Get in Touch

Two Minds, Three Ways: Dual System and Dual Process Theories in Consumer Psychology

[vc_row back_to_top_skin="default"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Dual system and dual process views of the human mind have contrasted automatic, fast, and non-conscious with controlled, slow, and conscious thinking. This paper integrates duality models from the perspective of consumer psychology by identifying three relevant theoretical strands: Persuasion and attitude change (e.g. Elaboration Likelihood Model), judgment and decision making (e.g. Intuitive vs. Reflective Model), as well as...

February 23, 2018

Rationality and Utility: Economics and Evolutionary Psychology

[vc_row back_to_top_skin="default"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Economics has always prided itself on having a unifying theoretical framework based on rational choice theory. However, data from controlled experiments, which often provide theory the best chance to work, refute many of the rationality assumptions that economists make. The evidence against rational choice, as traditionally defined, has forced economists to rethink their traditional models. However, despite the investment...

February 23, 2018

The Highly Sensitive Brain: An fMRI Study of Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Response to Others’ Emotions

[vc_row back_to_top_skin="default"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Background: Theory and research suggest that sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), found in roughly 20% of humans and over 100 other species, is a trait associated with greater sensitivity and responsiveness to the environment and to social stimuli. Self-report studies have shown that high-SPS individuals are strongly affected by others' moods, but no previous study has examined neural systems engaged...

December 15, 2017

Neural Correlates of Four Broad Temperament Dimensions: Testing Predictions for a Novel Construct of Personality

[vc_row back_to_top_skin="default"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Four suites of behavioral traits have been associated with four broad neural systems: the 1) dopamine and related norepinephrine system; 2) serotonin; 3) testosterone; 4) and estrogen and oxytocin system. A 56-item questionnaire, the Fisher Temperament Inventory (FTI), was developed to define four temperament dimensions associated with these behavioral traits and neural systems. The questionnaire has been used to...

November 20, 2017

Expert Financial Advice Neurobiologically Offloads Financial Decision-Making under Risk

[vc_row back_to_top_skin="default"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Background: Financial advice from experts is commonly sought during times of uncertainty. While the field of neuroeconomics has made considerable progress in understanding the neurobiological basis of risky decision-making, the neural mechanisms through which external information, such as advice, is integrated during decision-making are poorly understood. In the current experiment, we investigated the neurobiological basis of the influence of...

October 1, 2017

Emergency Purchasing Situations: Implications for Consumer Decision-Making

[vc_row back_to_top_skin="default"][vc_column][vc_column_text]This article introduces the emergency purchasing situation (EPS) as a distinct buying context. EPSs stem from an unexpected event (unanticipated need or timing of a need), as well as high product importance, which are associated with a short time frame for consumer decision-making. Our conceptual review integrates largely disconnected strands of research and theories relevant to EPSs and offers...

September 23, 2017