Professor Kaitlin Woolley is an assistant professor of marketing at the Johnson Graduate School of Management. Professor Woolley studies consumer motivation and goal pursuit, with a focus on understanding what consumers value when pursuing their goals and how to use this to increase goal persistence. She also researches the influence of goal conflict on consumer choice, and the role food consumption plays in social connection. Woolley's research has been published in journals and book chapters, including Journal of Consumer Research and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. It has been featured in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, NPR, and Psychology Today.

At Johnson, Professor Woolley teaches the core marketing course and the consumer behavior course. Woolley earned a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in psychology from Cornell University. She earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Her PhD is in behavioral science from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Selected Publications

Sharif, Marissa; Woolley, Kaitlin. "The Effect of Categorization on Goal Progress Perceptions and Motivation"Journal of Consumer Research. (forthcoming).
Woolley, Kaitlin; Fishbach, Ayelet; Wang, Ronghan. "Food Restriction and the Experience of Social Isolation"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 119.3 (2020): 657-671
Woolley, Kaitlin; Fishbach, Ayelet. "Shared Plates, Shared Minds: Consuming from a Shared Plate Promotes Cooperation"Psychological Science. 30.4 (2019): 541-552
Woolley, Kaitlin; Risen, Jane. "Closing Your Eyes to Follow Your Heart: Avoiding Information to Protect a Strong Intuitive Preference"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 114.2 (2018): 230-245
Woolley, Kaitlin; Fishbach, Ayelet. "It's About Time: Earlier Rewards Increase Intrinsic Motivation"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 114.6 (2018): 877-890
Kruglanski, Arie; Fishbach, Ayelet; Woolley, Kaitlin; Bélanger, Jocelyn; Chernikova, Marina; Molinario, Erica; Pierro, Antonio. "A Structural Model of Intrinsic Motivation: On the Psychology of Means-Ends Fusion"Psychological Review. 125.2 (2018): 165-182
Woolley, Kaitlin; Fishbach, Ayelet. "Immediate Rewards Predict Adherence to Long-Term Goals"Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 43.2 (2017): 151-162
Woolley, Kaitlin; Fishbach, Ayelet. "A Recipe for Friendship: Similar Food Consumption Promotes Trust and Cooperation"Journal of Consumer Psychology. 27.1 (2017): 1-10
Woolley, Kaitlin; Fishbach, Ayelet. "For the Fun of It: Harnessing Immediate Rewards to Increase Persistence in Long-Term Goals"Journal of Consumer Research. 42.6 (2016): 952-966
Woolley, Kaitlin; Fishbach, Ayelet. "The Experience Matters More Than You Think: People Value Intrinsic Incentives More Inside Than Outside an Activity"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 109.6 (2015): 968 -982

Awards and Honors

CCSS Faculty Fellowship (2020) Cornell University
Clifford H. Whitcomb Faculty Fellowship (2020) SC Johnson College of Business
PCCW Affinito-Stewart Grant (2019) Cornell University
Institute for the Social Sciences Small Grant (2019) Cornell University
Half Century Faculty Research Fellowship (2018) SC Johnson College of Business

Recent Courses

NBA 6260 - Consumer Behavior
NMI 5000 - Directed Reading and Research
NCC 5030 - Marketing Management

Academic Degrees

PhD Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, 2017
MBA Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, 2017
BA Cornell University, 2012

In the News

March 14, 2019 Sharing a Plate of Food Leads to More Successful Negotiations
December 23, 2019 For restricted eaters, a place at the table but not the meal
December 02, 2019 You Should Start Practicing New Year's Resolutions Now