Freshman class

Decisive moments

Linda Court Salisbury, assistant professor of marketing

Ph.D., University of Michigan

Specialization: Consumer decision making

Representative publication: “The Formation of Market-Level Expectations and Its Covariates,” Journal of Consumer Research

I am interested in how consumers make decisions, as well as the factors that influence what people choose. Most people make hundreds of decisions each day, from what clothes to wear to whether or not to indulge in chocolate cake for dessert after dinner. My research examines the influence of time on choice. For example, my dissertation explores the role that preference uncertainty plays in making choices for the future. Uncertainty influences whether consumer choices will vary over time or remain consistent. This has significant implications for things such as what we buy at the grocery store or what people choose for their 401K plans.

My research can inform and improve marketing managers’ decisions, but what excites me most about it is the potential for improving consumers’ decisions. That’s how I’d like to see my work evolve in the longer term.