top of page

Lab Blog

Search

The Conscious and the Subconscious: An Introduction to Neuro-Information Systems

  • dbacic47
  • Apr 10
  • 5 min read

Updated: Apr 12

Author: Jillian Rossman


How trustworthy do you believe self-reports and surveys are in a study? For decades, Information Systems (IS) research focused solely on traditional methods such as self-reports, surveys, interviews, and archival data analysis. Neuro-Information Systems (Neuro-IS) combines neuroscience imaging techniques to answer IS research questions. In this article, we will go over what Information Systems and Neuro-Information Systems are, as well as Neuro-Information Systems’ use-cases and future in IS research.


What is Information Systems?

Before we get into Neuro-Information Systems, we need to be on the same page about what an information system actually is. Pace University defines an information system as: “an integrated set of components that collects, stores, processes, and outputs information to support an organization’s activities and decisions.” A key feature of an information system is integration. Information systems consist of hardware, software, databases, networks, processes, and people that must all work together to achieve efficient business outcomes. Efficient information systems enable collaboration, support business needs, and provide decision-makers with important information.

 

An example of an information system is a Customer Relationship Management System (CRM). CRMs, such as Salesforce CRM, are used to monitor customer interactions throughout the sales pipeline, allowing people across the organization to track sales and revenue.

 

IS research investigates how humans, technology, and information interact. It focuses on researching how to make these interactions more seamless and better meet business needs. A related field is User Experience (UX) Design. There are often many overlaps between the two, since UX Design focuses on creating systems that are intuitive and easy to use. For example, with the rise of electronic commerce, website design is an important topic for IS researchers. Findings from web design experiments can help inform better UX Design to increase sales or website interaction.

 

With the rise of AI, people are now interacting with more intelligent systems. The impact of AI on information and users is a new and exciting area of study. AI can help automate routine tasks, process unstructured data, and revolutionize information management.


What is Neuro-Information Systems?

Now that we know what an Information System is, we can understand how Neuro-IS builds off of IS research. Neuro-IS utilizes neuroscience knowledge and tools to investigate IS topics. The NeuroIS Society highlights that common topics include the following: “employment of neuroscience and neurophysiological methods and tools to study technology adoption, mental workload, Web site design, virtual worlds, technostress, emotions in human–computer interaction, e-commerce, social networks, information behavior, trust, IT security, usability, avatars, music and user interfaces, multitasking, memory, attention, IS design science, software development, risk, knowledge processes, and business process modeling and enterprise systems.” Suffice it to say, Neuro-IS can offer a lot to IS research.

 

That’s because Neuro-IS isn’t a subset of IS research, but rather a supplemental research method. Neuro-IS uses bio-signals to investigate “subconscious” physiological responses that people exhibit when interacting with technology and information. Bio-signals include EEG, skin conductance, eye-tracking, and more. These data points are important because they capture the user’s initial biological response, which they may not even be aware of.

 

The potential of this research method is incredible, but it is not a replacement for or an alternative to traditional IS methods. In fact, researchers have found that when Neuro-IS methods are combined with traditional IS methods, the insights are better than when either is used alone. Additionally, Neuro-IS can allow for further clarity on existing theories and constructs. Neuroimaging may even challenge existing theories and force researchers to develop better constructs that align with biological reality.


“By directly asking the brain, not the person, neuroimaging techniques allow an objective, eligible and unbiased measurement of thoughts, beliefs, and feelings.” (Dimoka et al., 2007)


Where is Neuro-Information Systems being Applied?

Example 1: Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce)

E-commerce has been the subject of IS research for years, and neuroimaging can enhance existing IS literature. Shopping online is inherently risky. You can’t see the person you’re buying from, you can’t touch the item you’re buying, and you can’t even take the product home immediately. Platforms need to build trust, reduce uncertainty, and eliminate ambiguity to drive sales.

 

A typical IS study might include subjects who look at different webpages and fill out a survey about their likes, dislikes, and ease of use. What Neuro-IS does is add bio-sensors to verify whether their conscious self agrees with their subconscious self. Are subjects looking at images or menu bars? How much information is too much? Is there a certain section or feature creating overload? Rather than asking in retrospect, neuroimaging allows researchers to observe phenomena in real time. There are parts of the brain linked to certain emotions. For example, risk activates the nucleus accumbens, and uncertainty activates the prefrontal and parietal cortex. By seeing which parts of the brain light up when users interact with technology, companies can create platforms that work with the brain rather than against it.


Example 2: Technostress

A key example of how Neuro-IS can elevate a study is in the topic of technostress. Researchers describe the “tip of the iceberg” in relation to technostress. Studies that didn’t use Neuro-IS may have missed substantial information by focusing only on the conscious mind. When it comes to emotions and stress, it is crucial to use biosensors because people may not be aware of how technology is affecting them.

 

A 2014 study (Tams et al., 2014) found that people can be biologically stressed at an unconscious level without consciously realizing it. Specifically, with respect to technostress, biological and cognitive measures can diverge. This is an example of how Neuro-IS can benefit studies that use it alongside traditional methods. With only conscious metrics, a whole world is left undiscovered. However, if we relied solely on bio signals, we wouldn’t understand the full story of the subject’s experience. Neuro-IS is best when used as another tool in an IS study.


The Future of Neuro-IS

As with many disciplines, AI will be the focal point of future IS and Neuro-IS research. Research on behalf of AI companies and research into the impact of AI on people will be a field of interest over the next few years.

 

Neuroimaging tools are becoming cheaper and more consumer-friendly. For example, subjects can now wear eye-tracking glasses or attention-analyzing headphones. These inventions will help subjects feel more at ease. The data and insights from these newer studies will further simulate people’s everyday realities and reactions. The subconscious mind is powerful and still underrepresented in research.


Conclusions

Information Systems regards the interaction between people, information, and technology. With the rise of AI, people are interacting with more data and technology than ever before. Exploring the effects of these advanced systems through traditional self-reports alone is insufficient. When traditional methods are used in conjunction with Neuro-IS methods such as eye-tracking or EEG, the findings can be more robust and realistic. This can help those designing technology create better, more intuitive systems for their end users.

 

Neuro-IS is relatively new but has a bright future, especially as neuroimaging tools become more available and affordable



Interested in Learning More?


References

  1. Dimoka, A., Pavlou, P. A., Davis, F. D. (2007). NEURO-IS: The Potential of Cognitive Neuroscience for Information Systems Research. Information Technology Research Institute.

  2. Eschenheimer, R. (2018). Understanding the difference between UI and UX design. Wix Marketing. https://www.wix.com/blog/understanding-difference-ui-ux-design

  3.  NeuroIS Society. What is NeuroIS?. (2025). NeuroIS.org. https://www.neurois.org/what-is-neurois/

  4.  Pace University. What Are Information Systems? Definitions, Examples & Career Paths. (2026). Pace University New York. https://www.pace.edu/news/what-is-information-systems

  5.  Pruitt, R. (2024). The Influence of AI in Information Management. VRC. https://vitalrecordscontrol.com/resources/information-management-and-content-services-solutions/the-influence-of-ai-on-information-management/

  6.  Tams, S., Hill, K., Guinea, A. O., Thatcher, J., Grover, V. (2014). NeuroIS—Alternative or Complement to Existing Methods? Illustrating the Holistic Effects of Neuroscience and Self-Reported Data in the Context of Technostress Research. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 15(10).

Comments

bottom of page