Social & Health Psychology Lab

In this laboratory, we are conducting several lines of research exploring the antecedents and consequences of self-evaluation (particularly self-enhancement). Projects include: studies of how social comparison feedback influences performance and ability judgments, the way in which people construct personal risk perceptions, and the implications of optimistically biased self-evaluations for information processing, and behavior. And several ongoing studies consider how these processes influence cancer-related judgments and behaviors.

The Principal Investigator of this laboratory is William Klein, PhD.

Graduate Student Advisees

Jennifer Cerully,
jlc57@pitt.edu



Amanda Midboe,
amm149@pitt.edu



Matthew Monin,
mmm48@pitt.edu



Laura Zajac,
lzajac@pitt.edu

Research Assistants (Fall 2008)

Hellena Admassu,
hga2@pitt.edu



Dana Aravich,
dma23@pitt.edu



Hannah Bergman,
heb10@pitt.edu



Chloe Bolon,
cab126@pitt.edu



Beth Dugan,
emd22@pitt.edu



Emily Galvin,
erg22@pitt.edu



Kim Ha,
kdh21@pitt.edu



Alyssa Heintzelman,
anh28@pitt.edu



Marina Jackson,
mcj8@pitt.edu



Trisha Kozlowski,
tak28@pitt.edu



Yvonne Saadi,
yms1@pitt.edu

CRC message framing study
     Laura -- Marina, Hellena

CVD study with Kamarck lab
     Laura -- Chloe

CRC self-affirmation study
     Matthew, Yvonne -- Trisha

Smoking MS study
     Matthew

Skin cancer study
     Amanda -- Beth, Trisha

NSF ambiguity study 1
     Jenn -- Dana

Clin. trials emotion study
     Jenn -- Hannah, Emily

Clin. trials self-affirmation study   
     Jenn -- Alyssa, Kim

Incentives study
     Yvonne

Klein, W. M. P., & Zajac, L. E. (in preparation). Imagining a rosy future: The psychology of optimism. To appear in K. Markman, W. M. P. Klein, & J. Suhr (Eds.), Handbook of imagination and mental simulation. New York, NY: Psychology Press.

Klein, W. M. P., & Cerully, J. L. (in press). Risk appraisal. To appear in K. Vohs & R. Baumeister (Eds.), Encyclopedia of social psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Klein, W. M. P., & Monin, M. M. (in press). Motivated cognition. To appear in K. Vohs & R. Baumeister (Eds.), Encyclopedia of social psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Klein, W. M. P., & Cooper, K. L. (in press). On the physical health costs of self-enhancement. To appear in E. Chang (Ed.), Self-criticism and self-enhancement: Theory, research, and clinical implications. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Klein, W. M. P., Monin, M. M., Steers-Wentzell, K. L., & Buckingham, J. T. (in press). Effects of standards on self-enhancing interpretations of ambiguous social comparison information. Basic and Applied Social Psychology.

Stellefson, M., Wang, Z., & Klein, W. M. P. (in press). Effects of cognitive dissonance on intentions to change diet and physical activity among college students. American Journal of Health Studies.

Cerully, J. L, Klein, W. M. P., & McCaul, K. D. (2006). Lack of acknowledgement of fruit and vegetable recommendations among non-adherent individuals: Associations with information processing and cancer cognitions. Journal of Health Communication, 11, 103-115.

Dillard, A. J., McCaul, K. D., Kelso, P. D., & Klein, W. M. P. (2006). Resisting good news: Reactions to breast cancer risk information. Health Communication, 19, 115-123.

Dillard, A. J., McCaul, K. D., & Klein, W. M. P. (2006). Unrealistic optimism in smokers: Implications for smoking myth endorsement and self-protective motivation. Journal of Health Communication, 11, 93-102.

Zajac, L. E., Klein, W. M. P., & McCaul, K. D. (2006). Absolute and comparative risk perceptions as predictors of cancer worry: Moderating effects of gender and psychological distress. Journal of Health Communication, 11, 37-49.

Klein, W. M. P. (2003). Effects of objective feedback and "single other" or "average other" social comparison feedback on performance judgments and helping behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 418-429.

Radcliffe, N. M., & Klein, W. M. P. (2002). Dispositional, unrealistic, and comparative optimism: Differential relations with knowledge and processing of risk information and beliefs about personal risk. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 836-846.

Johnson, R. J., McCaul, K. D., & Klein, W. M. P. (2002). Risk involvement and risk perception among adolescents and young adults. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 25, 67-82.

Lightdale, J. R., Oken, E., Klein, W. M., Welty, T. K., & Landrigan, P. J. (1997). Psychosocial barriers to health promotion in an American Indian population. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 7, 34-49.

The lab is located in Room 3536 of the Sennott Square building, on the third floor, at 210 S. Bouquet Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. [map]

|phone| 412-624-8267
|email| wmklein@pitt.edu