Rusty Stough, Ph.D.

Rusty A. Stough joined the University of Maine in the fall of 2020. Prior to that, he was a Ph.D. student in marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

His research focuses broadly on two areas: the consumption experience and the neurobiology of attention. For the consumption experience line of research, his work focuses on how people use and interact with products to have an experience, specifically focusing on products that are rented or borrowed. For the neurobiology of attention, he’s specifically looking at the role subconscious attention plays in processing of advertisement information. This research utilizes various biometric techniques to study how information is attended to and the downstream effects of subconscious processing.

Education

  • Ph.D., Marketing, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • M.S., Marketing, University of Denver
  • B.S., Chemistry, Geneva College
  • B.S., Biology, Geneva College 

Teaching Areas/Courses

MKT 410: Market Intelligence

Research Interests

Consumer Psychology, Neurobiology of Attention, Experiential Satisfaction, Access-Based Consumption, Television Advertising

Publications

Markovitch, D. G., Stough, R. A., & Huang, D. (2024). Consumer reactions to chatbot versus human service: an investigation in the role of outcome valence and perceived empathy. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 79, 103847.

Obenauer, W. G., Stough, R. A., Graham, C. M., & Catto, E. M. (2025). Is “being white” a component of the superhero prototype? Perhaps, but research participants won’t tell you that. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.

Graham, C., & Stough, R. (2025). Consumer perceptions of AI chatbots on Twitter (X) and Reddit: an analysis of social media sentiment and interactive marketing strategies. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing.

Huang, D., Markovitch, D. G., & Stough, R. A. (2024). “Can chatbot customer service match human service agents on customer satisfaction? An investigation in the role of trust.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 76, 103600.

Stough, R., & Graham, C. (2023). “Physical or digital media: the mediating role of psychological ownership.” Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, (ahead-of-print).

Keiper, M. C., Nachtigal, J., Lupinek, J. M., & Stough, R. A. (2023). “Marketing Analytics Curriculum Integration: An Exploration of Resource Availability for Faculty.” Journal of Marketing Education, 02734753231195591.

Stough, R. A., & Carter, E. P. (2023). “What was yours is (for now) mine: Prior user knowledge reduces product satisfaction but can improve experiential satisfaction in access‐based consumption.” Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

Polman, E., & Stough, R. A. (2023). “Homo indifferencus: Effects of unavailable options on preference construction.” Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, e2326.

Dumas, J. E., & Stough, R. A. (2022). “When influencers are not very influential: The negative effects of social media verification.” Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 21(3), 614-624.

Shen, J. D., Rindfleisch, A., Cakanlar, A., Ordabayeva, N., Guo, Y. J., Lamberton, C., Stough, R. & Moreau, P. (2021). “Relationship Dynamics in the Era of the Sharing Economy.” ACR North American Advances.

Conferences

Presenter

2025 Retailing and Consumer Sciences Conference, Zagreb, Croatia
“Ugliness is Only Skin Deep: The Effects of Green Consumer Value on Ugly Product Evaluation”

2018 Albert Haring Symposium, University of Indiana-Bloomington
Discussant for peer work on satiation

2017 Future of Ownership Research Symposium, Vienna, Austria
“You Are What You Borrow”

2017 Association for Consumer Research Conference, San Diego, CA.
“The Effects of Contagion on Access-based Consumption”

2017 Robert D. Mittelstaedt Doctoral Symposium, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

2016 Association for Consumer Research Conference, Berlin, Germany.
“Choosing an Inferior Option: The Case of Disappearing Inherited Options”

2016 Society for Consumer Psychology, St. Pete Beach, FL
“Choosing an Inferior Option: The Case of Disappearing Inherited Options”

2015 Society for Judgement and Decision Making, Chicago, IL
“Like But Please Don’t Share This: Digital Sharing Decreases Felt Ownership”