2008-2009 University Scholar Profile

Kate Stein
Mentor: Richard
J. Lutz
Warrington College of Business
"I have a curiosity about the mechanisms governing outcomes in our world. I applied to the Scholars program to explore what it would be like to do research in the future. I am excited to learn what it's like to seek answers to questions that haven't previously been asked! I hope to accomplish my research with pride and with the enthusiasm for more research in the future. I am learning to work diligently and enthusiastically in pursuit of new knowledge with my mentor."
Courses of Study
Major
Finance
Minor
Mass Communications
Research Interests
Transformative consumer research, nutrition, public policy and mass media
Awards
- Florida Bright Futures Scholar
- Warrington Finance Scholar
- Anderson Scholar
- Dean’s List
- University of Florida Honors College
Volunteer Service / Organizations
- Golden Key Honorary Society
- Mensa member
Research Description
Shopping Anthropology
Environmental psychology has been shown to influence satisfaction, interplay, and interactions between people in public areas and in workplaces. For example, lowering the height of a park fence has been demonstrated to measurably reduce crime rates in surrounding areas. However, environmental design to create positive social outcomes has been as of yet unexplored within the context of a supermarket. The intent of this project is to explore the immediate environmental variables which influence the consumer purchase incidence of healthful fruits and vegetables within a grocery store. Specifically, we seek to elucidate the functional impact of artificially created grocery shopping areas on the food purchases of consumers. These grocery purchases thus have a key impact upon their subsequent food consumption.
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