Sarah Roche
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Department of Marketing
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX 78249
P: (210) 232-1103
F: (210) 458-6335
Sarah.Roche@utsa.edu
EDUCATION
Ph.D.
Business Administration (Major: Marketing), 2015 (expected)
The University of Texas at San Antonio
B.A.
Marketing, summa cum laude, 2010 (Honors)
St. Mary’s University
ACADEMIC HONORS AND AWARDS
Research Assistantship, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), 2011-present
Graduate Student Professional Development Award, UTSA, Spring 2014
Nominated & Accepted to Attend Marketing & Public Policy Doctoral Symposium, May (2014)
Phi Kappa Phi Member (Top 10% in graduate school), 2014-present
Greehey Scholars Program, St. Mary’s University, 2007-2010
2010 Outstanding Student Award (Marketing Department), St. Mary’s University 2010
Beta Gamma Sigma, St. Mary’s University, 2009
TEACHING HONORS AND AWARDS
Winner of Graduate Student Teaching Award, UTSA, Spring 2014
First place in the uSamp Outstanding Teacher-Scholar Doctoral Student Competition (Marketing
Management Association Conference, September 2014)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Experiential Consumption, Materialism, Loneliness, Consumer Happiness, Purchase
Satisfaction, Conspicuous Consumption, Frugality, Risk Seeking, Maximizers
My research interests fall into two categories. First, I want to expand current research on the
differences between experiential (e.g. vacation) and material purchases (e.g. new car). What
makes them different? For whom are experiential purchases the most beneficial? Why do some
consumers seem to reject the experiential recommendation (that experiences make us happier in
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the long-run) and continually choose to spend their disposable income on material purchases?
Second, I examine consumer decision-making patterns that are sub-optimal, particularly in the
sense of failing to maximize the consumer’s happiness and financial well-being. This often
overlaps with my other interest, as overvaluation of material purchases is one type of
consumption pattern that systematically leads to “sub-optimal” happiness. How can we
encourage experiential consumption? What choices lead to the most long-term happiness or best
financial outcomes? Who gets the most out of experiential purchases?
DISSERTATION
Committee: David Silvera (Chair), Jill Sundie, Kristina Durante, and Dengfeng Yan
Proposal Defense Completed August, 2014
Essay 1 (4 studies complete). Target: Journal of Consumer Research.
“Experiential or Material? That is the Question.”
Essay 1 is the first research in our field to look at who chooses to buy into the
experiential recommendation (recommendation to buy experiences over material
possessions). Belk, Van Boven, Gilovich, and others have sparked an uprising against
the material world that sets out to demonstrate that our experiential purchases pave the
yellow brick road to happiness. Despite such empirical evidence supporting the benefits
of experiences, consumers often seem to stray from the experiential recommendation and
buy into material purchases that result in less than optimal long-term happiness. My
dissertation is the first to examine why some consumers continually stray and lose out on
potential happiness, by choosing the path of material possessions and attachment.
First, I examine the ‘future value’ of experiences, in which I use latent growth modeling
to examine the idea that experiential purchases not only experience less hedonic
adaptation than material purchases but actually can gain in happiness post-purchase, as
many of the benefits of experiences are not realized until post-purchase experience.
Based on this finding, I plan to use psychological distance to examine why a more distant
psychological perspective enhances the ability to ‘see’ the future value of experiences
and buy into the experiential recommendation. Furthermore, I demonstrate how those that
are chronically in a state of closer/short psychological perspective (faster life history
strategy) are less likely to buy into the experiential recommendation. Those with faster
life history strategies (across 2 studies) rate experiences (versus material purchases) as
having less potential to contribute to their life happiness and, therefore, choose to spend
their disposable income on more material purchases than those with slower life history
strategies.
Essay 2 (5 studies completed). Target: Journal of Consumer Research.
“Never Truly Alone: Loneliness, Gender, and Experiential versus Material Attachment”
While my first essay examines who buys into the experiential recommendation, my
second essay looks at post-purchase consumer attachment. I examine attachment to
material versus experiential purchases. Much work has been done on the extended self
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and material purchase attachment, yet there has been a lack of empirical work on material
versus experiential attachment. Just as some consumers have higher material purchase
attachment tendencies (Ferraro et al. 2011), so should there be varying degrees of
tendency to attach to experiential purchases. In particular, this essay focuses on how
gender and loneliness combine to predict attachment to material and experiential
purchases.
I find that non-lonely women attach more to experiential purchases, and non-lonely men
attach more to their material purchases. But, when primed with loneliness, women are
more likely to attach to material purchases, whereas men tend to attach more to
experiential purchases (2 studies). I find that these interaction effects are driven by
perceptions of the social value of one’s purchases. When lonely, women tend to perceive
their material purchases as better social tools or cues, whereas men tend to perceive their
experiential purchases as having more social value, and therefore attach themselves to
such purchases (3 mediation studies). This inherently leads women into a type of selffulfilling prophecy, where their material attachment increases the chances that they will
continue to consume material purchases (over experiential ones) and, therefore, continue
to feel socially insufficient. Proposed study 6 will examine this final hypothesis (given
previous work on materialism and the stigmas associated with such individuals;
Campbell et al. 2010).
SELECTED WORK IN PROGRESS
Roche, Sarah, Sommer Kapitan & David Silvera, “Taking a Gamble on Life: Consumer Risk
Seeking for Experiences,” (6 studies complete) manuscript targeted for submission to Journal of
Cosumer Research.
Research in the area of Prospect Theory consistently finds risk aversion in the arena of
consumer gains (Kahneman & Tversky 1979). Contrary to such previous work, we
propose that contemplating experiential purchases and rewards leads to an increased
connection to the self that enhances the value of experiences and heightens risk-seeking
for special experiences. Across 3 studies, we find that consumers are more risk-seeking
for material goods that are framed in experiential terms (e.g., listening to an iPod). This
effect of riskier choice is mediated by connectedness to an experience, driving choice of a
lower-probability, higher-reward experiential prize. These studies reveal that consumers
are more connected to, and consequently, more risk-seeking for experiences than for
material rewards.
Roche, Sarah & Jill Sundie, “The More You Spend the More You Save: Frugal Shoppers in Deal
Contexts.” (3 studies complete) manuscript targeted for submission to Journal of Consumer
Research.
We examine frugal shoppers and situations in which the normally consumption restrained
frugal shopper is ironically more likely to indulge than the average spendthrift. We find
that in “really good” deal situations, frugal shoppers are actually more likely to make
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purchases than spendthrifts. This runs counter to our stereotypes of frugal shoppers as
resourceful penny-pinchers. It also lends insights into when frugal shoppers make
consumption decisions counter to their typical spending patterns. Future studies will
examine why this occurs (proposed: smart shopper feelings as the mechanism) and the
effects of such decisions on frugal buyers (positive or negative effects on long-term
happiness and satisfaction with the purchase).
Roche, Sarah, L.J. Shrum, Tina M. Lowrey & Daniel Schmidt, “What’s in a Name? Sound
Symbolism of Stock Ticker Symbols Predict Stock Performance,” (3 studies complete)
manuscript targeted for submission to Journal of Consumer Psychology.
Across 3 studies, we find that stocks whose ticker symbol starts with a stop (versus a
fricative) sound, statically outperform those that start with a fricative sound. These effects
occur during the first year after the initial public offering of stocks and provide guidance
for those that choose ticker symbols and novice traders of stocks during the first year of a
stock’s life. These effects occur due to the fact that these two types of sound convey very
different concepts. Relative to fricatives, stops are considered larger, heavier, harder,
more powerful, and more masculine (Klink 2000). These sound associations, therefore,
drive stronger initial performance when prior trading history is not yet available for the
stock.
Roche, Sarah, David Silvera, & Mario Pandelaere, “Maximizing on Experiences: How
Experiences Solve the Maximizing Dilemma for Maximizers,” (2 studies complete) manuscript
aimed for submission to Journal of Consumer Research.
This project examines how maximizers versus satisficers evaluate experiences.
Maximizers have previously been found to suffer from increased regret and postpurchase cognitive dissonance (from continued rumination of forgone options). Yet, we
find that these negative effects do not occur when maximizers are posed with experiential
purchase options. Therefore, maximizers experience even more happiness and
satisfaction from experiential relative to material purchases.
Sundie, Jill M., Daniel J. Beal, Sarah Roche & Andrew Perkins, “A Person-Centered Approach
to Understanding Brand Connection, Envy, and Schadenfreude,” (3 studies complete)
manuscript being prepared for submission to Journal of Consumer Psychology.
This research examines emotional responses to upward social comparisons involving
status products, and product failure, via latent profile analyses. Diverse emotion profiles
were predicted by self-brand connection. In addition, we find that a strong brand
connection can buffer against the experience of hostile envy, and schadenfreude after
product failure, unless consumers hold certain socially dysfunctional traits. Such research
could help inform when and why envy-inducing status brands might suffer negative
consequences linked to schadenfreude following negative brand events, such as product
failures or corporate scandals.
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PUBLICATIONS
Refereed Journal Articles
Joseph, Mathew, Sarah Roche, Dora E. Schmit & Carmen M. Albrecht
(Spring-2014) “Graduate College Selection and Its Impact on Branding: A German
Perspective,” Accepted for publication in Journal of Academic Administration in Higher
Education.
This project was completed with my undergraduate advisor (Dr. Joseph). I was highly
involved both with the literature review and with the writing of the paper. This project
explores the criteria that are important for graduate students in selecting a university in
Germany, how these criteria match up with students’ views of the institution they
ultimately attended, and how graduate students gained information about the
colleges/universities they considered. This study reveals that public university graduate
students in Germany consider a wide variety of criteria when deciding on which
colleges/universities to apply, and that their actual behavior in terms of enrollment may
not directly reflect the importance they claim to give certain selection criteria.
Roche, Sarah, Deborah Spake, & Mathew Joseph (2013), "A Model of Sporting Event Tourism
as Economic Development," Sport, Business, and Management: an International Journal, 3 (2),
147-157.
I completed this project as an undergraduate, in collaboration with my undergraduate
advisor. We propose a mediated model of sport tourism as an economic development
generator from a destination marketing perspective. The proposed model, supported by
extant literature, presents sport tourist types as mediating a variety of influencing factors
that determine sport tourists’ interest in visiting a destination and the resulting economic
outcomes for a destination. This conceptual model provides a contribution to tourism
researchers by providing a comprehensive view of the complex nature of the factors that
influence destination choice for different types of sports tourists and the possible
economic outcomes that can result. Implications for future research are discussed, as well
as destination-specific factors that can be managed and promoted to appeal to each
segment of the sport tourism market in order to maximize the economic impact of sport
tourism.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Introduction to Marketing
-Fall 2013 (average teacher rating: 4.4/5.0)
-Rated on clear objectives/expectations, effective communication, preparation,
active learning encouraged, and available outside of class (5 ratings ranged from
4.1 to 4.7)
-Spring 2014 (average teacher rating: 4.6/5.0)
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-Rated on clear objectives/expectations, effective communication, preparation,
active learning encouraged, and available outside of class (5 ratings ranged from
4.5 to 4.8)
Marketing Research (scheduled to teach 2 sections of this course in 2014-2015, UTSA)
TEACHING INTERESTS
Social Media and Marketing, Retailing, Advertising and Promotions, Consumer Behavior, Principles
of Marketing, Non-Profit Marketing, Event and Venue Marketing, Business Ethics and Social
Responsibility, and Marketing Research
TEACHING TRAINING
Marketing Management Association: Fall Educators Conference Workshops, September 2014
GBA 7103 Doctoral Teaching Seminar, completed Summer 2013
BlackBoard – Silver Learn Badge, completed Fall 2013
iClicker – Higher Education Training, completed Summer 2013
STUDENT FEEDBACK EXAMPLES
“I love marketing. Ms. Roche made it super fun for me to come to class and learn. Throughout the
semester, she taught the specific factions of marketing, which made me realize which path I want to take
with my degree and my career.”
“Professor Roche is really personable and is always prepared to lecture and relate the lecture to her
students. One aspect of MKT3013 that stood out to me was the clear stated objectives and obligations of
the course. I always knew what was due and what material to cover for homework. Professor Roche
updated the syllabus several times to keep and accurate time log of the upcoming lectures or homework”
“Professor Roche was able to utilize technology and interactive learning to make an otherwise dull course
fun and enjoyable.”
“My instructor was great! She always gave us enough information for our tests and she taught us all the
information clearly. I liked the way she taught, giving examples for everything and making sure each
student understood everything effectively. She also provided us with quizzes and worksheets to help us
understand the material and keep our grades up. She is one of the better teachers I have had at UTSA.”
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Roche, Sarah, L.J. Shrum, & Tina M. Lowrey (2014), “What’s in a Name: Designing Stock
Names and Tickers for Stronger Performance,” paper presented at the annual conference of the
Association for Consumer Research, Baltimore, October 2014.
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Roche, Sarah, Sommer Kapitan, & David Silvera (2014), “Taking a Gamble on Life: Consumer
Risk Seeking for Experiences,” poster presented at the annual conference of the Association for
Consumer Research, Baltimore, October 2014.
Roche, Sarah, L.J. Shrum, & Tina M. Lowrey (2014), “The Aesthetics of Brand Name Design:
Form, Fit, Fluency, and Phonetics,” paper presented at the Society for Consumer Psychology’s
Advertising and Consumer Psychology Conference on The Psychology of Design, Ann Arbor,
MI, May.
Sundie, Jill M., Dan Beal, & Sarah Roche (2014), “Self-Relevance, Schadenfreude, and
Sympathy: Understanding Emotional Responses to Others’ Successes,” poster presented at the
annual conference of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Inc., Honolulu,
May 2014.
Roche, Sarah, Jill M. Sundie, Dan Beal, & Andrew W. Perkins (2014), “Self-Brand Connection,
Schadenfreude, and Sympathy: A Person-Centered Approach to Understanding Emotional
Reactions to Product Failure,” paper presented at the annual conference of the Society for
Consumer Psychology, Miami, March 2014.
Roche, Sarah & David H. Silvera (2014), “The Experiential Recommendation: Why it Occurs
and When it Might Not Hold,” poster presented at the annual conference of the Society for
Consumer Psychology, Miami, March 2014.
Roche, Sarah & Jill Sundie (2014), “Experiential or Material? That is the Question. How Life
History Theory Predicts Purchase Type Preferences,” poster presented at the annual conference
of the Society for Consumer Psychology, Miami, March 2014.
Kapitan, Sommer, Sarah Roche, & David H. Silvera (2014), “Consumers are more risk-seeking
for experiential rewards,” poster presented at the annual conference of the Society for Consumer
Psychology, Miami, March 2014.
Shrum, L.J., Tina M. Lowrey, & Sarah Roche (2014), “The Sound of Success: Sound
Symbolism’s Effect on Stock Performance During First Year of Trading,” poster presented at the
annual conference of the Society for Consumer Psychology, Miami, March 2014.
Roche, Sarah & David Silvera (2013), “Gender Differences in Purchase Attachment Resulting
from Loneliness,” poster presented at the annual conference of the Association for Consumer
Research, Chicago, October 2013.
Roche, Sarah, Jill M. Sundie, Dan Beal, & Andrew W. Perkins (2013), “Self-Brand Connection,
Schadenfreude, and Sympathy: A Person-Centered Approach to Understanding Emotional
Reactions to Product Failure,” poster presented at the annual conference of the Association for
Consumer Research, Chicago, October 2013.
Shrum, LJ, Tina Lowrey, & Sarah Roche (2012), “The Impact of Phonetic Symbolism on Stock
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Performance: Stop Consonant Symbols Perform Better Than Fricative Consonant Symbols
During First Year of Trading,” poster presented at the annual conference of the Association for
Consumer Research, Vancouver, October 2012.
Roche, Sarah, Deborah Spake, and Mathew Joseph (2011), “A Proposed Moderated Model of
Sport Tourism as Economic Development,” Working Paper Presentation, Society of Marketing
Advances, Memphis, TN, November 2011.
SERVICE
Invited Trainee Reviewer for Journal of Consumer Research, April 2014 & July 2014
Reviewer for North American Association of Consumer Research conference, 2014
Reviewer for Society for Consumer Psychology conference, 2014 & 2015
Behavioral Lab Administrator 2012 – 2013
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Association for Consumer Research
American Marketing Association
Society for Consumer Psychology
Alpha Chi National Honors Society
DOCTORAL COURSEWORK
Course
Research Methods I
Seminar in Experimental Design
Advanced Applications of Business Statistics
Research Methods II
Applied Linear Statistics Models
Behavioral Seminar I
Behavioral Seminar II
Consumer Judgment and Decision Making
Multivariate Statistics
Seminar in Marketing Theory
Cross-Cultural Consumer Research
Advanced Research Methods
Instructor
Michael McDonald
LJ Shrum
Jerome Keating
Stewart Miller
Jerome Keating
David Silvera
Tina Lowrey
LJ Shrum
Michelle Little
David Silvera
Yinlong Zhang
Daniel Beal
Grade
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
OVERALL GPA: 4.0
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REFERENCES
Professor David Silvera
Associate Professor, Department of Marketing
University of Texas at San Antonio
School of Business (BB 4.01.08)
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX 78249-0631
Phone: (210) 458-6644
Email: David.Silvera@utsa.edu
Professor LJ Shrum
Professor of Marketing
Member of CNRS-GREGHEC Research
Group
HEC Paris
Department of Marketing
1, rue de la Libération
78351 Jouy en Josas Cedex
Phone: +33 (0)1.39.67.70.00
Email: Shrum@hec.fr
Professor Jill Sundie
Visiting Assistant Professor of Marketing
Virginia Tech
Pamplin College of Business
2016 Pamplin Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: (713) 557-3397
Email: jsundie@vt.edu
Professor Dengfeng Yan
Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing
University of Texas at San Antonio
School of Business (BB 4.01.08)
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX 78249-0631
Phone: (210) 458-5833
Email: Dengfeng.Yan@utsa.edu
Professor Kristina Durante
Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing
University of Texas at San Antonio
School of Business (BB 4.01.08)
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX 78249-0631
Phone: (210) 458-5741
Email: Kristina.Durante@utsa.edu
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