
Lindsay Levine
Associate Professor Georgia Southern University
Social
Biography
As a social psychologist, Levine’s research interests are focused on the nonconscious, automatic processes that act upon consumer emotion, judgment and decision-making. This interest has led to research projects on expertise and automaticity, pre-consumption mood states, design fluency, aesthetics, and the influence of activated mindsets. Her work has been published in several academic journals, book chapters, a chapter in the book “Expressing Oneself / Expressing One’s Self; Communication, Cognition, Language and Identity,” and has been presented at a variety of psychology and marketing conferences. Along with her co-authors, her work has been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and HR Magazine. Levine recently received the Thomas Ponzurick best paper in conference award from the Association of Marketing Theory and Practice.
Levine currently teaches in the areas of marketing, consumer behavior and professional sales, and she received the Dean’s Citation for Excellence in Teaching in 2012. She serves as co-director of the Center for Sales Excellence for the Parker College of Business.
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
Best Paper of the Year
Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice. Awarded, 2017
(Levine, Eastman & Bock, 2016)
Jane White Marketing Scholar Award
Georgia Southern University, College of Business. Awarded, 2016
Best Paper in Track: Services Marketing
Seeking complex health services in the age of self-referral (Levine & Bock)
Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Conference. Awarded, 2016
Best Paper in Track: Marketing Education
The impact of shadowing within a University Sales Program (Mullen & Levine)
Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Conference. Awarded, 2016
Competitive Research Grant Recipient
The effect of religious signaling on consumer perceptions of sales representatives
Georgia Southern University, College of Business. Awarded, 2016
Thomas Ponzurik Best Paper in Conference Award
Association of Marketing Theory & Practice. Awarded, 2016
Competitive Research Grant Recipient
The consumer search for mental health professionals
Georgia Southern University, College of Business. Awarded, 2015
Education
Yale University
Ph.D.
Social Psychology
2007
Vassar College
B.A.
Psychology
2003
Articles
Online and In-Store Compulsive Buying Among Metrosexuals, and Other Male Consumers
Journal of Applied Marketing TheoryMichael Lee Thomas, Lindsay RL Levine, Luther Trey Denton, Kathleen Gruben
2017
This paper presents an exploratory study of compulsive buying behavior among male, and specifically metrosexual consumers who represent significant purchasing power, but have yet to be studied in both online and in-store environments. This research has significant importance for public policy, consumer behavior and marketing. The literature has largely ignored specifically male compulsive shopping behavior, and particularly how this behavior manifests itself in different shopping environments and among different subsets of male consumers. Research was gathered via an online survey of 193 males with special attention paid to acquiring equal representation of both urban (potential metrosexuals) and rural consumers. The study shows that metrosexuals have higher levels of compulsive behavior than other males, but these differences do not seem to vary significantly by shopping environment. Finally, the study discusses both online and in-store compulsive buying by various product categories.
Utilitarian and Hedonic Shopping Behavior in the Face of Natural Disaster
Presentation - Services Marketing QuarterlyLindsay RL Levine, Hyunju Shin
2017-2018
The current study sets out to investigate the personal experiences and subsequent shopping behavior of those impacted by Hurricane Matthew in the coastal southeastern region of the United States. Beyond interest in the intersection between natural disaster and hedonic consumption behavior, marketers should also be concerned with the topic as it highlights utilitarian consumption, and the issue of need under-fulfillment and insufficient distribution of resources during natural disaster.
Every year, natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, wildfires and floods occur around the world. However, scarce research has been conducted to understand customer reactions to these common but disruptive events. Using survey data from a sample of 231 Americans who were impacted by Hurricane Matthew, the current study aims to provide a link between fear experienced during a natural disaster, perceptions of shopping convenience and shopping behavior in times of a natural disaster. The results will help retail and service providers understand shopping motives and how to prepare their strategies in dealing with the occurrence of natural disaster.
Consumer Search and Satisfaction with Mental Health Services
Journal of Services MarketingLindsay RL Levine, Dora Elizabeth Bock
2016
Recent evidence on consumer decision-making suggests that highly complex choice scenarios lead consumers to use simplistic decision heuristics, often resulting in suboptimal decision-making. This study aims to investigate the relationships among consumers’ primary information source, patient satisfaction and patient well-being, specifically focused on the search for mental health professionals. The selection of a mental health provider is of interest, because practitioners work from a highly diverse set of theoretical bases, may hold a wide range of different credentials and provide drastically different therapeutic approaches, therefore making the selection complex and difficult for consumers to self-navigate.
Analyzing the Impact of a Sales Shadowing Program: Process and Outcomes
Journal for Advancement of Marketing EducationLinda G Mullen, Lindsay RL Levine
2016
Experiential learning opportunities, such as the chance to shadow a professional, can be an excellent tool allowing students to observe first-hand the material presented in the classroom. However, while shadowing projects are assumed to be beneficial to sales classes, empirical research presenting the benefits is limited. This paper describes the process of administering a sales shadowing project, reports findings on the benefits of such endeavors, and offers quantitative and qualitative data on project impact.
A Multi-Method Exploration of the Relationship between Knowledge and Risk: The Impact on Millennials’ Retirement Investment Decisions
Journal of Marketing Theory and PracticeLindsay RL Levine, Jacqueline K Eastman, Dora E Bock
2016
The millennial cohort has faced a unique environment that may have a lasting impact on the financial investment decisions they make as adults. A multimethod set of studies investigates how knowledge and risk interact to inform millennial retirement investment choices. Study 1 suggests a decline in risk-taking for those with low confidence in their financial knowledge. Study 2 reveals that low financial literacy enhances susceptibility to the influence of “feelings as information” when making retirement decisions. Study 3 utilizes qualitative data to consider the connection between millennial financial decision making and the climate of risk brought on by the Great Recession.
eWOM Watchdogs: Ego-Threatening Product Domains and the Policing of Online Product Reviews.
Psychology & MarketingLindsay RL Levine, L. Trey Denton
2014
Suspicion regarding dishonest electronic word-of-mouth is a growing concern for consumers online. Individual consumers are occasionally seen acting as product review forum “watchdogs” within the websites they visit, posting vigilante comments against reviews they perceive to be fraudulent. This multimethod set of studies investigates consumer “watchdog comments,” and the way in which ego-threatening product categories themselves may actually induce a prosecutorial mindset, leading to greater levels of suspicion toward positive online product reviews and the impulse to prosecute potential fraudsters. In Study 1, laboratory-induced ego threat increased punitive severity against the act of falsifying online product reviews. In Study 2, a content analysis of actual Amazon.com reviews and consumer commentary indicates that the occurrence of watchdog comments is more common within ego-threatening product categories.