Eric M. VanEpps
University of Pennsylvania
1127 Blockley Hall; 423 Guardian Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office Phone: (215) 898-5712
vanepps@mail.med.upenn.edu
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Behavioral Decision Research, Carnegie Mellon University (2015)
Thesis: Informational and Temporal Strategies to Promote Healthier Eating
Dissertation committee: George Loewenstein (Co-Chair), Julie Downs (Co-Chair), and
Christopher Olivola
M.S.
Behavioral Decision Research, Carnegie Mellon University (2012)
Thesis: Menu Labeling: Posting Calories versus Traffic Lights to Encourage Healthier
Eating
B.A.
Departmental Honors in Psychology, Leadership Studies, University of Richmond
(2010)
Honors Thesis: Especially in this Economy: The Effect of Personal and Situational
Factors on Charitable Intentions and Attitudes toward the Homeless
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Behavioral Economics
Information Provision and Health Communication
Food Consumption, Nutrition, and Decision Making
Information Use and Avoidance
Patient Engagement and Medical Trial Participation
Field Experimentation
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
VanEpps, Eric M., Julie S. Downs, and George Loewenstein (forthcoming), “Advance Ordering
for Healthier Eating? Field Experiments on the Relationship between Time Delay and Meal
Healthfulness,” manuscript accepted for publication at Journal of Marketing Research.
VanEpps, Eric M., Julie S. Downs, and George Loewenstein (forthcoming), “Calorie Label
Formats: Using Numbers or Traffic Lights to Reduce Lunch Calories,” manuscript accepted for
publication at Journal of Public Policy and Marketing.
Markey, Amanda, Alycia Chin, Eric M. VanEpps, and George Loewenstein (2014).
“Identifying a Task that Reliably Induces Boredom,” Perceptual & Motor Skills, 119(1), 237253.
Burnette, Jeni L., Ernest H. O’Boyle, Eric M. VanEpps, Jeffrey M. Pollack, and Eli J. Finkel
(2012). “Mindsets Matter: A Meta-Analytic Review of Implicit Theories and Self-Regulation,”
Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 655-701.
Pollack, Jeffrey M., Eric M. VanEpps, and Andrew F. Hayes (2012). “The Moderating Role of
Social Ties on Entrepreneurs’ Depressed Affect and Withdrawal Intentions in Response to
Economic Stress,” Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 33, Issue 6, pp. 789-810.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Roberto, Christina A., Neha Khandpur, and Eric M. VanEpps (in press). Food labeling and
obesity. In K.D. Brownell and B.T. Walsh (Eds) Eating Disorders and Obesity: A comprehensive
handbook, 3rd edition. Guilford Publications: New York.
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
VanEpps, Eric M.*, Christina A. Roberto*, Sara Park, Christina D. Economos, and Sara N.
Bleich, “Restaurant Menu Labeling Policy: Evidence and Controversies,” under second round of
review at Current Obesity Reports. (*Shared first authorship)
VanEpps, Eric M., and Christina A. Roberto, “The Influence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage
Health Warning Labels on Adolescents’ Choices and Knowledge,” under review at American
Journal of Preventive Medicine.
VanEpps, Eric M., Kevin G. Volpp, and Scott D. Halpern, “A Nudge toward Participation:
Behavioral Economics Interventions for Improving Clinical Trial Enrollment,” manuscript in
preparation, targeting Science Translational Medicine.
Bleich, Sara N., Christina D. Economos, Marie Spiker, Eric M. VanEpps, Jason P. Block, Brian
Elbel, and Christina A. Roberto, “A Systematic Review of Calorie Labeling and Modified
Calorie Labeling Interventions: Impact on Consumer and Restaurant Behavior,” manuscript in
preparation, targeting Obesity Reviews.
VanEpps, Eric M., George Loewenstein, Julie S. Downs, and Christopher Y. Olivola, “The
Price (and Calorie Label) is Wrong: Error Detection as Measure of Calorie Label Processing,”
work in progress, two studies completed.
VanEpps, Eric M., and Shereen Chaudhry, “Expanding the Choice Set: Supercharging Active
Choices to Increase Study Enrollment,” manuscript in preparation, three studies completed,
additional study pending.
VanEpps, Eric M., Christopher Y. Olivola, and Talya Miron-Shatz, “Symptom Elicitation
Format and Changes in Risk Perception,” work in progress, one study completed.
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VanEpps, Eric M., Julie S. Downs, and George Loewenstein, “The Impact of Nonlinear Pricing
on Portion Size of Unhealthy Food Purchases,” work in progress, field experiment under
development.
AWARDS AND GRANTS
Winner, Lumina Foundation Challenge: Simplifying Access to Federal Benefits for
Postsecondary Students, 2015
Finalist and Team Leader, American Express Financial Innovation Lab, 2014
“Automatic Allocation to Partitioned Reserve Accounts: Interventions to Increase Savings.”
P30 Roybal Center Pilot Project Funding, 2014
“The Impact of Nonlinear Pricing on Portion Size of Unhealthy Food Purchases”
Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics Idea Innovation Tournament Winner
($10,000 prize), 2013
“Expanding the Choice Set: Supercharging Active Choices to Increase Study Enrollment”
Center for Behavioral Decision Research Small Grant, Carnegie Mellon University, 2013
“Snacking and Boredom”
Center for Behavioral Decision Research Small Grant, Carnegie Mellon University, 2012
“Situational Determinants of Boredom”
Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics Basic Science Core Pilot Grant, 2012
“Incentive Structure and Motivation”
Leonard Davis Institute Center for Health Incentives/Penn-Carnegie Mellon University Roybal
Center Pilot Study Grant, 2011
“Can Calorie Labels Increase Caloric Intake?”
INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“The Price (and Calorie Label) is Wrong: Error Detection as Measure of Calorie Label
Processing” (November, 2015). Competitive paper presented at annual meeting of the Society for
Judgment and Decision Making, Chicago, IL.
“When ‘Healthier’ Choices Fail to Improve Health: Precommitment to Categorically Healthier
Lunch Orders” (October, 2014). Competitive paper presented at annual meeting of the
Association for Consumer Research, Baltimore, MD.
“Informational Strategies to Promote Healthier Eating” (June, 2014). Invited talk at Center for
Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics Works in Progress Series, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
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“Advance Ordering to Promote Healthier Eating: Evidence from Two Field Experiments”
(March, 2014). Poster presented at Applying Field Experimentation to Behavior Research
Conference, La Jolla, CA.
“The Contradictory Effects of Aggregation in Nutrition Information” (January, 2014). Data blitz
presentation at Behavioral Science of Eating Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.
“Field Tests of Informational Strategies to Promote Healthy Eating” (November, 2013). Paper
presented at Society for Judgment and Decision Making Annual Conference, Toronto, ON.
“Online Ordering for Healthier Eating: A Field Experiment” (October, 2013). Poster presented at
annual meeting of the Association for Consumer Research, Chicago, IL.
“Precommitment to Cafeteria Choices: Does Advance Ordering Reduce Calorie Consumption?”
(August, 2013). Paper presented at Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL.
“Across the Bored: Identifying a Task that Reliably Induces Boredom” (May, 2013). Poster
presented at annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Motivation, Washington, D.C.
“Menu Labeling: Posting Calories versus Traffic Lights to Encourage Healthier Eating”
(November, 2011). Paper presented at Society for Judgment and Decision Making Annual
Conference, Seattle, WA.
“Compelled to Give: Morality, Self-Construal, and Charitable Intentions” (January, 2010). Poster
presented at Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Behavioral Economics and Public Policy (Instructor)
Carnegie Mellon University. Spring 2014
Overall teaching effectiveness (out of 5): 4.66
(Course includes both undergraduate and master’s students)
Introduction to Marketing (Guest Lecturer)
Carnegie Mellon University. Fall 2013
Instructor: Christopher Olivola
Behavioral Economics and Public Policy (Teaching Assistant and Guest Lecturer)
Carnegie Mellon University. Fall 2012, Fall 2014
Instructor: George Loewenstein
Behavioral Economics (Teaching Assistant and Guest Lecturer)
Carnegie Mellon University. Fall 2012
Instructor: Elif Incekara Hafalir
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Organizations (Teaching Assistant)
Carnegie Mellon University. Spring 2012
Instructor: Erte Xiao,
Empirical Research Methods (Teaching Assistant and Guest Lecturer)
Carnegie Mellon University. Fall 2011
Instructor: George Loewenstein
Advertising and Marketing Communications (Guest Lecturer)
Carnegie Mellon University. Fall 2011
Instructor: Joachim Vosgerau
Introduction to Psychology (Teaching Assistant)
University of Richmond. Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010.
Instructors: Catherine Bagwell, L. Elizabeth Crawford
EDITORIAL SERVICE
Ad Hoc Reviewer
Behavioral Science & Policy
Behavior Research Methods
Social Psychological and Personality Science
Society for Consumer Psychology (2014)
Society for Judgment and Decision Making (poster reviewer)
Trainee Reviewer
Journal of Consumer Research
ACADEMIC AFFILIATIONS
American Society of Health Economists
Association for Consumer Research
Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics
Society for Judgment and Decision Making
VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion
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