Kathleen D. Vohs, Associate Professor of Marketing, McKnight Land-Grant Professor, and McKnight Presidential Fellow, has an extensive background in psychology, and she applies her understanding of psychological science to business issues in order to advance new areas of marketing research.  Vohs's research specialties include self-regulation (particularly in terms of predicting impulsive spending, overeating among dieters, and making a bad impression); self-processes (such as self-esteem); the effects of making choices on self-regulatory ability; the effects of the mere presence of money (and the psychology of money); and heterosexual sexual relations as predicted by economic principles.  She has authored more than 70 scholarly publications and served as the editor of three books, and she has written extensively on self-regulation, intrapersonal and interpersonal processes, the objective consequences of self-esteem, bulimic symptoms, and consequences of self-control failure on impulsive behavior.  Vohs was named a McKnight Land-Grant Professor (2007-2009) and a McKnight Presidential Fellow at the University of Minnesota (2008) and recently received the 2008 International Society for Self and Identity Early Career Award.

Self-regulation
Problems with spending
Dieting and disordered eating
Heterosexual sexual relations as predicted by economic principles
Self-processes such as self-esteem

Full List of Publications

Selected Recent Publications

• Roy F. Baumeister, Alfred R. Mele, and Kathleen D. Vohs, eds, Free Will and Consciousness: How Might They Work? New York: Oxford University Press (in press). Also includes chapters “Free Will and Consciousness: An Introduction and Overview of Perspectives” (Alfred R. Mele, Kathleen D. Vohs, and Roy F. Baumeister) and “Free Will is Costly: Action Control, Making Choices, Mental Time Travel, and Impression Management Use Precious Volitional Resources” (Kathleen D. Vohs). 
   
• "Personal Philosophy and Personnel Achievement: Belief in Free Will Predicts Better Job Performance," Tyler F. Stillman, Roy F. Baumeister, Kathleen D. Vohs, Nathan M. Lambert, Frank D. Fincham, and Lauren E. Brewer, Social Psychological and Personality Science (forthcoming).
   
• "Sex in Advertising: Gender Differences and the Role of Relationship Commitment," Darren W. Dahl, Jaideep Sengupta, and Kathleen D. Vohs, Journal of Consumer Research (August 2009).
   
• "Does Emotion Cause Behavior (Apart from Making People Do Stupid, Destructive Things)?" Roy F. Baumeister, C. Nathan DeWall, Kathleen D. Vohs, and Jessica L. Alquist, in Christopher R. Agnew, Donal E. Carlston, William G. Graziano, and J.R. Kelly, eds., Then a Miracle Occurs: Focusing on Behavior in Social Psychological Theory and Research, New York: Oxford University Press (forthcoming).
   
• "Social Rejection, Control, Numbness, and Emotion: How Not to be Fooled by Gerber and Wheeler (2009)," Roy F. Baumeister, C. Nathan DeWall, and Kathleen D. Vohs, Perspectives on Psychological Science (forthcoming Sept. 2009).
   
• "Social Rejection can Reduce Pain and Increase Spending: Further Evidence that Money, Pain, and Belongingness are Interrelated," Roy F. Baumeister, C. Nathan DeWall, Nicole L. Mead, and Kathleen D. Vohs, Psychological Inquiry (2009).
   
• "Self-Affirmation and Self-Control: Affirming Core Values Counteracts Ego Depletion," Brandon J. Schmeichel and Kathleen D. Vohs, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (April 2009).
  
  
• "The Symbolic Power of Money: Reminders of Money Alter Social Distress and Physical Pain," Xinyue Zhou, Kathleen D. Vohs, and Roy F. Baumeister, Psychological Science (forthcoming).
   
• "Acts of Benevolence: A Limited-Resource Account of Compliance with Charitable Requests," Bob M. Fennis, Loes Janssen, and Kathleen D. Vohs, Journal of Consumer Research (April 2009).
   
• "Refining the Relationships of Perfectionism, Self-Efficacy, and Stress to Dieting and Binge Eating: Examining the Appearance, Interpersonal, and Academic Domains," Angela S. Cain, Anna M. Bardone-Cone, Lyn Y. Abramson, Kathleen D. Vohs, and Thomas E. Joiner, Jr., International Journal of Eating Disorders (forthcoming).

Kathleen D. Vohs CV

Full List of Publications

Selected Recent Media

• Will be featured on panel, “Do Consumers Make Rational Decisions Based on Economics?” at the Buyers Health Care Action Group 3^rd Annual Leadership Summit, “Consumer Engagement: A Prescription for Better Outcomes,” on September 10, 2009 in Minneapolis.
   
• Presented "Money Changes People's Behavior" and "The Science of Money and Self-Control" at the Erasmus University Marketing Department, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on August 31 and September 1, 2009.
   
• February 2009 participated in the Society for Consumer Psychology conference in San Diego, presenting "Why Do People Fall Prey to Social Influence Techniques? A Limited-Resource Account of Compliance" and "Self-Regulatory Resource Depletion and Risk Aversion" and serving as session chair for "Interpersonal Persuasion, from the Overt to the Covert."
   
• February 2009 participated in the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference in Tampa, presenting "ISSI Preconference Early Career Award Address: The Prepotent Self;" "Judgement and Decision Making Preconference Talk: Money Changes Personal and Interpersonal Behavior: Evidence from Helping, Work, Play, Physical Distance, Perspective Taking, Likability, and Pain Tolerance;" and "When Will Women Tolerate Gratuitous Sexual Images?" and serving as session chair for "Desire and Control: Situational and Relationship Influences on Sexuality."

• Named a McKnight Presidential Fellow at the University of Minnesota in December 2008. This award, available only to newly tenured faculty who are recognized by both internal and external reviewers as being in the top tier of international researchers in their field, provides three years of research support for the honored faculty.
   
• 2008 International Society for Self and Identity Early Career Award winner. This award is made annually to recognize and encourage a distinguished junior scientist who has made outstanding theoretical and empirical contributions to the scientific study of the human self. The award was made on the basis of the originality, quality, and impact of your scientific research in the area of self and identity. As the winner, Vohs will present an address at the annual Self and Identity pre-conference at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting.
   
• 2008 Society for Personal and Social Psychology Theoretical Innovation Prize, Honorable Mention for "How Emotion Shapes Behavior: Feedback, Anticipation, and Reflection, Rather than Direct Causation," Roy Baumeister, Kathleen Vohs, Nathan DeWall, and Liqing Zhange, Personality and Social Psychology Review (May 2008).
   
• February 2008 winner of the inaugural SAGE Young Scholar Award for outstanding early career achievements in social or personality psychology.  This award recognizes research that places its five honorees at the forefront of their peers.
   
• Named to the editorial boards of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology's Personality Processes and Individual Differences and Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes sections, October 2007.
   
• September 2007 grant from the National Institutes of Drug Abuse for research on "The Neuroanatomical Basis of Anti-Drug Media Messages: The Impact of Effectiveness and Risk Factors," with PIs Angus W. MacDonald and Marco Yzer.  $1.2m in funding provided for Sept. 2007-Aug. 2010.
   
• Named to the Institute of Law and Rationality's Advisory Board at the University of Minnesota, Oct. 2007.
   
• Named Associate Editor for the Competitive Paper Track, Association for Consumer Research Conference 2008 (May 2007).
   
• Recipient of the 2007-2009 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship award at the University of Minnesota.  The grant is designed to nurture the careers of the U of M's most promising junior faculty members and includes financial support to be used toward their research and scholarly activities.

Kathleen D. Vohs, Associate Professor of Marketing

Carlson School of Management

University of Minnesota

321 Nineteenth Avenue South, Suite 3-150

Minneapolis, MN  55455-0438  USA

(612) 625-8331, fax (612) 624-8804   

vohsx005@umn.edu

Instructional Profile