Nina Strohminger

Nina Strohminger
  • Associate Professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics

Contact Information

  • office Address:

    Jon M. Huntsman Hall
    Room 672

Links: Personal Website

Overview

Prof. Strohminger’s research approaches key questions in business ethics through the lens of psychology.

She holds a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Michigan. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at Duke University and Yale University. She keeps winning teaching awards, for some reason.

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Research

A wee selection of some recent publications.

  • Nina Strohminger (2022), Strohminger N. and Jordan M.J. (2022). Corporate insecthood. Cognition, 224:105068, .

Teaching

Past Courses

  • LGST1000 - Ethics & Social Resp

    This course explores business responsibility from rival theoretical and managerial perspectives. Its focus includes theories of ethics and their application to case studies in business. Topics include moral issues in advertising and sales; hiring and promotion; financial management; corporate pollution; product safety; and decision-making across borders and cultures.

  • LGST7820 - Corrupted Information

    Traditionally, the problem of decision-making under uncertainty is presented in terms of the cognitive limitations of the decision-maker. This course explores the problem in terms of how information is manipulated, withheld, and outright fabricated by those controlling the information flow. Environments rich in corrupted information generate a unique suite of challenges for the decision-maker, among them how to interpret expert testimony, scientific data, advertisements, and claims from business leaders and media. Beginning with the foundational issue of information asymmetry, this course provides a wide-ranging review of the many ways that uncertainty is used to stymie our ability to draw unbiased conclusions. Topics covered include: the weaponization of confidence and doubt, spin, the modern attention economy, deep fakes, and how to distinguish experts from frauds. We will examine various strategies for balancing skepticism with trust, particularly in corrupted systems. By the end of the course, you will have an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of corrupted information, and a toolkit for navigating the obstacles it places between the decision-maker and the truth.

  • OIDD7820 - Corrupted Information

    Traditionally, the problem of decision-making under uncertainty is presented in terms of the cognitive limitations of the decision-maker. This course explores the problem in terms of how information is manipulated, withheld, and outright fabricated by those controlling the information flow. Environments rich in corrupted information generate a unique suite of challenges for the decision-maker, among them how to interpret expert testimony, scientific data, advertisements, and claims from business leaders and media. Beginning with the foundational issue of information asymmetry, this course provides a wide-ranging review of the many ways that uncertainty is used to stymie our ability to draw unbiased conclusions. Topics covered include: the weaponization of confidence and doubt, spin, the modern attention economy, deep fakes, and how to distinguish experts from frauds. We will examine various strategies for balancing skepticism with trust, particularly in corrupted systems. By the end of the course, you will have an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of corrupted information, and a toolkit for navigating the obstacles it places between the decision-maker and the truth.

  • PSYC4998 - Mentored Research

    Mentored research involving data collection. Students do independent empirical work under the supervision of a faculty member, leading to a written paper. Normally taken in the junior or senior year.

  • PSYC4999 - Honors Mentored Research

    The Honors Program has been developed to recognize excellence in psychology among Penn undergraduates and to enhance skills related to psychological research. The 4998 credit signifies an Honors Independent Study, completed as part of the Honors Program. The honors program involves: (a) completing a year-long empirical research project in your senior year under the supervision of a faculty member (for a letter grade). This earns 2 cu's. (b) completing a second term of statistics (for a letter grade) before graduation. (c) participating in the year-long Senior Honors seminar (for a letter grade). This seminar is designed especially for Psychology Honors majors; this receives a total of 1 cu. (d) participating in the Undergraduate Psychology Research Fair in the Spring semester, at which honors students present a poster and give a 15-minute talk about their research. (e) a total of 15 cu's in psychology is required. Students will be selected to be part of the Honors Program in the Spring of their junior year (see application process online)

In the News

Harper’s wrote a poetic blurb about my research for its June 2022 issue: https://harpers.org/archive/2022/06/life-inc-corporate-insecthood/

Knowledge @ Wharton

Activity

Latest Research

Nina Strohminger (2022), Strohminger N. and Jordan M.J. (2022). Corporate insecthood. Cognition, 224:105068, .
All Research

In the News

Will the Government Bail Out Your 401(k) in a Market Crash?

Wharton finance professor Nikolai Roussanov explains how 401(k)s are exposed to market volatility, the likelihood of government intervention, and what investors should expect in a crisis.…Read More

Knowledge @ Wharton - 2026/08/7
All News