Katie Mehr, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

consumer behavior word of mouth online reviews motivation online ratings judgment and decision making

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About

I am an Assistant Professor in the Marketing, Business Economics, and Law department at the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta. I earned my Ph.D. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in May 2023.  

My research focuses on understanding consumer behaviour. Thus far, I have pursued two broad research streams. In my first stream of research, I explore how consumers rate products and experiences, and how they draw inferences from other consumers’ ratings. I ask questions like: How does the way we ask consumers to provide ratings affect the ratings they give? Or how do updated reviews affect consumers' product perceptions? In my second stream of research, I study motivation and prosocial behavior. Here, I ask questions like: How do streak incentives affect persistence? And how do discounts contingent on prosocial behaviour (e.g., donations) affect purchases? 

My work and insights have been featured by media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Conversation, WHYY Philadelphia, HRD Canada, and CBC Edmonton. 

To learn more about my work, please see my website: katie-mehr.com. 

To learn more about my recent media appearances, please see my "In the Media" page: katie-mehr.com/in-the-media

BUS 715 - Experimental Methods for Behavioural Science

The objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the essential principles and techniques for conducting scientific experiments on human behavior. It is tailored for individuals with an interest in doing research using experimental methods in areas such as psychology, judgment and decision making, consumer behavior, behavioral economics and finance, organizational behavior, and human performance. Classes are conducted in an interactive seminar format, with extensive discussion of concrete examples, challenges, and solutions. Prerequisites: Registration in the Business PhD Program or permission of instructor. Approval of the Associate Dean for the Business PhD Program also required for non-PhD students.

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MARK 432 - Digital Marketing

This course introduces the student to the management of the marketing communication mix with an emphasis on the evolving nature of digital marketing communication tools. It focuses on the techniques used for marketing communications in an environment where consumer and cultural influences strongly interact with strategic marketing decisions to impact outcomes. The role of measurement analytics in the implementation of communications strategy is also examined. Prerequisite: MARK 301.

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Browse more courses taught by Katie Mehr

Katie S. Mehr, Jackie Silverman, Marissa A. Sharif, Alixandra Barasch, Katherine L. Milkman

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2025 March; 10.1016/j.obhdp.2025.104391

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Katie S. Mehr, Joseph P. Simmons

Journal of Consumer Research. 2024 January; 10.1093/jcr/ucae005

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Katie S. Mehr, Amanda Geiser, Katherine L. Milkman, Angela L. Duckworth

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. 2020 May; 5 (3):329-334

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View additional publications

• In the Media
• Personal website