Visually impaired people and grocery shopping in store: first evidence from brain oscillations electroencephalogram

Grocery shopping represents a challenging task for visually impaired (VI), but the neuroscientific literature on the consumption patterns of this group is still scarce. The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between explicit consumer experience and neuropsychological measures. A group of VI and sighted explored and manipulated three different product categories inside the supermarket, while EEG, behavioral and self-report data were collected. Electroencephalogram (EEG) findings showed a generalized delta band activity in pasta compared to frozen food and it was interpreted as higher emotional activation probably required by selecting the correct stimuli in a multisensory environment. A delta band activation was also found in frontal area in VI compared to control and it was supposed to be an index of greater cognitive control. Finally, higher delta band activity in parieto-occipital and temporal areas were related to greater sense of disorientation. In conclusion, it was found that VI experience grocery shopping more stressfully and with greater cognitive effort (parieto-occipital area) than people without visual disability. In general, VI use the sense of touch (temporal area) more and have more difficulties in orienting themselves internally in the store. The results could encourage the use of tactile touchpoints, braille maps, or an initial guided exploration of the supermarket, to allow the VI to memorize the internal layout of the different product categories and allow them to shop independently. Another suggestion would be to make products within the same product category more distinctive, perhaps by adding additional tactile information.