2021 Psychological Science Publications and Grants

* Indicates student co-author

Basso, Taylor, Majorie H. Charlop, and Caitlyn Bailey Gumaer. “Using A Functional Play Intervention to Increase Joint Attention of School-aged, Non-Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)”. International Journal of Elementary Education, vol. 13, no. 3, 2021.

Abstract: The vast majority of joint attention interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are geared toward toddlers and preschoolers as it is an early developmental skill. However, many of the youngsters do not acquire joint attention despite these early interventions and subsequently do not exhibit joint attention later in life. In the current study, we used a multiple baseline design across three school-aged, non-verbal children with ASD, to assess the efficacy of a functional play intervention to increase joint attention. During baseline, all three children demonstrated minimal joint attention and appropriate play. Following baseline, the functional play intervention was presented, which consisted of teaching functional play through modeling. Post-intervention probes demonstrated gains in both joint attention and functional play. Furthermore, these behaviors generalized across person, setting, and stimuli. The results of this study provide evidence that functional play interventions may be a promising approach to teach and promote joint attention for older, school-aged children with ASD.


Charlop, Marjorie H., Jenna Gilder, and Catherine Miltenberger. “Precision Teaching.” Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders, edited by Fred R. Volkmar. Springer, 2021, pp. 3618-3623.


Charlop, Marjorie H., Jenna Gilder, Catherine Miltenberger, and Alissa Greenberg. “Education.” Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders, edited by Fred R. Volkmar. Springer, 2021, pp. 1604-1611.


Charlop, Marjorie H., Benjamin R. Thomas, and Catherine Miltenberger. “Behavioral Curricula.” Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders, edited by Fred R. Volkmar. Springer, 2021, pp. 649-654.


Thomas, Benjamin R., Marjonie H. Charlop, Nataly H. Lim*, N., and Caitlyn Gumaer. “Measuring Happiness Behavior in Functional Analyses of Challenging Behavior for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Behavior Modification, vol. 45, issue 3, 2021, pp. 502-530.

Abstract: This two-experiment study assessed the utility of measuring happiness behavior (e.g., smiling and/or laughing) within functional analyses (FA) of challenging behavior, and using results to inform interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In Exp. 1, we concurrently measured happiness behavior within the trial-based FA’s of challenging behavior of four children with ASD. Results showed differentiation for both challenging behavior in test trials and happiness behavior within controls. In Exp. 2, we compared interventions based on challenging and happiness behavior from FA results for three of the participants, using a multiple-baseline across-participants design, with embedded reversals. Results suggested that interventions derived from measures of the children’s happiness behavior led to reductions challenging behavior that were similar to interventions informed by challenging behavior, and were also associated with increased happiness behavior. Taken together, these two experiments suggest that the measurement of children’s happiness behavior in FA of challenging behavior appears to be helpful in determining interventions for children with ASD.

Conger, Jay A. “Charisma in Organizational Studies.” Routledge Handbook of Charisma, edited by José Pedro Zúquete. Taylor & Francis, 2021, pp. 303-312.

Abstract: This chapter examines the evolution of research on charismatic leadership in organizational settings from original work by the German sociologist Max Weber to today’s most recent theories and empirical research. It identifies the streams of investigations topically as well as the gaps in the research to date.


Conger, Jay, and Jerry Larson. “Moving Toward Collective Leadership.” National Association of Independent Schools, Summer 2021.


Day, David V., Ronald E. Riggio, Sherylle J. Tan, and Jay A. Conger. “Advancing the Science of 21st-Century Leadership Development: Theory, Research, and Practice.” The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 32, issue 5, 2021, 101557.

Abstract: Leadership development seeks to understand, predict, and intervene effectively in addressing the questions of how individuals develop as leaders and how collections of individuals develop a capacity for leadership. These questions are attracting scholars interested in the factors and processes involved in developing leaders and leadership. Presented in the special issue is a set of state-of-the-science empirical studies and theory development articles representing 21st century leadership development. We also provide a brief overview of issues related to the leadership development field—broadly construed to include individual leader development—that are especially pertinent and where the research evidence is scarce or contradictory. These areas are theoretical foundations of leadership development, practices and methods of development and talent selection for development, accurately estimating return on investment for leadership development initiatives, the role of time in developing leaders and leadership, understanding and remedying biases and inequities in leadership development, and the role of development in mitigating the so-called dark side of leadership. Although we have learned much about leader and leadership development over the past 20 years, there is an ongoing need for more research and theory development especially with respect to identifying causally and practically relevant knowledge able to inform policy.

Krauss, Daniel, Gabriel I. Cook, Eunice Song*, and Sharda Umanath. “The Public’s Perception of Crime Control Theater Laws: It’s Complicated.” Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, vol. 27, issue 3, 2021, pp. 316-327.

Abstract: Crime Control Theater (CCT) refers to laws that are widely supported by the public even though they are well-documented empirical failures in their effectiveness. Through a survey of a representative participant sample (N = 450), the present work examines 5 CCT laws (AMBER Alerts, sex offender housing restriction laws, sex offender registry laws, safe haven laws, and 3-strikes sentencing laws), comparing the public’s support and perceived effectiveness of these laws to 5 non-Crime Control Theater (NCCT) laws. Although participants’ view of CCT laws as a group evidenced greater support, perceived effectiveness, and a relative difference favoring support over effectiveness than NCCT laws, there was considerable variation across individual CCT laws. 3-strikes law showed the least support and perceived effectiveness ratings of all CCT laws, while CCT laws involving sex offenders received particularly high support ratings relative to other CCT laws among self-identified women. Different demographic and political characteristics may be at the root of these variations in public support for CCT laws, and the policy implications of these findings for altering the public attitudes towards various CCT laws are discussed.

Costanzo, Mark A., and Marina L. Costanzo. “Personality and Forensic Psychology.” The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences: Clinical, Applied, and Cross-Cultural Research, edited by Bernardo J. Carducci, Christopher S. Nave, Jeffrey S. Mio, and Ronald E. Riggio. John Wiley& Sons Ltd., 2021, pp. 575-581.

Abstract: Personality variables have frequently been ignored by scientists studying legal-forensic psychology. This neglect is likely due to legal psychology’s focus on variables that are under the control of the legal system (e.g. eyewitness identification procedures, interrogation techniques, jury instructions). However, there are a few areas where legal-forensic psychologists have found it useful to explore the impact of personality and individual differences. This entry summarizes several of these areas including the personality characteristics of criminal suspects that raise the risk of false confessions, how the personalities of jurors might be expected to influence how evidence is evaluated and how verdicts are decided, individual differences in the tendency to engage in illegal workplace harassment, and the personality traits associated with criminality. Although we have some understanding of how personality influences the legal system, much work remains to be done.


Costanzo, Mark, and Daniel Krauss. Forensic and Legal Psychology: Psychological Science Applied to the Law, 4th edition. Worth Publishers, 2021.

Abstract: Costanzo and Krauss show students how psychological science can be used to enhance the gathering of evidence, improve legal decision-making, reduce crime, and promote justice. With the integration of fascinating real trials, cases and other examples of the legal system in action, the authors illustrate how research and theory can deepen our understanding of suspects, criminals, police officers, victims, lawyers, witnesses, judges, and jurors. Costanzo and Krauss accessibly illustrate the relevance of key research findings in social, cognitive, clinical, and developmental psychology to virtually every aspect of the legal system psychologists have studied.

Day, David, Nicolas Bastardoz, Tiffany Bisbey, Denise Reyes, and Eduardo Salas. “Unlocking Human Potential Through Leadership Training and Development Initiatives.” Behavioral Science and Policy, vol. 7, issue 1, 2021, pp. 41-54.

Abstract: Most organizations invest in leadership training and development initiatives, but which programs are worth the money is not always clear. To help leaders and policymakers make informed decisions about their leadership investments, we review empirical research from the organizational sciences and provide evidence-based guidance regarding the appropriate design and delivery of such interventions. Leadership training and development are distinct initiatives based on different needs and targeted at distinct albeit interrelated goals. We describe important characteristics of both kinds of interventions, detailing features with the most potential for influencing effectiveness and maximizing returns. Our recommendations provide clear and actionable suggestions for choosing the right interventions, providing the necessary resources to set the stage for success, and evaluating such programs.


Day, David V., Ronald E. Riggio, Sherylle J. Tan, and Jay A. Conger. “Advancing the Science of 21st-Century Leadership Development: Theory, Research, and Practice.” The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 32, issue 5, 2021, 101557.

Abstract: Leadership development seeks to understand, predict, and intervene effectively in addressing the questions of how individuals develop as leaders and how collections of individuals develop a capacity for leadership. These questions are attracting scholars interested in the factors and processes involved in developing leaders and leadership. Presented in the special issue is a set of state-of-the-science empirical studies and theory development articles representing 21st century leadership development. We also provide a brief overview of issues related to the leadership development field—broadly construed to include individual leader development—that are especially pertinent and where the research evidence is scarce or contradictory. These areas are theoretical foundations of leadership development, practices and methods of development and talent selection for development, accurately estimating return on investment for leadership development initiatives, the role of time in developing leaders and leadership, understanding and remedying biases and inequities in leadership development, and the role of development in mitigating the so-called dark side of leadership. Although we have learned much about leader and leadership development over the past 20 years, there is an ongoing need for more research and theory development especially with respect to identifying causally and practically relevant knowledge able to inform policy.


Reyes, Denise Lucia, Tiffany Bisbey, David Day, and Eduardo Salas. “Translating 6 Key Insights From Research On Leadership and Management In Times of Crisis.” BMJ Leader, vol. 5, 2021, pp. 291-294.

Abstract: Background: Certain leadership behaviours are particularly helpful for healthcare teams remain effective through crisis situations, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper summarizes evidence-based insights based on their importance and prevalence in the crisis leadership literature to provide recommendations that apply to medical team leaders broadly construed. We recommend that leaders adopt these behaviours in conditions of intense difficulty, uncertainty, as well as physical and psychological peril.


Zaccaro, Stephen J., David Day, and Katelyn Hendrick. “Leadership: A Critical Historical Analysis of the Influence of Leader Traits.” Historical Perspectives in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2nd Edition, edited by Laura Koppes Bryan. Routledge, 2021, pp. 227-248.

Abstract: In this chapter we take a critical historical approach to examining the influence of traits and individual differences, trait theories, and trait thinking on the development of leadership research, theory, and practice. In addition to examining early writings on the topic of leadership by industrial psychologists (and a few sociologists and management scholars as well), we focus on the rise of the so-called “leader behavior‚” approach beginning in the late 1940s, which developed into the Ohio State studies. Specifically, we will examine how this contribution ultimately led to a split in the field. The more prominent group followed a situational or contingency approach to leadership. The other, less traveled path focused on the role of follower perceptions in leadership.

Ahn, Ashley, Patricia A. Smiley, Jessica L. Borelli, and Stacey N. Doan. “The Effects of Relational Savoring on Maternal Responsiveness: Investigating the Role of Culture.” European Journal of Positive Psychology, vol. 5, article 17, 2021, pp. 1-11.

Abstract: Background/Aims/Objectives: Savoring, or the mental prolonging of specific experiences of positive emotion, is associated with positive health and feelings of interpersonal connectedness. However, few studies have examined savoring in families, and even fewer have explored the extent to which savoring effects may vary across cultures. The current study aims to expand research on savoring by evaluating the effects of a brief savoring manipulation on maternal responsiveness and investigating the role of culture to better understand the role of positive emotions in Latinx families.


Doan, Stacey N. “Allostatic Load: Developmental and Conceptual Considerations In a Multi-System Physiological Indicator of Chronic Stress Exposure.” Developmental Psychobiology, vol. 63, issue 5, 2021, pp. 825-836.

Abstract: Developmental researchers studying how stress affects health have often focused on specific, individual, physiological parameters such as cortisol. Yet, recent theories of stress biology emphasize that the stress response is multi-faceted and engages distinct yet interconnected physiological systems, including metabolic, immune, and cardiovascular systems that respond to one another. Moreover, advocates of a systems approach also argue that the confluence of changes across several physiological systems presents a health risk, even when one indicator alone is not predictive of health outcomes. Allostatic load is one potential multi-system indicator of stress, capturing the cumulative, physiological burden of chronic stress exposure on the body. At the same time, studying allostatic load during early development raises several issues, including how allostatic load is operationalized, the clinical importance of commonly used biomarkers during distinct periods of development, and the fundamental role of timing. In this review paper, we discuss the potential of allostatic load in the context of studies of stress in developmental science, review developmental studies that have assessed allostatic load, and articulate critical conceptual questions regarding the study of allostatic load during the childhood years.


Fuller-Rowell, Thomas E., Olivia I. Nichols, Stacey N. Doan, Francesca Adler-Baeder, and Mona El-Sheikh. “Changes in Depressive Symptoms, Physical Symptoms, and Sleep-Wake Problems From Before to During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Emerging Adults: Inequalities by Gender, Socioeconomic Position, and Race.” Emerging Adulthood, vol. 9, issue 5, 2021, pp. 492-505.

Abstract: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emerging adults is of global concern. We examine changes in depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, and sleep-wake problems from before to during the pandemic among college students and examine inequalities by gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and race (N = 263, 52% Black, 48% White, and 53% female). As compared to pre-pandemic levels, increases were evident in depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, and sleep problems. Females had greater increases than males in depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and physical symptoms. Students from disadvantaged SES backgrounds had greater increases in physical symptoms. Among White students, those from disadvantaged backgrounds also had greater increases in sleep problems. Last, daytime sleepiness increased more among Black male than White male students. Overall, findings suggest notable shifts in sleep and health during the early phase of the pandemic among emerging adults, and that attention to inequality by gender, SES, and race is warranted.


Lee, Helen, Katie Kao, and Stacey Doan. “Exploring the Relationship Between Self-Regulation Dimensions and Cardiac Autonomic Functioning in Preschoolers.” British Journal of Developmental Psychology, vol. 39, issue 1, 2021, pp. 205-216.

Abstract: The present study examined the association between behavioural dimensions of self-regulation and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a marker of cardiac autonomic functioning in a sample of preschool children in the United States. Sixty-six children’s emotion- and cognitive-oriented dimensions of self-regulation were examined with respect to changes in RSA (reactivity and recovery). Results showed that children’s recovery RSA, which indicates the ability to return to homeostasis, but not reactivity, was significantly associated with the cognitive-oriented self-regulation.


External Grant: Doan, Stacey, Principal Investigator. “Aggression as Biological Adaptation: Investigating Development in Stressful Contexts.” National Science Foundation, NSF BCS 2043078 Collaborative Research, 2021, $220,583.

Abstract: Childhood poverty and related stressors predict negative adaptation in virtually all domains and periods of development, with particularly notable effects on aggression. This proposal employs both longitudinal and experimental approaches to test the novel hypothesis that, for children growing up in stressful contexts, aggressive behaviors serve an important adaptive function by mitigating the effects of stress on biological dysregulation. Expected findings will provide crucial information to redirect punitive and correctional responses to aggression, which perpetuate health and adaptation disparities, toward culturally-sensitive, contextually-responsive, competence-based interventions that promote positive youth development.


External Grant: Doan, Stacey, Principal Investigator. “Testing the Effectiveness of a Multi-Component Resilience Intervention.” Ho Family Foundation, 2021, $250,205.

Abstract: Increasingly complex problems in society require the development of responsible and resilient leaders. At the same time, evidence suggests that the aspiration of higher education from its mission to promote engaged and effective leaders is decoupled from their practice (Evans et al., 2019). Moreover, responsible leaders also need to be resilient. Yet, evidence suggests increases in mental health problems and burnout among youth. Recent data suggests that 82.3% of undergraduate students reported they experienced moderate to high levels of stress in the past 12 months and 49.3% reported they experienced moderate to serious psychological stress. This problem must also be understood in the context of data suggesting increased burnout among activists attempting to address significant societal problems including social justice, racial justice, and climate change (Gorski 2015; Huang et al, 2018; Malelmian, 2019). Finally, evidence also suggests that an increased proportion of youth are delaying adulthood and responsibility (Furstenberg, 2010). Promoting responsibility, wellbeing, and resilience is necessary for the undergraduate population. Undergraduate students need additional support to do well and eventually do good to become resilient and responsible leaders. The current grant tests a multicomponent intervention designed to create a robust opportunity for students to learn how to do well and do good as responsible and resilient leaders.

Dinh, Juli V., Denise L. Reyes, Luke Kayga, Chapman Lindgren, Jennifer Feitosa, and Eduardo Salas. “Virtual Team Trust: Leader Insights for Virtual Settings.” Organizational Dynamics, vol. 50, issue 1, 2021, 100846.

Abstract: This piece highlights ways that leaders can foster trust within virtual teams, through both affective and cognitive avenues. To this end, we draw from both research and practice to identify and synthesize a number of important findings on virtual team trust. Additionally, we use the experiences of two subject matter experts (SMEs) to help contextualize these findings: an executive from a Fortune 500 Company and a physician leader (with an MD and MBA) at a major academic medical institution. As people leaders with cumulative decades of managerial experience, both SMEs have facilitated teams through rapid, transitionary periods in their organization, during which work moved from an in-person to entirely virtual formats. We have transcribed select, verbatim quotes from interviews with them, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019. Their experiences can be used as “miniature case studies,” illustrating our takeaways with real-life examples. Altogether, we have distilled their practical experiences, as well as evidence-based academic insights, into eight meaningful practices.


Feitosa, Jennifer, and Eduardo Salas. “Today’s Virtual Teams: Adapting Lessons Learned to the Pandemic Context.” Organizational Dynamics, vol. 50, issue 1, 2021, 100777.

Abstract: COVID-19 has dramatically changed organizations, family dynamics, and teamwork. According to Gallup, the number of Americans working remotely jumped from 3.4% who were part-time in the beginning of this year to now 43% full-time remote workers, all by the first week of April. Can we still apply what we know about virtual teams? Probably not. Researchers have highlighted five main challenges that ordinary virtual teams face. Considering the current situation, we will revisit these original challenges to contextualize them with the goal of helping managers better navigate these unprecedented times. We summarize these takeaways while providing action items for managers under these circumstances.


Feitosa, Jennifer and Jessica Sim. “I-O Psychology Around the World: A Snapshot of Historical Roots.” Historical Perspectives in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2nd Edition, edited by Laura Koppes Bryan. Taylor & Francis, 2021, pp. 63-82.

Abstract: This chapter attempts to fill the gap in historical accounts by providing an International perspective of significant events in industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology. Unlike past reviews, this chapter describes important events that have influenced the development of I-O psychology in six regions of the world. Each section begins with a brief description of the region (i.e., North America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia, and Latin America), followed by discussion of a representative country within the region (i.e., Canada, Germany, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, and Brazil), focusing on historical events and issues affecting the development of the field. Specifically, the role of I-O psychology in the military and during world wars as well as the impact of physical, cultural, and ideological divisions within several countries have been crucial in shaping the field. Even though there is considerable diversity in the research, practice, and maturity of I-O psychology in these countries, learning about some of the historical developments provide a holistic understanding for why and how some of these differences emerged. This chapter concludes with discussion questions to stimulate further thinking surrounding this topic.


Feitosa, Jennifer, Dana C. Verhoeven, Marissa L. Shuffler, and Donald W. Wiper, III. “Political Skill Across Health Care Leaders: A Longitudinal Analysis.” Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, vol. 28, issue 1, 2021, pp. 45-59.

Abstract: The health care industry is recognizing the importance of political skill among its professionals. To address this need, a longitudinal study investigates how the political skill of health care leaders (N = 555) evolves and impacts unit performance. Utilizing cross-lagged panel through a three-wave study, measurement equivalence and analysis of variance, we found political skill to influence performance differently over time, across professions, and at the dimension level. Interestingly, political skill did not just influence next year’s political skill levels in health care leaders, but also showed a strong positive influence on the unit’s performance. Similar lagged overall effects were found for both clinical and nonclinical leaders with the caveat that political skills dimensions can evolve differently. For instance, networking ability is underdeveloped and likely to decrease over time for clinical leaders. In summary, future theories and applications consider the temporal elements, the dimensionality of political skill, and the differences in leaders’ occupational interests. We discuss further implications and future research.


Georganta, Eleni, Anna-Sophie Ulfert, Shawn Burke, Jennifer Feitosa, Jan B. Schmutz, Meinald Thielsch, Mirko Antino, Alicia Davis, Fabrice Delice, Denniz Donmez, Lilian Marie Friedrich, Guido Hertel, Julia Kirsch, Christoph Lamers, Katharina Piehhlmeier, Reggie Romain, Sttefan Roselerm, and Ann-Sophie Ulferrt. “When a Team Member Leaves: Adapting to Compositional Disruptions.” Proceedings of the Academy of Management, July 26, 2021.

Abstract: To advance our understanding of the mechanisms required to support teams under today’s unstable and unpredictable conditions, this symposium explores team-level resources under various external (high perceived team virtuality, adopted agile methodology) and internal challenging conditions (membership change, high team diversity, autonomous technology as a team member). Bringing together five high-quality empirical papers that use a range of methodologies, we present evidence on emergent states (e.g., mutual trust, psychological safety) and team processes (e.g., feedback seeking behavior, coordination) as important team-level resources in various team types and contexts. Building on our findings, organisations can create teamwork-supportive conditions and environments to reduce stress, improve processes, and increase effectiveness.


Grossman, Rebecca, Maritza Salazar Campo, Jennifer Feitosa, and Eduardo Salas. “Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Collaboration: Differences Between the Middle East and the United States.” Journal of Business Research, vol. 129, 2021, pp. 2-13.

Abstract: Cross-cultural collaboration is critical for tackling many complex issues of the modern-day, yet can be challenging, particularly when it includes collaborators with a history of conflict, such as Middle Eastern countries and the United States. To explore how collaborators might have unique conceptualizations of collaboration that could ultimately contribute to this challenge, this research leverages comparative structural analysis of interview data from 113 participants across four nations in the Middle East and the United States. Several key differences in conceptualizations emerged. Middle Eastern samples emphasized (1) who is involved, including a spiritual element, (2) interpersonal aspects, (3) higher levels of motivation, and (4) equality of resources, more so than American participants. However, not all conceptualizations were different. These cultures all agreed collaboration is challenging and requires effort to be successful. Findings provide important insights for informing future research, as well as practical approaches to managing cultural differences in collaborative settings.


Kafka*, Adrienne M., Amanda Avery*, Katherine Almendarez*, Teslin Ishee*, Leyna Hong*, Lilian Rangel*, Alicia S. Davis, and Jennifer Feitosa. “Pandemic Meets Race: An Added Layer of Complexity.” Industrial Organizational Psychology, vol. 14, issues 1-2, 2021, pp. 202-205.

Abstract: As I-O psychologists, we have a responsibility to be particularly aware and intentional about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work during this unique period of working during a pandemic, specifically regarding racial dynamics. This paper delineates how we can prioritize race in research and practice while examining representation in our own field to counteract the pandemic’s amplification of preexisting social injustices.

Harris, Alison. “Distinct Patterns of P1 and C2 VEP Potentiation and Attenuation in Visual Snow: A Case Report.” Frontiers in Neurology, vol. 12, 2021, 723677.

Abstract: Visual snow syndrome, characterized by persistent flickering dots throughout the visual field, has been hypothesized to arise from abnormal neuronal responsiveness in visual processing regions. Previous research has reported a lack of typical VEP habituation to repeated stimulus presentation in patients with visual snow. Yet these studies generally used pattern-reversal paradigms, which are suboptimal for measuring cortical responses to the onset of foveal stimulation. Instead, these responses are better indexed by the C2, a pattern-onset VEP peaking 100-120 ms after stimulus onset. In this case study, we analyzed the C2 and its adaptation profile in data previously collected from a single patient with visual snow using a ‟double-pulse‚” presentation paradigm. In controls, shorter intervals between stimulus pairs were associated with greater attenuation of the C2 VEP, with recovery from adaptation at longer stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). However, the visual snow patient showed the opposite pattern, with reduced C2 amplitude at longer SOAs despite distinct C2 peaks at the shortest SOAs. These results stand in contrast not only to the pattern of C2 VEP attenuation in controls, but also to a lack of adaptation previously reported for the pattern-onset P1 VEP in this patient. Exploratory source localization using equivalent current dipole fitting further suggested that P1 and C2 VEPs in the visual snow patient arose from distinct sources in extrastriate visual cortex. While preliminary, these results support differential patterns of VEP attenuation and potentiation within the same individual, potentially pointing towards multiple mechanisms of abnormal neuronal responsiveness in visual snow syndrome.


Harris, Alison. “Weighting on Waiting: Willpower and Attribute Weighting Models of Decision Making.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences, vol. 44, 2021, e38.

Abstract: Willpower is often conceptualized as incorporating effortful and momentary suppression of immediate but ultimately inferior rewards. Yet growing evidence instead supports a process of attribute weighting, whereby normatively optimal choices arise from separable evaluation of different attributes (e.g., time and money). Strategic allocation of attention settles conflicts between competing choice-relevant attributes, which could be expanded to include self-referential predictions.


Harris, Alison, Nicholas Maramica*, Eric J. Moody, and Catherine L. Reed. “Influence of Autistic Tendencies on EEG Correlates of Body Movement Perception.” Journal of Vision, vol. 21, issue 9, 2021, 2726.

Abstract: Growing evidence suggests that we understand others’ mental states by internally recreating, or simulating, their external actions. For example, both executing and observing movement decreases the “mu” rhythm (8-14 Hz) over sensorimotor cortex in electroencephalography (EEG). Reduced mu suppression has been reported in autism spectrum disorder, a finding recently extended to neurotypical individuals with high autistic tendencies (Siqi-Liu et al., 2018). However, this study did not directly compare mu suppression for action execution versus observation, raising questions about the extent to which these effects reflect motor simulation per se. Furthermore, the influence of emotional content on mu suppression is relatively unclear: although emotional body movements are more attentionally salient, neutral movements may be more readily simulated due to familiarity and/or ease of execution. Here we directly compared mu suppression associated with motor execution and action observation as a function of autistic tendencies in a neurotypical sample (n = 37). Participants completed separate blocks of finger-tapping and observation of point-light displays (PLDs) of emotional and neutral body movements. Autistic tendencies were indexed by Autism Quotient scores (AQ; Baron-Cohen et al., 2001), and participants were grouped by median split. We found significant mu suppression over sensorimotor cortex for action execution (AE) and action observation (AO), regardless of AQ subgroup. However, whereas both groups showed highly significant correlations in the scalp distribution of mu suppression for AE vs. neutral AO, mu suppression of emotional AO was only significantly correlated with AE in the high AQ subgroup. Contrary to the idea that action simulation indexed by mu suppression contributes to emotion perception, these results suggest that accessibility of simulation is greater for neutral, as opposed to emotional, movements. Individuals higher in autistic tendencies show more consistent mu suppression for observation of both neutral and emotional movements, with potential consequences for perceiving others’ emotions.

Hall, Gordan C. Nagayama, Elliot T. Berkman, Nolan W. Zane Fredrick T. L. Leong, Wei-Chin Hwang, Arthur M. Nezu, Christine Maguth Nezu, Janie J. Hong, Joyce P. Chu, and Ellen R. Huang. “Reducing Mental Health Disparities by Increasing the Personal Relevance of Interventions.” American Psychologist, vol. 76 no. 1, 2021, pp. 91-103.

Abstract: One of the most persistent health disparities is the underutilization of mental health services by people of color. Neither evidence-based treatments (universal focus) nor culturally adapted treatments (group focus) have reduced these disparities. We propose the personal relevance of psychotherapy (PROP) model, which integrates universal, group, and individual dimensions to determine the personal relevance of interventions. A cultural example of personal relevance among people of East Asian ancestry involves “face‚” (i.e., one’s prestige and position in society), which may moderate treatment outcomes. Pragmatic intervention approaches focused on helping individuals cope with specific external problems, compared to managing a “personal” disease, can effectively “restore” face. Thus, social problem-solving interventions may be more personally relevant to many people of East Asian ancestry than are approaches that are internally focused. In addition, we posit that social neuroscience can offer unique opportunities above and beyond self-report measures when assessing the impact of PROP and the personal relevance of interventions for diverse populations. Our preliminary evidence upon testing this hypothesis indicated that among Asian Americans, exposure to problem-solving therapy content elicited significantly greater neural activity in brain areas associated with personal relevance compared to exposure to cognitive-behavioral therapy content. Identifying personally relevant interventions has the potential to reduce mental health disparities by increasing engagement with mental health services for diverse groups. The increased client engagement produced by personally relevant interventions also has the potential to make mental health services more effective for diverse groups.


Hwang, Wei-Chin. “Culturally Adapted Psychotherapy.” The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences: Volume 4, Clinical, Applied, and Cross-Cultural Research, edited by Bernardo J. Carducci, Christopher S. Mio, Jeffrey S. Mio, and Ronald E. Hoobken. John Wiley & Sons, 2021, pp. 263-268.

Abstract: Culturally adapted psychotherapy refers to the tailoring and modification of mental health services for people of diverse backgrounds. A number of meta-analyses have found that culturally adapted treatments moderately improve treatment outcomes. Moreover, cultural adaptations that occur at a deeper structural level and incorporate client values in treatment may confer even greater benefits than those made at a more superficial level (e.g., linguistic and ethnic matching). Although the cultural competency movement was pioneering and helped established practice guidelines, they tend to be more aspirational in nature and focus on general recommendations. Cultural adaptation frameworks can help highlight areas for modification and guide the tailoring of treatments in an evidence-based manner. Culturally adapted treatments provide clinicians greater practical and concrete advice when working with diverse groups.


Hwang, Wei-Chin. “Demystifying and Addressing Internalized Racism and Oppression Among Asian Americans.” American Psychologist, vol. 76, no. 4, 2021, pp. 596-610.

Abstract: Asian Americans (AAs) are a diverse group who come from many different cultures, backgrounds, immigration histories, geographic regions, and experiences. Unfortunately, AAs are commonly stereotyped as a model minority, used as an intermediary minority, and consequently have been marginalized and left out of dialogues of racism and discrimination. Internalized racism (IR), defined as the internalization of bias and oppression toward one’s group, is an especially insidious form of divisive racism that remains largely misunderstood and unaddressed in AAs. In addition to devaluing oneself, IR creates division in communities and reinforces systems of oppression. This paper reviews the extant literature on IR among AAs and discusses the importance of addressing this deleterious issue and its consequences on individual, family, and community mental health. Moreover, I discuss and elucidate how stereotypes about AAs (e.g., model minority, perpetual foreigner, gendered stereotypes, and conceptions of beauty) directly promote and reinforce different types of internalized oppression (e.g., intraracial hierarchies, intraethnic othering, gendered emasculation, and hypersexualization, colorism and Western standards of beauty). Clinical and community recommendations are provided through a multilevel preventive intervention framework.


Hwang, Wei-Chin, Courtney P. Chan*, and Ken A. Fujimoto. “Call Me Back: Examining Mental Health Provider Biases Through Callback Rates and Responsiveness.” The Counseling Psychologist, vol. 49, no. 7, 2021, pp. 958-986.

Abstract: We conducted a phone-based field experiment to investigate the callback rate of psychologists. Providers (N = 903) in Los Angeles, California who were selected from a health maintenance organization insurance panel list were left voicemails by actors simulating patients of various backgrounds (i.e., race, gender, clinical diagnosis, and ethnic distinctiveness of name). Findings indicated that 71.5% of providers did not return calls to prospective patients. There were no main effects of race and ethnicity on callback. However, ethnic distinctiveness of name moderated the effects of diagnosis. Providers were more responsive to depressed patients with ethnic names, but less responsive to patients with ethnic names and personality or substance abuse disorders. These findings are important because unresponsive providers and insurance companies that do not provide up-to-date panel listings can act as barriers to care, which can have deleterious consequences for help-seekers. Advocacy recommendations and the importance of cultural competency are highlighted.


Wood, Jeffrey J., Eric A. Storch, Cori Fuji, Patricia Renno, Lindsey Sterling, Wei-Chin Hwang, and Marilyn Van Dyke, M. “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.” Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders, Second Edition, edited by Fred R. Vokmar. Springer, 2021.


Xie, Bin, Alismail, S., *Masood, S., *Lei, X., *Le, M., *Niu, Z., Li, Y., and Wei-Chin Hwang. “Psychosocial Adjustment Mediates Impacts of Playmate Positive Support on BMI and Overweight Risk in Adolescents.” Public Health, vol. 196, 2021, pp. 223-228.

Abstract: Objectives: We examined the mediation effects of psychosocial adjustment on the impact of playmate positive support throughout childhood and early adolescence (from age 54 months to 11 years) on later body mass index (BMI) and overweight risk in middle adolescence (age 15 years). Study design: This was a prospective cohort study. Methods: Among 844 children and their families, positive support between child-playmate dyads was repeatedly assessed from child's age 54 months to Grade 5. Long-term positive support between child- playmate dyads throughout childhood and early adolescence was prospectively linked to child's BMI and overweight/obesity status at age 15 years. The average scores of repeated assessments of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems from Grades 3 to 6 were used as mediators. Results: Significant mediations of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were observed on pathways from positive support between child-playmate dyads to later BMI and overweight/obesity status at age 15 years. The observed mediations were mainly sustained with pronounced magnitudes in girls, but not in boys. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated a significant mediating role of psychosocial adjustment. Future research efforts are highly encouraged to replicate our findings and further explore this underlying mediation mechanism.

Costanzo, Mark, and Daniel Krauss. Forensic and Legal Psychology: Psychological Science Applied to the Law, 4th edition. Worth Publishers, 2021.

Abstract: Costanzo and Krauss show students how psychological science can be used to enhance the gathering of evidence, improve legal decision-making, reduce crime, and promote justice. With the integration of fascinating real trials, cases and other examples of the legal system in action, the authors illustrate how research and theory can deepen our understanding of suspects, criminals, police officers, victims, lawyers, witnesses, judges, and jurors. Costanzo and Krauss accessibly illustrate the relevance of key research findings in social, cognitive, clinical, and developmental psychology to virtually every aspect of the legal system psychologists have studied.


Krauss, Daniel, Gabriel I. Cook, Eunice Song*, and Sharda Umanath. “The Public’s Perception of Crime Control Theater Laws: It’s Complicated.” Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, vol. 27, issue 3, 2021, pp. 316-327.

Abstract: Crime Control Theater (CCT) refers to laws that are widely supported by the public even though they are well-documented empirical failures in their effectiveness. Through a survey of a representative participant sample (N = 450), the present work examines 5 CCT laws (AMBER Alerts, sex offender housing restriction laws, sex offender registry laws, safe haven laws, and 3-strikes sentencing laws), comparing the public’s support and perceived effectiveness of these laws to 5 non-Crime Control Theater (NCCT) laws. Although participants’ view of CCT laws as a group evidenced greater support, perceived effectiveness, and a relative difference favoring support over effectiveness than NCCT laws, there was considerable variation across individual CCT laws. 3-strikes law showed the least support and perceived effectiveness ratings of all CCT laws, while CCT laws involving sex offenders received particularly high support ratings relative to other CCT laws among self-identified women. Different demographic and political characteristics may be at the root of these variations in public support for CCT laws, and the policy implications of these findings for altering the public attitudes towards various CCT laws are discussed.

Bukach, Cindy M., Nadia Bukach, Catherine L. Reed, and Jane W. Couperus. “Open Science as a Path to Education of New Psychophysiologists.” International Journal of Psychophysiology, vol. 165, 2021, pp. 76-83.

Abstract: There is a pressing need for resources to train the next generation of psychophysiologists. Psychophysiology, and especially the subfield of cognitive electrophysiology, poses challenges for educators because it requires an understanding of complex concepts and experimental design, advanced analysis and programming skills, and access to specialized software and equipment. These challenges are common to other STEM fields as well. We present PURSUE (Preparing Undergraduates for Research in STEM Using Electrophysiology (www.PursueERP.com) as an example initiative that engages open educational practices to create and share freely available electrophysiology training materials. This model uses evidence-based pedagogy to create accessible and flexible materials, an open database with supporting lab-based training resources, and also provides instructor support during implementation. This model can be used for other areas within STEM. We review benefits and challenges of using open science research and publishing practices for training. Open science resources have benefits for both course-based undergraduate research experiences and other types of training by increasing access to publications, software, and code for conducting experiments and analyses, as well as access to data for those who do not have access to research equipment. Further, we argue that coordinated open educational practices are necessary to take full advantage of open science resources for training students. Open educational practices such as open educational resources, collaborative course building, and implementation support greatly enhance the ability to incorporate these open science resources into a curriculum.


Couperus, Jane W., Kirsten O. Lydic, Juniper E. Hollis, Jessica L. Roy, Amy R. Lowe, Cindy M. Bukach, and Catherine L. Reed, C.L. “Individual Differences in Working Memory and The N2PC.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 15, 2021, 620413.

Abstract: The lateralized ERP N2pc component has been shown to be an effective marker of attentional object selection when elicited in a visual search task, specifically reflecting the selection of a target item among distractors. Moreover, when targets are known in advance, the visual search process is guided by representations of target features held in working memory at the time of search, thus guiding attention to objects with target-matching features. Previous studies have shown that manipulating working memory availability via concurrent tasks or within task manipulations influences visual search performance and the N2pc. Other studies have indicated that visual (non-spatial) vs. spatial working memory manipulations have differential contributions to visual search. To investigate this the current study assesses participants’ visual and spatial working memory ability independent of the visual search task to determine whether such individual differences in working memory affect task performance and the N2pc. Participants (n = 205) completed a visual search task to elicit the N2pc and separate visual working memory (VWM) and spatial working memory (SPWM) assessments. Greater SPWM, but not VWM, ability is correlated with and predicts higher visual search accuracy and greater N2pc amplitudes. Neither VWM nor SPWM was related to N2pc latency. These results provide additional support to prior behavioral and neural visual search findings that spatial WM availability, whether as an ability of the participant’s processing system or based on task demands, plays an important role in efficient visual search.


Harris, Alison, Nicholas Maramica*, Eric J. Moody, and Catherine L. Reed. “Influence of Autistic Tendencies on EEG Correlates of Body Movement Perception.” Journal of Vision, vol. 21, issue 9, 2021, 2726.

Abstract: Growing evidence suggests that we understand others’ mental states by internally recreating, or simulating, their external actions. For example, both executing and observing movement decreases the “mu” rhythm (8-14 Hz) over sensorimotor cortex in electroencephalography (EEG). Reduced mu suppression has been reported in autism spectrum disorder, a finding recently extended to neurotypical individuals with high autistic tendencies (Siqi-Liu et al., 2018). However, this study did not directly compare mu suppression for action execution versus observation, raising questions about the extent to which these effects reflect motor simulation per se. Furthermore, the influence of emotional content on mu suppression is relatively unclear: although emotional body movements are more attentionally salient, neutral movements may be more readily simulated due to familiarity and/or ease of execution. Here we directly compared mu suppression associated with motor execution and action observation as a function of autistic tendencies in a neurotypical sample (n = 37). Participants completed separate blocks of finger-tapping and observation of point-light displays (PLDs) of emotional and neutral body movements. Autistic tendencies were indexed by Autism Quotient scores (AQ; Baron-Cohen et al., 2001), and participants were grouped by median split. We found significant mu suppression over sensorimotor cortex for action execution (AE) and action observation (AO), regardless of AQ subgroup. However, whereas both groups showed highly significant correlations in the scalp distribution of mu suppression for AE vs. neutral AO, mu suppression of emotional AO was only significantly correlated with AE in the high AQ subgroup. Contrary to the idea that action simulation indexed by mu suppression contributes to emotion perception, these results suggest that accessibility of simulation is greater for neutral, as opposed to emotional, movements. Individuals higher in autistic tendencies show more consistent mu suppression for observation of both neutral and emotional movements, with potential consequences for perceiving others’ emotions.


Reed, Catherine L., and Alan A. Hartley. “Embodied Attention: Integrating the Body and Senses to Act in the World.” Handbook of Embodied Psychology: Thinking, Feeling, and Acting, edited by Michael D. Robinson and Laura E. Thomas. Springer, 2021, pp. 265-290.

Abstract: Research on spatial attention traditionally focuses on how it is influenced by the location of objects within the visual environment and by expectations about those objects. However, a primary function of spatial attention is to plan physical actions. When events occur in the world, visual information needs to be gathered and integrated with current body position to help prepare effective responses to these events. Further, current actions can subsequently influence future deployments of attention. Thus, spatial attention must be considered within the context of bodily actions. Here we review research demonstrating that one’s own body and actions and the actions of others can affect spatial attention mechanisms, influencing the prioritization of functional space near the body and governing the deployment of attention. This work emphasizes a need for an embodied theory of spatial attention and a more dynamic neural model of attention, attention that adjusts to meet the affordances of the body, the demands of the current environment, and at the same time, the perceiver’s goals.


Reed, Catherine L., and George D. Park. “Functional Actions of the Hands and Tools Influence Attention in Peripersonal Space.” The World at Our Fingertips: A Multidisciplinary Exploration of Peripersonal Space, edited by Frredereique de Vignemont, Andrea Serino, Hong Yu Wong, and Alessandro Farne. Oxford University Press, 2021, pp. 101-116.

Abstract: Human perceptual and attentional systems operate to help us perform functional and adaptive actions in the world around us. In this review we consider different regions of peripersonal space—peri-hand space, reachable space, and tool space when used in both peri- and extrapersonal space. Focusing on behavioral and EEG/ERP studies using comparable target detection paradigms, we examine how visuospatial attention is facilitated or differentiated due to the current proximity and functional capabilities of our hands and the tools we hold in them. The functionality of the hand and tool is defined by the action goals of the user and the available functional affordances or parts available to achieve the goals. Finally, we report recent tool-use studies examining how the distribution of attention to tool space can change as result of tool functionality and directional action crossing peripersonal and extrapersonal space boundaries. We propose that the functional capabilities of the hand and tools direct attention to action-relevant regions of peripersonal space. Although neural mechanisms such as bimodal neurons may enhance the processing of visual information presented in near-hand regions of peripersonal space, functional experience and the relevance of the space for upcoming actions more strongly directs attention within regions of peripersonal space. And while, some aspects of functionality can be extended into extrapersonal space, the multimodal nature of peripersonal space allows it to be more modifiable in the service of action.

Beenen, Gerard, Shaun Pichler, Beth Livingston, and Ron Riggio. “The Good Manager: Development and Validation of the Managerial Interpersonal Skills Scale.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol 12, 2021, 631390.

Abstract: It is no secret that employees leave their organizations because of bad managers- but what about the good ones? How can researchers and organizations differentiate individuals in terms of the interpersonal skills needed to perform well in the managerial role? Although these are fundamentally important questions to organizational psychologists, there exists no conceptual model, definition, or measure of interpersonal skills specific to the managerial role. We address these questions and research gaps by developing a conceptual model and validating a concomitant measure of managerial interpersonal skills (MIPS) through a research program that included four studies across three phases: First, through a review of the literature and structured interviews with practicing managers; next, three quantitative studies in which we develop, refine and validate our MIPS scale; and finally, in a fourth validation study with matched supervisor-employee data from a large healthcare organization. Results suggest that MIPS are best represented by a three-dimensional model comprised of supporting, motivating and managing conflict all indicating a higher-order latent MIPS factor. Results also indicate the MIPS Scale predicts job attitudes and performance among both employees and managers above and beyond personality traits and leader-member exchange, as well as constructs closely related to MIPS, such as social support and conflict management style.


Carducci, Bernardo J., Christopher S. Nave, Jeffrey S. Mio, and Ronald E. Riggio, editors. The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 4, Clinical, Applied, and Cross-Cultural Research. Wiley Blackwell, 2021.

Abstract: The Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences (EPID) is organized into four volumes that look at the many likenesses and differences between individuals. Each of these four volumes focuses on a major content area in the study of personality psychology and individuals’ differences. The first volume, Models and Theories, surveys the significant classic and contemporary viewpoints, perspectives, models, and theoretical approaches to the study of personality and individuals’ differences (PID). The second volume on Measurement and Assessment examines key classic and modern methods and techniques of assessment in the study of PID. Volume III, titled Personality Processes and Individuals Differences, covers the important traditional and current dimensions, constructs, and traits in the study of PID. The final volume discusses three major categories: clinical contributions, applied research, and cross-cultural considerations, and touches on topics such as culture and identity, multicultural identities, cross-cultural examinations of trait structures and personality processes, and more.


Day, David V., Ronald E. Riggio, Sherylle J. Tan, and Jay A. Conger. “Advancing the Science of 21st-Century Leadership Development: Theory, Research, and Practice.” The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 32, issue 5, 2021, 101557.

Abstract: Leadership development seeks to understand, predict, and intervene effectively in addressing the questions of how individuals develop as leaders and how collections of individuals develop a capacity for leadership. These questions are attracting scholars interested in the factors and processes involved in developing leaders and leadership. Presented in the special issue is a set of state-of-the-science empirical studies and theory development articles representing 21st century leadership development. We also provide a brief overview of issues related to the leadership development field—broadly construed to include individual leader development—that are especially pertinent and where the research evidence is scarce or contradictory. These areas are theoretical foundations of leadership development, practices and methods of development and talent selection for development, accurately estimating return on investment for leadership development initiatives, the role of time in developing leaders and leadership, understanding and remedying biases and inequities in leadership development, and the role of development in mitigating the so-called dark side of leadership. Although we have learned much about leader and leadership development over the past 20 years, there is an ongoing need for more research and theory development especially with respect to identifying causally and practically relevant knowledge able to inform policy.


Ensari, Nurcan, Jeanine Prime, and Ronald E. Riggio. “Exclusion of Inclusion in Leadership Theories.” Inclusive Leadership: Transforming Diverse Lives, Workplaces, and Societies, edited by Bernardo M. Ferdman, Jeanine Prime, and Ronald E. Riggio. Routledge, 2021, pp. 25-38.

Abstract: Although the scientific study of leadership is over 100 years old, the focus of leadership theories and research has been quite narrow. It has been more exclusive than inclusive. For the most part, our images of the ideal leader shape our interpretation and evaluation of leader behaviors, and factor into our construction of leadership theories and models. As a result, the meaning and importance given to the concept of leadership varies depending on culture (Dorfman, Hanges, & Brodbeck, 2004; Jung & Avolio, 1999; Wood & Jogulu, 2006). The production of knowledge and research in the field of leadership has been accomplished primarily in the United States and Europe (Yukl, 2012). Leadership researchers, who mainly hail from the U.S. and Europe, primarily studied workplace leaders in corporate settings (Yukl, 1998). The leaders studied were primarily male and primarily White. Moreover, when research was conducted in non-Western countries these studies typically involved the application of Western models and theories (e.g., Gong, Huang, & Farh, 2009; Hur, Van Den Berg, & Wilderom, 2011; Jung, Yammarino, & Lee, 2009).


Ferdman, Bernardo M., Jeanine Prime, and Ronald E. Riggio, editors. Inclusive Leadership; Transforming Diverse Lives, Workplaces, and Societies. Routledge, 2021.

Abstract: In a time of increasing divisiveness in politics and society there is a desperate need for leaders to bring people together and leverage the power of diversity and inclusion. Inclusive Leadership; Transforming Diverse Lives, Workplaces, and Societies provides leaders with guidance and hands-on strategies for fostering inclusion and explains how and why it matters. Inclusive Leadership explores cutting-edge theory, research, practice, and experience on the pivotal role of leadership in promoting inclusion in diverse teams, organizations, and societies. Chapters are authored by leading scholars and practitioners in the fields of leadership, diversity, and inclusion. The book is solidly grounded in research on inclusive leadership development, diversity management, team effectiveness, organization development, and intergroup relations. Alongside the exhaustive scholarship are practical suggestions for making teams, groups, organizations, and the larger society more inclusive and, ultimately, more productive. Leaders and managers at all levels, HR professionals, and members of diverse teams will find Inclusive Leadership invaluable in becoming more effective at cultivating inclusive climates and realizing its many benefits—including innovation, enhanced team and organizational performance, and social justice.


Liu, Zhengguang, Shruthi Venkatesh*, Susan Elaine Murphy, and Ronald E. Riggio. “Leader Development across the Lifespan: A Dynamic Experiences-Grounded Approach.” The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 32, issue 5, 2021, 101382.

Abstract: Previous research has established leader development as an ongoing process across the entire lifespan. Experience, especially on-the-job experience, has been increasingly acknowledged as a needed condition for leader development. From a life span developmental perspective, however, individuals are exposed to a variety of critical experiences across their life course—from preschool, childhood, through adolescence, emerging adulthood, adulthood and well into late adulthood. These time periods, characterized by specific developmental experiences, serve as potential windows of opportunity for one’s leader development. However, the extant research primarily focuses on the development of leadership through on-the-job experiences in adulthood; there is little integration of leader developmental experiences that occur before and after adulthood, as well as those that occur beyond the workplace. Additionally, the influencing mechanism of experiences during the leader development process has been understudied. Using an interdisciplinary perspective, we present a framework that explores the critical developmental experiences at each stage in the lifespan. These experiences influence one’s expertise in leadership through the mediating role and dynamic interaction of the leader experience processing system and the leader self-view system that are introduced in the model of this framework. This theoretical study systematically explores experiential opportunities across the course of life and within multiple contexts, as well as the underlying mechanisms that foster leader development. There are important implications for enhancing process-oriented leadership research and leadership pedagogical practices.


Prime, Jeanine, Bernardo M. Ferdman, and Ronald E. Riggio. “Inclusive Leadership: Insights and Implications.” Inclusive Leadership: Transforming Diverse Lives, Workplaces, and Societies, edited by Bernardo M. Ferdman, Jeanine Prime, and Ronald E. Riggio. Routledge, 2021, pp. 421-429.


Riggio, Ronald E. “Developing Leadership Capacity.” Ronald E. Riggio interviewed by Douglas Lindsay. Journal of Character & Leadership Development, vol. 8, issue 3, 2021, pp. 63-75.


Riggio, Ronald, E. “Social Skills in the Workplace.” The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 4, Clinical, Applied, and Cross-Cultural Research, edited by Bernardo J. Carducci, Christopher S. Nave, Jeffrey S. Mio, and Ronald E. Riggio. Wiley Blackwell, 2021, pp. 527-531.


Riggio, Ronald E., Zhengguang Liu., Rebecca J. Reichard, and Dayna O.H. Walker*. “Everyday Leadership: Engaged Followership at Its Finest.” The Connecting Leader: Serving Concurrently as a Leader and a Follower, edited by Zahira Jaser. Information Age Press, 2020, pp. 245-268. [Not previously celebrated]

Day, David V., Ronald E. Riggio, Sherylle J. Tan, and Jay A. Conger. “Advancing the Science of 21st-Century Leadership Development: Theory, Research, and Practice.” The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 32, issue 5, 2021, 101557.

Abstract: Leadership development seeks to understand, predict, and intervene effectively in addressing the questions of how individuals develop as leaders and how collections of individuals develop a capacity for leadership. These questions are attracting scholars interested in the factors and processes involved in developing leaders and leadership. Presented in the special issue is a set of state-of-the-science empirical studies and theory development articles representing 21st century leadership development. We also provide a brief overview of issues related to the leadership development field—broadly construed to include individual leader development—that are especially pertinent and where the research evidence is scarce or contradictory. These areas are theoretical foundations of leadership development, practices and methods of development and talent selection for development, accurately estimating return on investment for leadership development initiatives, the role of time in developing leaders and leadership, understanding and remedying biases and inequities in leadership development, and the role of development in mitigating the so-called dark side of leadership. Although we have learned much about leader and leadership development over the past 20 years, there is an ongoing need for more research and theory development especially with respect to identifying causally and practically relevant knowledge able to inform policy.

Choi*, Su Young, Magdalena Abel, Audrey Siqi-Liu, and Sharda Umanath. “National Identity Can Be Comprised of More Than Pride: Evidence From Collective Memories of Americans and Germans.” Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, vol. 10, issue 1, 2021, pp. 117-130.

Abstract: How does being a national of a country, steeped in its cultural context, affect our perception of that country’s past? Despite demonstrations of “national narcissism‚” in prior work on collective memory, the present studies suggest that pride alone does not shape national identity. Considering collective memories for one’s own and the other nation, American and German participants agreed more on which events nations should be ashamed of when asked to generate events that shaped national identity, for both sets of participants, only a few of the most frequently nominated events were categorized as proud events. The rest were mixed or predominantly categorized as ashamed events or as evoking neither pride nor shame. Across studies, similar events were generated from the “self,” versus “other‚” perspective, indicating that national collective memories can, to an extent, be understood by non-nationals. Variations in specificity, location, and timing of events were also examined.


Coane, Jennifer H., and Sharda Umanath. “A Database of General Knowledge Question Performance in Older Adults.” Behavior Research Methods, vol. 53, 2021, pp. 415-429.

Abstract: General knowledge questions are used across a variety of research and clinical settings to measure cognitive processes such as metacognition, knowledge acquisition, retrieval processes, and intelligence. Existing norms only report performance in younger adults, rendering them of limited utility for cognitive aging research because of well-documented differences in semantic memory and knowledge as a function of age. Specifically, older adults typically outperform younger adults in tasks assessing retrieval of information from the knowledge base. Here we present older adult performance on 421 general knowledge questions across a range of difficulty levels. Cued recall data, including data on the phenomenology of retrieval failures, and multiple-choice data are available. These norms will allow researchers to identify questions that are not likely to be known by older adult participants to examine learning or acquisition processes, or to select questions within a range of marginal accessibility, for example. Comparisons with young adult data from prior databases confirms previous findings of greater knowledge in older adults and indicates there is preservation of knowledge from early adulthood into older adulthood.


Krauss, Daniel, Gabriel I. Cook, Eunice Song*, and Sharda Umanath. “The Public’s Perception of Crime Control Theater Laws: It’s Complicated.” Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, vol. 27, issue 3, 2021, pp. 316-327.

Abstract: Crime Control Theater (CCT) refers to laws that are widely supported by the public even though they are well-documented empirical failures in their effectiveness. Through a survey of a representative participant sample (N = 450), the present work examines 5 CCT laws (AMBER Alerts, sex offender housing restriction laws, sex offender registry laws, safe haven laws, and 3-strikes sentencing laws), comparing the public’s support and perceived effectiveness of these laws to 5 non-Crime Control Theater (NCCT) laws. Although participants’ view of CCT laws as a group evidenced greater support, perceived effectiveness, and a relative difference favoring support over effectiveness than NCCT laws, there was considerable variation across individual CCT laws. 3-strikes law showed the least support and perceived effectiveness ratings of all CCT laws, while CCT laws involving sex offenders received particularly high support ratings relative to other CCT laws among self-identified women. Different demographic and political characteristics may be at the root of these variations in public support for CCT laws, and the policy implications of these findings for altering the public attitudes towards various CCT laws are discussed.


Umanath, Sharda, Joan Toglia, Francis Anderson, Erin Foster, and Mark A. McDaniel. “Prospective Memory Training.” Cognitive Training: An Overview of Features and Applications, Second Edition, edited by Tilo Strobach and Julia Karbach. Springer, pp. 185-198.

Abstract: Prospective memory (PM) involves remembering to perform intended actions in the future. PM failures are especially problematic for older adults, both in terms of frequency of occurrence and severity of consequences. As such, we tackle the challenge of developing a cognitive training program for PM specifically geared towards older adults. Departing from other popular cognitive training, our focus has been and continues to be on teaching effective and efficient strategies with the intention of promoting transfer to real-world PM challenges. We discuss several considerations in cognitive training including matching the type of PM task (focal or nonfocal) with effective strategies, variability and characteristics of training materials, and differences in methods used to train strategies. For example, training can involve explicit direct instruction or guided instruction aimed at helping a person self-generate and self-evaluate strategy effectiveness. Existing data and ongoing work aimed at identifying the key intervention components that enhance successful outcomes are presented. We report a new study with healthy older adults that includes these components and develops a metacognitive-strategy intervention for prospective memory that guides participants in analysis of task demands and self-generation of strategies. We also describe some initial prospective-memory training work with Parkinson’s disease patients.


External Grant: Roediger, Henry L. and James Wertsch, Principal Investigators. Umanath, Sharda, Investigator. “Collective Memory Collaborative.” James S. McDonnell Foundation, 2021-2024, $750,000.

Abstract: Collective memory has been conceptualized as a shared representation of the past that is slow to change (Roediger & Abel, 2015; Wertsch & Roediger, 2008). And yet, even at a glacial pace, it can and does change over time. For example, Berruyer (2015) used data that were collected by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) between 1945 and 2015 to show that public opinion on the main contributors to the defeat of Nazi Germany has shifted overtime. Right after the war in 1945, 57% of French citizens credited the Soviet Union with having contributed the most to the Nazis’ defeat. Strikingly, in more recent polls, 54% now credit the USA with having contributed most. Even across age groups, people from the very same country can share the understanding that an event is incredibly important and yet consider that event with very different eyes. For instance, though older and younger adults both nominated the atomic bombings of Japan quite frequently as an important event of World War II, older adults rated this event as highly positive in valence whereas younger adults rated it as extremely negative (Zaromb et al., 2014). The purpose of the present series of proposed studies is to target and document such movements in collective perception of past historical events across time and perspective in samples of American and German participants. We hope to conduct these studies over the next two years. Other researchers have taken this approach of examining perceptions of an event or a historical figure at different points in time to understand any changes (e.g., Schuman et al., 2005; Schwartz & Schuman, 2005; Wertsch, 2000). As such, we would like to ask older adults and younger adults to consider both how they feel now about such events. In addition, to observe a potential change across time in an individual’s life, we will also ask older adults how they remember feeling as young people. We would also like to add a future thinking component and ask younger adults to consider how they feel in the present moment about such events but also how they imagine they will feel when they are older adults. The planned studies will then allow us to examine generational change as well as perceived change within individuals in their lifetime. In addition, we would also like to probe the degree of introspection that people have for change across perspectives, in this case, age groups. It has been established that individuals can have vivid vicarious memories of events that happened to other people (Pillemer, et al., 2015). There is some evidence of vicarious understanding across collectives, Germans and Americans had a fair amount of overlap in the events that they considered important for themselves and what the other group imagined was important for them in a “self” versus “other” sort of comparison (Choi et al., 2021). Could such understanding extend or even be enhanced within the same nation but across age groups? Zaromb et al. (2014) began to answer this question by having each age group predict the degree of consensus around nominated events for the other age group. We would like to take a more direct approach in the context of our study and ask participants to consider not only how they feel now but how they imagine the other age group feels now about a set of public events in their country. Given that American younger adults rate the country’s collective past rather negatively (Topcu & Hirst, 2020), it is important to know whether they imagine older adults would feel the same way.

Paulson, Steve, Lisa Sideris, Jennifer Stellar, and Piercarlo Valdesolo. “Beyond Onself: The Ethics and Psychology of Awe.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 1501, issue 1, 2021, pp. 30-47.

Abstract: Awe and wonder appear to be powerful emotions that can inform and shape our attitudes toward ourselves and others, especially in relation to the larger meaning and purpose of our lives. What are the psychological underpinnings of these universal emotions? How does awe, for example, relate to self-knowledge, and more generally to understanding the enigmatic contradictions of human nature? Is it possible to cultivate and develop this emotion as an ethical incentive in our relationships with others? Are awe and wonder capable of awakening and engendering moral transformation? Does the emotion of awe lie at the root of the religious impulse in humans? and Is there any room left for a sense of the miraculous in today’s increasingly scientific and secular world? Professor of religious studies Lisa Sideris joins psychologists Jennifer Stellar and Piercarlo Valdesolo to explore how awe shapes our perspectives and views on everything from science to morality.


Valdesolo, Piercarlo. “Awe, Approached.” The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities, edited Louis Tay and James O. Paweski. Oxford University Press, 2021, pp. 233-242.


Valdesolo, Piercarlo. “Stop Making Sense?Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 1501, issue 1, 2021, pp. 75-77.

Abstract: Epistemic emotions, like awe and wonder, involve a recognition that one can neither understand nor exert meaningful control over one’s environment. While researchers and writers have emphasized the beneficial consequences of such states, their potentially destructive consequences have been underexamined. The conditions under which these states promote individual well-being and societal flourishing must be specified.