Dr Tamara Ansons

Research Interests

My research interests are structured within a framework of human cognition that stipulates that memory provides a foundation for all other cognitive processes.

Memory preserves experiences that one acquires throughout life, and the current environment provides a context for which information from memory is accessed. Although utilising memory processes in this way typically allows individuals to effectively interact with their current environment, subtle memory influences may also lead to systematic biases. I am interested in investigating how metacognitive experiences and cognitive processes are used to guide a number of subjective judgments and behaviours, particularly within consumer behaviour.

Most of my previous research has focused on how recollection may not allow individuals to accurately access events from their past. Instead, this research reveals that recollection can be used inferentially to guide judgments about past events. Extending this research, I am currently examining how cognitive experiences guide the interaction between consumers' online and offline behaviours. That is, I am interested in learning how memories from our real-world experiences influence our online behaviours, and how our online experiences guide how we behave in the real-world.

In addition to investigating memory's influence on consumer behaviour, I am also interested in examining other unconscious influences on consumer behaviour. This line of work focuses on how contextual or situational factors alter how consumers process and are affected by information from the media.