Applied behavioral economics and consumer choice q Diane F. DiClemente * , Donald A. Hantula Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA Abstract This paper provides a review of the applied behavioral literature in consumer choice. Be- ginning with Watson and LindsleyÕs initial forays into consumer behavior from their respective bases as basic behavioral researchers, the role of behavior analytic theory and application in consumer behavior is appraised. The applied behavior analysis movement brought operant- based applications into the consumer field, largely focusing on pro-soical and social marketing applications. Increased interest in behavioral theory sparked continuing research in classical conditioning of consumer attitudes and behaviors. Recent theoretical work in the Behavioral Perspective Model and in the Behavioral Ecology of Consumption both harken back to some of WatsonÕs early influences as well as forge new ground for a comprehensive behavioral ac- count of consumption. Ó 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. PsycINFO classification: 3900; 3920 JEL classification: M390 Keywords: Consumer behavior; Behavior modification; Decision making; Behavioral economics; Behav- iorism q Portions of these data were presented at the 1997 meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis- International, Chicago, IL. * Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Psychology, Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle, PA 17013, USA. E-mail address: diclemed@dickinson.edu (D.F. DiClemente). 0167-4870/$ - see front matter Ó 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0167-4870(03)00003-5 Journal of Economic Psychology 24 (2003) 589–602 www.elsevier.com/locate/joep