Center for Child & Family Policy | Duke University

Gavan J. Fitzsimons

F.M. Kirby Research Fellow and Professor of Marketing and Psychology; Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy

Gavan Fitzsimon's research interests fall broadly in the domain of understanding the psychology of consumers. He is particularly interested in how consumers may be influenced by marketers and marketing researchers without their conscious knowledge or awareness, often without any intent on the part of the marketing researcher.

The traditional view of marketing and marketing research is that the former seeks to persuade the consumer to choose or behave in a certain way, and the latter seeks to assess consumer opinions and attitudes. In each case, little attention has focused on unintended effects of marketing or marketing research. Further, traditional views of consumer behavior have assumed that consumers are largely deliberative, conscious, thinking machines. Fitzsimon's research combines examinations of unintended effects of marketing actions with an assertion that much consumer decision-making occurs outside conscious awareness.

Research Interests:
Children and Marketing

Education:

• Ph.D. Columbia University - 1995
• M.B.A. Marketing and Finance The Ivey School, The University of Western Ontario - 2005
• BS Chemistry The University of Western Ontario - 1988

Teaching Spring 2024:

• BA 962.01, SEM CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Synopsis
  Fuqua DES, W 01:30 PM-04:30 PM

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

1. Abakoumkin, G; Tseliou, E; McCabe, KO; Lemay, EP; Stroebe, W; Agostini, M; Bélanger, JJ; Gützkow, B; Kreienkamp, J; Kutlaca, M; VanDellen, MR; Abdul Khaiyom, JH; Ahmedi, V; Akkas, H; Almenara, CA; Atta, M; Bagci, SC; Basel, S; Berisha Kida, E; Bernardo, ABI; Buttrick, NR; Chobthamkit, P; Choi, HS; Cristea, M; Csaba, S; Damnjanovic, K; Danyliuk, I; Di Santo, D; Douglas, KM; Enea, V; Faller, DG; Fitzsimons, G; Gheorghiu, A; Gómez, Á; Grzymala-Moszczynska, J; Hamaidia, A; Han, Q; Helmy, M; Hudiyana, J; Jeronimus, BF; Jiang, DY; Jovanović, V; Kamenov, Ž; Kende, A; Keng, SL; Kieu, TTT; Koc, Y; Kovyazina, K; Kozytska, I; Krause, J; Kruglanski, AW; Kurapov, A; Lantos, NA; Lesmana, CBJ; Louis, WR; Lueders, A; Malik, NI; Martinez, A; Mehulić, J; Milla, MN; Mohammed, I; Molinario, E; Moyano, M; Muhammad, H; Mula, S; Muluk, H; Myroniuk, S; Najafi, R; Nisa, CF; Nyúl, B; O’Keefe, PA; Olivas Osuna, JJ; Osin, EN; Park, J; Pica, G; Pierro, A; Rees, J; Reitsema, AM; Resta, E; Rullo, M; Ryan, MK; Samekin, A; Santtila, P; Sasin, E; Schumpe, BM; Selim, HA; Stanton, MV; Sultana, S; Sutton, RM; Utsugi, A; van Breen, JA; Van Lissa, CJ; Van Veen, K; Vázquez, A; Wollast, R; Yeung, VWL; Zand, S; Žeželj, IL; Zheng, B; Zick, A (2024). Conceptual replication and extension of health behavior theories' predictions in the context of COVID-19: Evidence across countries and over time. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 18(2). [doi]  [abs]


2. Wu, F; Samper, A; Morales, AC; Fitzsimons, GJ (2024). When do photos on products hurt or help consumption? How magical thinking shapes consumer reactions to photo-integrated products. Journal of Consumer Psychology. [doi]  [abs]


3. Westgate, EC; Buttrick, NR; Lin, Y; El Helou, G; Agostini, M; Bélanger, JJ; Gützkow, B; Kreienkamp, J; Abakoumkin, G; Abdul Khaiyom, JH; Ahmedi, V; Akkas, H; Almenara, CA; Atta, M; Bagci, SC; Basel, S; Berisha Kida, E; Bernardo, ABI; Chobthamkit, P; Choi, H-S; Cristea, M; Csaba, S; Damnjanovic, K; Danyliuk, I; Dash, A; Di Santo, D; Douglas, KM; Enea, V; Faller, DG; Fitzsimons, G; Gheorghiu, A; Gómez, Á; Hamaidia, A; Han, Q; Helmy, M; Hudiyana, J; Jeronimus, BF; Jiang, D-Y; Jovanović, V; Kamenov, Ž; Kende, A; Keng, S-L; Kieu, TTT; Koc, Y; Kovyazina, K; Kozytska, I; Krause, J; Kruglanski, AW; Kurapov, A; Kutlaca, M; Lantos, NA; Lemay, EP; Lesmana, CBJ; Louis, WR; Lueders, A; Maj, M; Malik, NI; Martinez, A; McCabe, KO; Mehulić, J; Milla, MN; Mohammed, I; Molinario, E; Moyano, M; Muhammad, H; Mula, S; Muluk, H; Myroniuk, S; Najafi, R; Nisa, CF; Nyúl, B; O'Keefe, PA; Olivas Osuna, JJ; Osin, EN; Park, J; Pica, G; Pierro, A; Rees, J; Reitsema, AM; Resta, E; Rullo, M; Ryan, MK; Samekin, A; Santtila, P; Sasin, E; Schumpe, BM; Selim, HA; Stanton, MV; Stroebe, W; Sutton, RM; Tseliou, E; Utsugi, A; van Breen, JA; Van Lissa, CJ; Van Veen, K; vanDellen, MR; Vázquez, A; Wollast, R; Et Al, (2023). Pandemic boredom: Little evidence that lockdown-related boredom affects risky public health behaviors across 116 countries.. Emotion (Washington, D.C.), 23(8), 2370-2384. [doi]  [abs]


4. Douglas, KM; Sutton, RM; Van Lissa, CJ; Stroebe, W; Kreienkamp, J; Agostini, M; Bélanger, JJ; Gützkow, B; Abakoumkin, G; Khaiyom, JHA; Ahmedi, V; Akkas, H; Almenara, CA; Atta, M; Bagci, SC; Basel, S; Berisha Kida, E; Bernardo, ABI; Buttrick, NR; Chobthamkit, P; Choi, HS; Cristea, M; Csaba, S; Damnjanovic, K; Danyliuk, I; Dash, A; Di Santo, D; Enea, V; Faller, DG; Fitzsimons, G; Gheorghiu, A; Gómez, Á; Hamaidia, A; Han, Q; Helmy, M; Hudiyana, J; Jeronimus, BF; Yu Jiang, D; Jovanović, V; Kamenov, Ž; Kende, A; Keng, SL; Kieu, TTT; Koc, Y; Kovyazina, K; Kozytska, I; Krause, J; Kruglanski, AW; Kurapov, A; Kutlaca, M; Lantos, NA; Lemay, EP; Lesmana, CBJ; Louis, WR; Lueders, A; Malik, NI; Martinez, A; McCabe, KO; Mehulić, J; Milla, MN; Mohammed, I; Molinario, E; Moyano, M; Muhammad, H; Mula, S; Muluk, H; Myroniuk, S; Najafi, R; Nisa, CF; Nyúl, B; O'Keefe, PA; Olivas Osuna, JJ; Osin, EN; Park, J; Pica, G; Pierro, A; Rees, J; Reitsema, AM; Resta, E; Rullo, M; Ryan, MK; Samekin, A; Santtila, P; Sasin, E; Schumpe, BM; Selim, HA; Stanton, MV; Sultana, S; Tseliou, E; Utsugi, A; van Breen, JA; Van Veen, K; vanDellen, MR; Vázquez, A; Wollast, R; Yeung, VWL; Zand, S; Žeželj, IL; Zheng, B; Zick, A (2023). Identifying important individual- and country-level predictors of conspiracy theorizing: A machine learning analysis. European Journal of Social Psychology, 53(6), 1191-1203. [doi]  [abs]


5. Dias, RS; Spiller, SA; Fitzsimons, GJ (2023). Understanding effect sizes in consumer psychology. Marketing Letters, 34(3), 367-374. [doi]  [abs]

Curriculum Vitae