without social desirability pressures.

Ambivalence in Everyday Consumption

  • Car ownership – freedom vs expense, status vs environmental guilt.
  • Fast fashion – affordable trends vs ethical/environmental concerns.
  • Social media – connection and entertainment vs wasted time, fake news, privacy worries.
  • Food & lifestyle – joy of indulgence vs health risks and guilt.
Why This Matters for Brands
Shoppers are complex:
  • They complain about products they keep buying.
  • Loyal users can also be the harshest critics.
  • In our research, consumers often score brands high on love attributes (confidence, style, honesty) and high on hate attributes (not sustainable, not practical, not inclusive).
These contradictions are insights, not noise. Ignoring them means missing what truly drives behaviour.
Key Takeaway
Consumers can – and do – love and hate the same thing. To uncover these truths:
  • Measure both explicit attitudes (self-reports) and implicit attitudes (fast, instinctive responses).
  • Look beyond what consumers say they like to what their reaction times and behaviours reveal.
After all, the truth about brands may not lie in people’s words – it lies in their contradictions.
References
Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: Attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes. Psychological Review, 102(1), 4–27. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.102.1.4

Suggests that one “true” attitude exists, but explicit measures may differ from implicit ones due to self-presentation or awareness gaps.

Explicit Self-Report Measures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(10), 1369-1385. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205275613 (Original work published 2005)

Implicit attitudes (IAT) toward the same goods tended to skew more positive, suggesting that the negative side of ambivalence was less automatically activated. In contrast, brands with strong identity signalling (e.g., Nike vs. Adidas) often showed smaller implicit–explicit gaps — people’s brand preferences were more consistently positive or negative.

Nordgren, L. F., van Harreveld, F., & van der Pligt, J. (2006). Ambivalence, discomfort, and motivated information processing. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42(2), 252–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2005.04.004

Shows that contradictory attitudes trigger increased cognitive effort to resolve conflict.

Wilson, T. D., Lindsey, S., & Schooler, T. Y. (2000). A model of dual attitudes. Psychological Review, 107(1), 101–126. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.107.1.101

Apparent contradictions are explained as two attitudes existing in different memory systems, only one of which is active at a given moment.

van Harreveld, F., van der Pligt, J., & de Liver, Y. N. (2009). The agony of ambivalence and ways to resolve it: Introducing the MAID model. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 13(1), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868308324518

Ambivalence leads to discomfort, motivating attitude change, information seeking, or avoidance.

Zeki, S., & Romaya, J. P. (2008). Neural correlates of hate. PLoS ONE, 3(10), e3556. 

Research shows that love and hate share two areas of the brain, namely the putamen and the insula.

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]]> Exhibiting at Hereford and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce Business Expo https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/2023/11/09/exhibiting-at-hereford-and-worcestershire-chamber-of-commerce-business-expo/ Thu, 09 Nov 2023 13:37:07 +0000 https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/?p=6556 Our Split Second Research team had a fantastic time exhibiting at Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce Business Expo earlier this month. At the expo, we had the pleasure of getting to know other brilliant businesses and exhibitors and made some fantastic connections. Our exhibit showcased our latest wearable EEG brainwave-testing headset that we used for our …

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November 9, 2023
Charlotte Fulcher
Exhibiting at Hereford and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce Business Expo

Our Split Second Research team had a fantastic time exhibiting at Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce Business Expo earlier this month.

At the expo, we had the pleasure of getting to know other brilliant businesses and exhibitors and made some fantastic connections.

Our exhibit showcased our latest wearable EEG brainwave-testing headset that we used for our Lyle’s Golden Syrup taste study “Turning Breakfast Sounds into Music”  see article.

Our EEG headset is one of our incredible Biometric testing tools which can measure brain activity, helping us deeper understand how something is truly perceived by consumers.

Learn more about our Biometrics testing
methods and tools here.

We look forward to the next chance to exhibit!

#HWChamberExpo
#HWChamber
#BusinessExpo 
#MarketResearch
#BrandAssociation
#SplitSecondResearch
#WearableEEG 
#Neuroscience 
#Neuromarketing

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There’s a gap in most markets that doesn’t show up in product specs or competitive audits. It lives in the consumer’s mind, and it is the space between what people are looking for from a brand and what they actually perceive the brands around them to deliver.
That gap is called a brand gap, and finding it is

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April 7, 2026

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]]> H&W Chamber of Commerce Expo on the 12th of October 2023 https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/2023/08/07/hw-chamber-of-commerce-business-expo/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:05:44 +0000 https://splitsecondresearch.co.uk/?p=6188 12th October 2023 Upcoming Event: Exhibiting at Hereford & Worcester Chamber of Commerce Business Expo Find Split Second Research exhibiting at the H&W Chamber of Commerce

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12th October 2023

Upcoming Event: Exhibiting at Hereford & Worcester Chamber of Commerce Business Expo

h&w chamber of commerce business expo Split Second research exhibiting

Find Split Second Research exhibiting at the H&W Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on the 12th October 2023 at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern

h&w chamber of commerce business expo Split Second research exhibiting

Split Second Research are pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at HW Chamber of Commerce Business Expo. Our stand will showcase cutting-edge technologies, which we believe have revolutionised market research and provide valuable insights into consumer behaviour. 

Through innovative methodologies, we aim to obtain objective data without relying on direct questions, thereby minimizing biases and narrowing the truth gap.

In this event, we will demonstrate how advanced technologies, data analytics and artificial intelligence techniques have enabled us to analyse consumer behaviour effectively and provide meaningful insights.

We will demonstrate how advanced technologies, such as EEG, Biomedical Watches such as Empatica and our DIY and DIT market research platforms and apps have enabled us to successfully analyse consumer behaviour, bringing us closer to the truth. 

See some of our published case studies here: The Sound of Golden Syrup and The Science Behind A Perfect Day Out at Alton Towers.

Additionally, at our stand, we will be able to demonstrate and delve into the power of neuromarketing, a cutting-edge field that utilises neuroscience to understand the subconscious drivers behind consumer decisions. By tapping into brain activity and physiological responses, we can gain deeper insights into how consumers truly feel about products and services without relying solely on verbal feedback.

Our objective is to empower businesses with data-driven insights that transcend traditional survey-based approaches, ensuring greater reliability and relevance. By embracing these new technologies, companies can make well-informed decisions, create products that truly resonate with their target audiences, and ultimately build stronger and more authentic connections with their customers.

Join us for this exciting event as we unveil the future of market research—a future where biases are minimised, truth is revealed, and businesses can thrive in a world driven by genuine consumer understanding.

Free to attend, save time on the day by pre-registering and having a badge ready printed for you to collect at reception.

With over 120 exhibitors from lots of business sectors, a dedicated Networking Zone with free tea and coffee kindly supplied by Brookes Catering – don’t miss the chance to raise your profile with others in the Herefordshire & Worcestershire business community.

This is the go-to event for anyone starting or growing a business as well as for business professionals looking to improve skills and develop key relationships through networking.

See More: Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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