Shannon Duncan - Directory@UAlberta.ca

Contact

Assistant Professor, Alberta School of Business - Marketing, Business Economics and Law

Email: shannonduncan@ualberta.ca

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

marketing consumer behavior judgment and decision making motivation consumer well-being choice architecture

About

I am an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta.

My research primarily focuses on motivation and judgment and decision-making. In particular, I examine the factors that can nudge consumers towards healthier choices. One stream of research examines how to do this through tracking technology. For example, I ask questions like: How does checking the status of desired outcomes more (vs. less) frequently impact consumer satisfaction and motivation to re-engage with tracking technologies? Can encouraging consumers to make up for their failure while tracking their goal increase their motivation? A second stream of research examines how to nudge consumers toward healthier decisions through choice architecture. In this stream, I ask questions like: Is it more effective to focus on how to get therapy or why to get therapy when nudging consumers to seek mental health treatment? Does prompting consumers to confirm their choice lead them to be more likely to switch to a more beneficial subscription plan?

I received my Ph.D. in Marketing from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Prior to my doctoral studies, I received my M.S. in Neuroscience and Education from Columbia University and my B.A. magna cum laude in Psychology from Marist College. I also served as the Associate Director for the Center for Decision Sciences at Columbia University.

Courses

MARK 320 - Consumer Behavior

Explores the psychology behind consumer behavior and its implications for consumers and marketers. Internal factors (e.g., attention and perception, needs and motivation, learning and memory, emotion) and external factors (e.g., social influence, choice architecture) will be considered to gain theoretical and practical insights. This course emphasizes empirical research and considers how the evolving marketing landscape (e.g., digitization, technology) interacts with basic psychological processes. Prerequisite: MARK 301.

Fall Term 2025

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