2 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Upper Division
Consumer behavior is the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires. We will draw on research from psychology, marketing, behavior economics and other fields to learn why consumers behave in the ways that they do. The course focuses on three general topics: 1) Consumers as individuals. We will explore basic psychological concepts like intrinsic motivation, perception, memory, and emotions to help us understand behavior. 2) Attitude change and decision making. We will examine how consumers search and evaluate alternatives, develop attitudes, and make choices. 3) Consumers in their social and cultural settings. We will examine the interaction between the consumer and multiple external influences. We investigate how social elements (friends, family, etc.) and culture influence behavior. Consumer behavior is an applied discipline rooted in other social sciences, and you will therefore learn multiple concepts, frameworks and theories. Your job is to master those concepts and use them to organize, explain, and predict consumers' judgments and choices. Ultimately you should be able to identify a consumer behavior issue, select a relevant theory to examine and explain the issue, and apply the theory properly to aid in a managerial decision. You will also learn how to run basic applied experiments in consumer behavior to test your theories with real consumers.
Learning Outcomes1Master multiple concepts and use them to organize, explain, and predict consumers' judgments and choices.
2Identify a consumer behavior issue, select a relevant theory to examine and explain the issue, and apply the theory properly to aid in a managerial decision.
3Run basic applied experiments in consumer behavior to test your theories with real consumers.
Prerequisites
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.