Christopher Janiszewski, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor and Russell Berrie Eminent Scholar of Marketing
Warrington College of Business
Christopher Janiszewski is internationally recognized for his pioneering research in consumer psychology, branding, price perception and perceived value.
Janiszewski’s work centers on how subjective value is created and altered – how consumers come to prefer, believe in and pay more for products based on how information is presented. His research on the mere exposure effect shows that repeated exposure to product-related stimuli such as ads or packaging enhances processing fluency, which in turn increases product appeal and purchase likelihood.
“Understanding how to create and alter subjective value provides insight into product choices, brand preferences, price sensitivity and consumption behavior,” Janiszewski explains.
He has also demonstrated how reference points and contextual cues shape consumer decisions. For example, precise pricing (e.g., $420,100 vs. $420,000) can influence negotiation behavior and final sale prices. Similarly, altering the size of product displays can shift perceptions and boost sales.
Janiszewski’s recent research explores how artificial intelligence affects consumer decision-making. He investigates how AI-curated product options influence time perception, how AI recommendations are more persuasive for masculine products and how consumers’ relationships with AI agents affect trust, autonomy and data sharing.
Janiszewski has 70 peer-reviewed publications, with 57 in top-tier journals. His work has been cited over 17,000 times and he holds an h-index of 49. He has served as president of the Association for Consumer Research and held editorial roles at all five leading marketing journals.
Richard J. Lutz, chair of the Department of Marketing, describes him as “the intellectual cornerstone of the marketing department.”
Before Janiszewski was promoted to Distinguished Professor in 2023, evaluations of his record were solicited from several leading scholars in the field. One evaluator, a highly decorated scholar, wrote: “Chris was one of the pioneers in looking at nonconscious processes in consumer research … His papers address critical and important topics and have changed the way we think about some focal issues in consumer research … He is in the very top level of scholars in consumer research.”