Robert B. Cialdini Behavioral Research Lab

The Robert B. Cialdini Behavioral Research Lab assists W. P. Carey Department of Marketing faculty, doctoral students and undergraduate students in developing and testing theories of consumer behavior. A core tenet of the lab is to enhance the realism and behavioral aspects of experimental research in order to improve both the fidelity of the research and the likelihood that the research provides insight into real consumer behavior. At the operational level, this means utilizing more realistic experimental manipulations and measuring actual behavior when possible. In addition, by employing undergraduate research assistants, the lab also aims to inspire future scholars to become more engaged in behavioral research both at ASU and beyond.

Each semester, the Lab conducts more than 100 separate behavioral experiments with a participant pool of over 2,500 students.The Robert B. Cialdini Behavioral Research Lab is efficient and flexible enough to accommodate nearly any experimental design. We use varied methods and cutting-edge technology to study real consumer behaviors.

Participate in a Research Study

Student volunteers are critical to the success of the Robert B. Cialdini Behavioral Research Lab and our marketing research overall. By taking part in an upcoming project, you can help the W. P. Carey School of Business, our students, and our faculty members deliver cutting-edge research with real-world impact.

If you are enrolled in a MKT class that allows participation in our studies, please sign up today to get involved in a future research study.

Interested in Working for The Robert B. Cialdini Behavioral Research Lab?

The Robert B. Cialdini Behavioral Research Lab is efficiently run through the help of student workers. This position was designed for future scholars to facilitate curiosity around consumer behavior, provide exposure to how studies are designed and executed, and to give future scholars a hands-on experience they can apply in graduate programs. The Lab hires once a year (typically in August) and requires a one year commitment.

If you are interested in applying for future positions, please email Sienna at srvasqu4@asu.edu.

People

Andrea Morales, PhD, Faculty Director

Sienna Vasquez, Lab Coordinator

Consumer Behavior Faculty

Chaumanix Dutton, Assistant Professor
H. Christian Kim, Associate Professor
Monika Lisjak, Assistant Professor of Marketing
Martin Mende, Professor
Neeru Paharia, Professor
Adriana Samper, Associate Professor of Marketing
Maura Scott, Professor

Recent Publications by our Researchers:

van der Sluis, Helen, Adriana Samper, Kirk Kristofferson, and Terri Hlava (2024), “How Do Physical Disability Cues Influence Assumptions About Consumer Tastes? Unpacking the Disability Preference Stereotype.” Forthcoming at the Journal of Consumer Research.

Wu, Freeman, Adriana Samper, Andrea C. Morales, and Gavan J. Fitzsimons (2024), “When Do Photos on Products Hurt or Help Consumption? How Magical Thinking Shapes Consumer Reactions to Photo-Integrated Products,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 00, 1–18.

Ordabayeva, Nailya and Monika Lisjak (2022), "Perceiving, Coping With, and Changing Economic Inequality in the Marketplace," Journal of Consumer Psychology, 32 (1), 165-174.

Vadakkepatt, G. Martin, K., Arora, S. Paharia, N. (2022) "Shedding Light on the Dark Side of Firm Lobbying: A Customer Perspective," Journal of Marketing 86(3), pp.79-97

Harmeling, Colleen, Martin Mende, Maura L. Scott, and Robert Palmatier (2021), “Marketing Through the Eyes of the Stigmatized”, Journal of Marketing Research, 58(2), 223–245,

Mandel, Naomi, Monika Lisjak, and Qin Wang (2021), "Compensatory Routes to Object Attachment," Current Opinion in Psychology, 39 (June), 55-59.

Sun, J., Bellezza, S. and Paharia, N., (2021) "Buy Less, Buy Luxury: Understanding and Overcoming Product Durability Neglect for Sustainable Consumption," Journal of Marketing 85(3), pp.28-43

Weingarten, Evan, Sudeep Bhatia, and Barbara A. Mellers (2019), "Multiple Goals as Reference Points: One Failure Makes Everything Else Feel Worse," Management Science, 65 (7).

Brannon, Daniel, and Adriana Samper (2018), “Maybe I Just Got (Un)lucky: One-on-One Conversations and the Malleability of Post-Consumption Product and Service Evaluations,” Journal of Consumer Research, 45 (December), 810–32.

Samper, Adriana, Linyun Yang, and Michelle Daniels (2018), “Beauty, Effort, and Misrepresentation: How Beauty Work Affects Judgments of Moral Character and Consumer Preferences,” Journal of Consumer Research, 45 (June), 126–47.

Mandel, Naomi, Derek D. Rucker, Jonathan Levav, and Adam D. Galinsky (2017), “The Compensatory Consumer Behavior Model: How Self-Discrepancies Drive Consumer Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 27(1), 133-146.

Mende, Martin, Linda Salisbury, Gergana Nenkov, and Maura L. Scott (2020), “Improving Financial Inclusion through Communal Financial Orientation: How Financial Service Providers Can Better Engage Consumers in Banking Deserts,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 30(2), 379-391

Sunyee Yoon & H. Christian Kim (2018), “Feeling Economically Stuck: The Effect of Perceived Economic Mobility and Socioeconomic Status on Variety Seeking, Journal of Consumer Research, 44 (February), 1141-56.

Samper, Adriana, Linyun Yang, and Michelle Daniels (2018), “Beauty, Effort, and Misrepresentation: How Beauty Work Affects Judgments of Moral Character and Consumer Preferences,” Journal of Consumer Research, 45 (June), 126–47.