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Welcome to the Consumer Behavior Lab
Founded in 2016 by Dr. Hayk Khachatryan, the Consumer Behavior Lab at the University of Florida's Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) conducts cutting-edge research at the intersection of behavioral economics, consumer psychology, and applied horticultural marketing. The lab investigates the drivers of consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay for horticultural product attributes and urban landscape features.
Using a diverse set of experimental tools such as discrete choice experiments, experimental auctions, online and in-person surveys, and eye-tracking technologies, the lab explores how individuals process information and make decisions that involve both monetary and non-monetary trade-offs. Research topics include consumer response to behavioral nudges such as eco-labels, preferences for water-conserving landscapes, pollinator-friendly plants, and other low-input horticultural innovations. The lab’s eye-tracking equipment, including stationary and wearable devices, enables the collection of biometric data that enhances understanding of how individuals visually attend to environmental cues and make decisions, viewed through the lens of behavioral and experimental economics.
Work conducted at the Consumer Behavior Lab has been published in top peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Applied Economics, Marketing Letters, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Agricultural Economics, Food Quality and Preference, and Land Use Policy. This body of work has been supported by competitive funding from federal and state agencies, including the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative, National Science Foundation, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association, Florida Pest Management Association, and Florida Turfgrass Growers Association.
The lab serves as a resource for academic research and stakeholder engagement. Working with postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and collaborators from various Land-Grant universities, we strive to bridge scientific discovery with industry and policy applications to enhance the profitability and sustainability of the environmental horticulture sector in Florida and beyond.
Contact
CB Lab Director
Dr. Hayk Khachatryan
Mid-Florida Research and Education Center
2725 S. Binion Road, Apopka, FL 32703
407-410-6951
hayk@ufl.edu
View Dr. Khachatryan's publications
Lab Members
Current Members:
Post-doctoral researchers
- Samiul Haque (Ph.D., Agricultural Economics, Purdue University), 2023 - present.
- Younghyeon Jeon (Ph.D., Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Missouri - Columbia), 2023 - present.
Former Members:
Post-doctoral researchers
- Melinda Knuth (Ph.D., Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University), 2020-2021.
- Xuan Wei (Ph.D., Economics and Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University), 2017-2024.
- Alicia Rihn (Ph.D., Horticultural Sciences, University of Minnesota), 2014-2020.
- Dong Hee Suh (Ph.D., Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida), 2014-2016.
- Guzhen Zhou (Ph.D., Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky), 2013-2014.
- Hee Jung Choi (Ph.D, Agricultural Economics, North Carolina State University), 2012-2013.
Graduate students
- Simon Codjo (Ph.D., Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida), 2020-2024.
- Xumin Zhang (Ph.D., Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida), 2015-2019.
- Carlos Solis (M.S., Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida), 2014-2016.
- Wan Xu (Ph.D., Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida), 2011-2015.