Freshman class

Mission control

Gergana Yordanova, assistant professor of marketing

Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

Specialization: Consumer decision making

Dissertation: Effects of the Pre-Decision Stage of Decision Making on the Self-Regulation of Behavior

The failure on the part of consumers to exercise self-control is reflected in the difficulties many people have in managing money and time, controlling weight, and limiting drinking. The inability to regulate one's own emotions, impulses, and actions creates problems not only for the individual, but also for society as a whole.

I am interested in examining psychological factors that enable individuals to control their behavior in such areas as dieting and money management. I have developed an "elaboration on potential outcomes" (EPO) scale, to show how a consumer's conceptualizing of potential consequences is related to the self-control he or she exercises when making behavioral decisions.