NEWS ARCHIVE Office of Communications 414 Wohlers Hall College of Commerce and Business Administration

Commerce News

January 2, 2002 -- CCBA News

Wansink interviewed on consumer behavior and marketing

Brian Wansink, associate professor of business administration, was interviewed about his research on "portion distortion" and other consumer behavior by Paul Schankman of the Fox2 affiliate KTBI on December 27, 2001. The Fox2 anchor and reporter interviewed Wansink in his office in Wohlers Hall for a story on environmental factors that influence eating behavior. The story will be aired on KTBI during sweeps week in February 2002 and will be distributed to other Fox affiliates.

According to Wansink, Schankman's story will focus on how our perception of variety at a buffet or at a party influences the volume of food we consume. Disorganized displays of food (at parties, at buffets, during meal time, in chocolate boxes) lead us to eat more than if they are organized.

Paul Schankman (seated) gets settled while cameraman Rick Davis (right) gives Brian Wansink a microphone prior to an interview for KTBI, the Fox affiliate in St. Louis. Schankman talked with Wansink about his consumer behavior research. The popcorn containers on the table were integral to one of Wansink's experiments on how much we eat under certain conditions.