Online auctions use a variety of unique tools to provide quality signals for products and sellers in an attempt to overcome the online marketplace's limitations. These tools include feedback ratings and symbols that indicate reputation. However, surprisingly few studies have investigated the effects of reputation indicators in the decision-making process in online marketplaces. No prior study in our knowledge has examined the role of graphics indicators in online decision-making. We investigated the decision process and the price premium an individual was willing to pay for a product using an experiment with the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak procedure and event-related measures of brain activity. As signaling theory expects, results showed that the price premium paid for a product was higher when the product sold by a seller appeared with a high-reputation symbol. High-reputation seller indicators triggered significantly higher neural activity compared with low-reputation seller indicators in brain regions associated with emotions in the prefrontal cortex (the ventromedial prefrontal cortex). The degree of integrated cognitive value and cognitive and emotional value as represented by neural activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and VMPFC respectively was correlated with the price premium individuals bid for products. The results indicate the applicability of semeiotic theory along with signaling theory in the e-marketplace context and suggest fruitful avenues for further research.

在线拍卖使用各种独特的工具为产品和卖家提供质量信号，以试图克服在线市场的局限性。这些工具包括反馈等级和表示声誉的符号。但是，令人惊讶的是，很少有研究调查信誉指标在在线市场决策过程中的影响。据我们所知，没有任何先前的研究检查过图形指标在在线决策中的作用。我们使用Becker-DeGroot-Marschak程序和大脑活动的事件相关量度进行了实验，调查了个人愿意为产品支付的决策过程和价格溢价。正如信号理论所期望的那样，结果表明，当卖方出售的产品带有较高声誉的符号出现时，为产品支付的价格溢价较高。与前额皮层（腹侧前额叶皮层）中的情绪相关的大脑区域中，低声誉的卖方指标相比，低声誉的卖方指标触发了更高的神经活动。背侧前额叶皮层和VMPFC中神经活动所代表的综合认知价值，认知和情感价值的程度与个人竞标产品的价格溢价相关。结果表明，命理理论与信号理论在电子市场环境中的适用性，为进一步研究提供了有益的途径。与前额皮层（腹侧前额叶皮层）中的情绪相关的大脑区域中，低声誉的卖方指标相比，低声誉的卖方指标引发了更高的神经活动。背侧前额叶皮层和VMPFC中神经活动所代表的综合认知价值和认知及情感价值的程度与个人竞标产品的价格溢价相关。结果表明，命理理论与信号理论在电子市场环境中的适用性，为进一步研究提供了有益的途径。与前额皮层（腹侧前额叶皮层）中的情绪相关的大脑区域中，低声誉的卖方指标相比，低声誉的卖方指标触发了更高的神经活动。背侧前额叶皮层和VMPFC中神经活动所代表的综合认知价值，认知和情感价值的程度与个人竞标产品的价格溢价相关。结果表明，命理理论与信号理论在电子市场环境中的适用性，为进一步研究提供了有益的途径。背侧前额叶皮层和VMPFC中神经活动所代表的综合认知价值，认知和情感价值的程度与个人竞标产品的价格溢价相关。结果表明，命理理论与信号理论在电子市场环境中的适用性，为进一步研究提供了有益的途径。背侧前额叶皮层和VMPFC中神经活动所代表的综合认知价值，认知和情感价值的程度与个人竞标产品的价格溢价相关。结果表明，命理理论与信号理论在电子市场环境中的适用性，为进一步研究提供了有益的途径。