Ryan Gaffney
Lab Manager, Insights Lab
Adjunct Professor of Management
Research Interests/Areas of Expertise
Uncertainty, Inference, knowledge, information processing
Biography
Donald R. Gaffney, Ph.D., is a Senior Researcher at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Gaffney is an award-winning scholar whose research explores how consumers make sense of uncertainty, especially in contexts where decisions are influenced by artificial intelligence, bias, branding, and social media.
Dr. Gaffney is the founder of the Faculty Research Assistance Program (FRAP), co-director of Owen's Behavioral Research Lab (BRAVO), and Manager of the Owen Behavioral Insights Laboratory, which supports one of the most active consumer research pipelines in the country. His scholarship has been published in leading outlets such as Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, Judgment and Decision Making, and Journal of International Consumer Marketing. He is also a contributor to major academic handbooks in consumer research, including the APA Handbook of Consumer Psychology, Advancing Consumer Psychology and the Handbook of Social Psychology and Consumer Behaviour.
Dr. Gaffney’s work has been presented at leading academic conferences and institutions, including the Association for Consumer Research, TEDx, and Stanford University. In addition to his academic contributions, he has consulted for nonprofits, startups, and mission-driven organizations, applying his expertise in consumer insight, marketing strategy, and digital communication to support socially impactful work.
Publications
Gaffney, Donald R., Steve S. Posavac, and Frank R. Kardes (forthcoming), “Epistemic Inference Theory: Subjective Uncertainty and the Conditions for Inference Formation,” in Advancing Consumer Psychology, eds. Sasha Fedorikhin, Dawn Iaccobucci, Frank Kardes, and Paul Herr.
Kardes, Frank R., Steven S. Posavac, and Donald R. Gaffney (forthcoming), “Consumer Inference and the Illusion of Knowledge,” in Handbook of Social Psychology and Consumer Behaviour, eds. Eric R. Spangenberg and Katie (Quinn) Spangenberg, London, U.K.: Elgar.
Posavac, Steven S., Donald R. Gaffney, and Frank R. Kardes (2024), “On the Robustness of the Brand Positivity Effect: Is Impulsivity a Moderator of Overly Favorable Judgments and Choices of Focal Options,” Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.
Wu, Ruomeng, Donald R. Gaffney, Frank R. Kardes, Shaobo Li, and Meng Liu (2024), “As Good as New: Embarrassment and Consumers’ Preference for Used versus New Products,” Journal of International Consumer Marketing.
Hernandez, José Mauro C., Murilo Carrazedo, Donald R. Gaffney, and Frank R. Kardes (2023), “The benefits of deciding now and not later: The influence of the timing between acquiring knowledge and deciding on decision confidence, omission neglect bias, and choice deferral,” Judgment and Decision Making.
Posavac, Steven S., Heidi D. Posavac, Donald R. Gaffney, and Frank R. Kardes (2022), “Toward a Clinical Consumer Psychology,” Frontiers in Psychology.
Kardes, Frank R., Steven S. Posavac, and Donald R. Gaffney (2022), “Omission Neglect and Consumer Judgment and Inference Based on Limited Evidence,” in APA Handbook of Consumer Psychology, eds. Lynn Kahle, Tina M. Lowrey, and Joel Huber, Washington, D.C.: APA.
Posavac, Steven S., Frank R. Kardes, Heidi D. Posavac, and Donald R. Gaffney (2022), “The Utility of Clinical Psychology Concepts for Judgment and Decision Making Research: The Case of Histrionic Features,” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Kellaris, James J., Karen Machleit, and Donald R. Gaffney (2020), “Sign Evaluation and Compliance under Mortality Salience: Lessons from a Pandemic,” Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding.
Teaching
Dr. Gaffney teaches Experiential Learning and Marketing Communications, Advertising and Social Media in the Master of Marketing and MBA programs. His courses focus on the connection between research and practice, helping students understand how marketing communication influences consumer behavior in modern brand environments.On A Personal Note...
When he's not teaching or designing experiments, you can find Dr. G jumping out of planes or flying down a mountain on a snowboard. A former competitive fighter, he still looks for that same rush, these days through skydiving, snowboarding, and exploring new places around the world.
Research Interests
Dr. Gaffney studies consumer judgment and decision-making, with a focus on how individuals interpret and respond to marketing communication. His research examines how perceptions of uncertainty shape message processing, engagement, and consumer behavior.
He is best known for developing Epistemic Inference Theory, which explains how consumers make sense of uncertainty and what drives them to engage with some messages while ignoring others. This work has been recognized by the City of Nashville for its broader contribution to public understanding of behavioral science.
Dr. Gaffney also leads a research program on how consumers evaluate communication from human and AI sources. His work explores the expectations people bring to AI interactions and the implications for brand perception, persuasion, and consumer experience. This research received the Provost’s Faculty Grant for its potential impact on the future of marketing.
Education
Ph.D., Marketing, University of Cincinnati
M.Sc., Marketing, University of Cincinnati
B.B.A., Marketing and International Business, University of Cincinnati
