A guide to some talks that may be of interest to the press...

Thursday, Jan. 17
Friday, Jan. 18
Saturday, Jan. 19

Full schedules are available at spspmeeting.org and full abstracts are also available. 

Thursday, January 17, 2013

3:00-4:30 p.m., Room R05 - Close Relationships Pre-Conference - Online Dating in the Scientific Spotlight

This special session will have a lineup of relationship experts discussing how recent research can inform the practice, and business, of online dating.

5:00-7:00 p.m., La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom - Presidential Symposium - Contributions of Personality to Health, Biological and Clinical Psychology

Chair: David Funder, University of California, Riverside

Three distinguished personality researchers will describe research connecting personality with important psychological issues. Sarah Hampson will describe lifespan models that reflect how both traits and health are dynamic variables that change over time, and summarize data showing prospective associations between personality traits and health outcomes across various stages of the lifespan. Colin DeYoung will describe how research in biology and neuroscience is aiding in the development of theories of personality that provide explanations for the persistent patterns of behavior and experience described by traits. Finally, Robert Krueger will report on the development of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition; DSM-5), slated to be published in 2013. DSM-5 may prove to be a watershed moment in the history of psychiatric classification because, more so than ever in the past, its construction was influenced by the methods and findings of personality psychology.

Friday, January 18, 2013

9:45-11:00 a.m., Room R07-R09 - Unpacking Gender Stereotypes: How Gender Cognitions Develop, Change, and Conflict from Childhood to Adulthood

Chair: Alyssa Croft, University of British Columbia

Co-Chair: Toni Schmader, University of British Columbia

Implicit and explicit gender roles and identities influence major life choices, yet the process by which these beliefs develop and change has only recently been explored. Four papers chart the progression of implicit and explicit gender stereotypes from childhood to adulthood and highlight a path to a more egalitarian society.

9:45-11:00 a.m., Room 206-207 - The Three Faces of T: Linking Testosterone To Sex, Empathic Inaccuracy, and Mental Illness

Chair: Eli Finkel, Northwestern University

Co-Chair: Robert A. Josephs, University of Texas at Austin

Personality and social psychologists from a remarkably broad range of theoretical perspectives and topical interests have bolstered their understanding of human sociality by studying testosterone. The four presentations in this symposium provide novel perspectives on the links between testosterone and (a) sexuality, (b) empathy and leadership, and (c) anxiety.

9:45-11:00 a.m., Room 228-230 - Facebook: Friend Or Foe? Effects of Online Social Networks on Close Relationships

Chair: Juwon Lee, University of Kansas

Co-Chair: Omri Gillath, University of Kansas

The recent upsurge of online social networks makes them a valuable resource for studying human behavior. Using a variety of experimental, self-report, longitudinal, and diary methods, the studies discussed in this symposium show how relational processes manifest through the largest of online social networks, Facebook, and their effects on relationships.

9:45-11:00 a.m., Room R02 - A Happy and a Meaningful Life: Cutting-Edge Research on Two of Humankind’s Most Cherished Goals

Chair: Kathleen Vohs, University of Minnesota

Although happiness and a meaningful life have substantial overlap, Oishi, King, Lyubomirsky, and Vohs present new work on what makes each unique. From emotion to existential psychology and culture to cognition, this symposium showcases cutting-edge work on two goals people hold dearest, to have a happy and meaningful life.

11:15-12:30 p.m., Room R03-R05 - Openness In Scientific Reporting: Potential and Reaction

Chair: Roger Giner-Sorolla, University of Kent

Methodologists have recently voiced concerns that current data reporting standards promote inaccuracy. Greater transparency would help prevent this and the rarer, but increasingly exposed, problem of fraud. Our speakers detail ways for psychologists to increase openness in research, and discuss the community’s current and potential reactions to openness measures.

11:15-12:30 p.m., Room 206-207 - Emotional Disclosure and Cognition

Chair: Kent Harber, Rutgers University at Newark

The benefits of disclosure on physical health are amply documented. But does emotional disclosure affect the mind as well as the body? The present research indicates that it does. Disclosure can enhance working memory, foster meaning-making and modify world-views, alter self-perception, and lead to more judicious judgments of others.

11:15-12:30 p.m., Room R02 - What Others Say, Do And Think: How Partner and Family Support, Health Values and Individual Differences Influence Major Medical Outcomes Throughout Life

Chair: Alexandra Suppes, Weill Cornell Medical College

Thoughts and actions of close others will influence individual’s major medical outcomes. Using dyadic behavioral research in field and laboratory settings, four talks suggest mechanisms that explain the role of close others in health behavior across the lifespan and provide strategies to improve outcomes.

11:15-12:30 p.m., Room 220-222 - Data Blitz

Chair: Veronica Benet-Martinez, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona

Co-chair: Kathleen D. Vohs, University of Minnesota

Twelve speakers each have 5 minutes, 4 slides, and 1 question – if you have never attended a data blitz, this is a must attend symposium. We culled the most exciting research from submitted symposia and posters and wrapped it into a single 75-minute event. You will hear topics representing a broad spectrum of personality and social psychology in a lightening fast symposium.

2:00-3:15 pm, Room 208-210 - Compassion: Social Causes And Moral Consequences

Chair: C. Daryl Cameron, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Co-Chair: B. Keith Payne, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Scholars have debated whether compassion is important for morality. The current symposium presents four talks that reveal social causes of compassion—including socioeconomic status, incidental inductions, and financial costs—and moral consequences of compassion, including utilitarianism, forgiveness, and dehumanization. Together, these talks underscore the relevance of compassion for morality.

2:00-3:15 p.m., Room R02 - Happy Places, Happy People. Integrating Individual And Socioecological Perspectives On Subjective Well-Being

Chair: Maike Luhmann, University of Illinois at Chicago

Co-chair: Richard E. Lucas, Michigan State University

Where people live matters for their subjective well-being (SWB). This symposium brings together recent research on the relation between SWB and place, with a particular focus on the interactive dynamics between characteristics of the individual and characteristics of counties, states, or countries.

3:30-4:45 p.m., Room 206-207 - Beyond The Bedroom The Effect of Mating Motivations on Behaviors That Have (ALMOST) Nothing to do With Sex

Chair: Sarah Hill, Texas Christian University

Co-Chair: Abigail B. Schneider, University of Colorado at Boulder

We present new research demonstrating that the psychological effects of mating-motives are pervasive and reach far beyond preferences for romantic partners. Presenters reveal that mating motives - whether experimentally primed or varying cyclically across the ovulatory cycle – influence financial decision making, consumer preferences, and perceptions of oneself and others.

3:30-4:45 p.m., Room 225-227 - When And Why Women Step Back From Status: The Enduring and Self- Reinforcing Power of Traditional Gender Roles

Chair: Melissa Williams, Emory University

Female leaders are more visible than ever, but women nonetheless expect social penalties for exercising power (Brescoll) or pursuing quantitative interests (Master, Cheryan, & Meltzoff). Women may therefore choose to step back from high-status opportunities (Williams & Chen), choices that may be perceived as just and fair (Johnston & Diekman).

3:30-4:45 p.m., Room R02 - On Doing And Having: 10 Years Of Answers to "THE Question” of Experiential Versus Material Consumption

Chair: Amit Kumar, Cornell University

Co-Chair: Thomas D. Gilovich, Cornell University

A decade has passed since Van Boven and Gilovich (2003) first demonstrated that experiential purchases tend to elicit a more durable happiness than material ones. What have we learned since then? This symposium explores recent empirical work investigating potential reasons for why experiences provide more lasting hedonic benefits than possessions.

5:00-6:30 p.m., La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom - Block, Campbell, and Distinguished Scholar Award Lectures

Chair: David Funder, University of California, Riverside

In this special featured session, we will celebrate the scholarly accomplishments of the recipients of SPSP’s three highest honors. Dan P. McAdams is the recipient of the Jack Block Award, given in recognition of research accomplishment in personality. Dan will talk about his research on the life stories of adults who are highly generative – whose lives are organized around making a positive contribution to future generations and leaving a lasting legacy. Daniel M. Wegner is the recipient of the Donald T. Campbell award, given to recognize distinguished scholarly achievement in social psychology. Thalia Wheatley will speak on Dan’s behalf, and she will talk about his five most influential ideas and his lasting legacy on students and colleagues. James W. Pennebaker is the inaugural recipient of the SPSP Distinguished Scholar Award. Jamie will talk about his research on health, expressive writing, the analysis of natural language, and group and educational interventions.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

9:45-11:00 a.m., Room R01 - The Social Psychology of Privacy and Self-Disclosure

Chair: Eyal Peer, Carnegie Mellon University

Co-Chair: Alessandro Acquisti, Carnegie Mellon University

Novel online technologies satisfy, and fuel, our innate desires for communication, interaction, and self-representation, but also raise complex issues of privacy. As broadcasts of sensitive information become easier, balancing privacy and self-disclosure becomes harder. In this symposium, we demonstrate several social and psychological aspects of privacy and self-disclosure behavior.

9:45-11:00 a.m., Room R07-R09 - How Much Inequality is Too Much Inequality? Exploring Attitudes Toward Disparities in Health, Wealth, Education, and Gender

Chair: Aneeta Rattan, Stanford University

These papers examine four hotly debated areas of social inequality to ask: what is the ideal distribution of health outcomes; why do people advocate maintaining wealth inequality; what underlies Americans’ lagging commitment to education as a fundamental right; and how do people generate understandings of the sources of gender inequality?

9:45-11:00 a.m., Room 206-207 - Beyond "THANKS”: Diverse Perspectives on the Antecedents, Behaviors, and Consequences Of Gratitude

Chair: Amie Gordon, University of California, Berkeley

Co-Chair: Sara B. Algoe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The past decade has witnessed a rapid increase in research on gratitude and its importance for both social and personal well-being. The current symposium showcases the latest research on the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences of gratitude. The speakers examine gratitude from social, personality, biological, and economic perspectives.

9:45-11:00 a.m., Room R02 - New Answers to Old Questions: Novel Approaches to the Study of Human Prosociality

Chair: Kristina Olson, Yale University

Co-Chair: Jamil Zaki, Stanford University

Across four talks, we explore how today’s social psychological study of prosociality can benefit from neuroscientific, genetic, behavioral economic, and developmental insights. We demonstrate that adding these tools can result in deeper understanding of when, why and how people help, cooperate with, and share with those around them.

11:15-12:30 p.m., Room R01 - The Social Cognition of Global, Modern Disasters: Financial Meltdowns, Environmental Crises, and Viral Pandemics

Chair: Andrew White, Arizona State University

Co-Chair: Virginia S.Y. Kwan, Arizona State University

People today face a new set of global, often unseen, challenges, such as financial meltdowns, environmental crises, and viral pandemics. In this symposium, four speakers will discuss the unique ways in which humans perceive and evaluate these "modern” threats, and report recent empirical evidence on these topics.

11:15-12:30 p.m., Room 217-219 - The Dynamic Nature of Person Perception: Factors that Affect the Nature and Accuracy of Personality Impressions

Chair: Erika Carlson, Washington University in St. Louis

Co-Chair: Nicole Lawless, University of Oregon

This symposium explores the dynamic nature of person perception by examining contextual, relational, and temporal factors that influence the nature and accuracy of personality perceptions. Results suggest that factors independent of personality can influence our perceptions of what people are like. Findings have implications for assessment, accuracy, and self-knowledge research.

11:15-12:30 p.m., Room 211-213 - What Does Money Buy? Happiness, Love, Status, and Reproductive Rewards

Chair: Kristina Durante, University of Texas, San Antonio

Co-Chair: Vladas Griskevicius, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Money buys food, shelter, and protection from the elements. Yet people across cultures crave money to spend on things that are not survival necessities. What more can money really buy us? Four papers reveal that spending money can buy us everything from happiness and love to status and reproductive rewards.

11:15-12:30 p.m., Room 220-222 - Data Blitz

Chair: Veronica Benet-Martinez, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona

Co-chair: Kathleen D. Vohs, University of Minnesota

Twelve speakers each have 5 minutes, 4 slides, and 1 question – if you have never attended a data blitz, this is a must attend symposium. We culled the most exciting research from submitted symposia and posters and wrapped it into a single 75-minute event. You will hear topics representing a broad spectrum of personality and social psychology in a lightening fast symposium.

2:00-3:15 p.m., Room 228-230 - "Life is an Adventure in Forgiveness”: Surprising Lessons in Giving and Gaining Forgiveness

Chair: Gili Freedman, University of Texas at Austin

Co-Chair: Jennifer S. Beer, University of Texas at Austin

This symposium highlights the complicated nature of interpersonal and intergroup forgiveness. The presentations draw on experimental, longitudinal, and real-world political and romantic relationship data to unveil the surprising ways in which apologies undermine forgiveness and the surprising ways in which prayer and agreeableness interact with forgiveness.

2:00-3:15 p.m., Room 208-210 - The Origins of Moral Cognition and Pro-Social Behavior

Chair: Larisa Heiphetz, Harvard University

This symposium examines the development of moral cognition and pro-social behaviors. Four papers investigate moral judgments and pro-social actions using behavioral and imaging evidence. These presentations illuminate the early origins of moral cognition and underscore the importance of pro-sociality across development.

3:30-4:45 p.m., Room 206-207 - Self-Control Does a Body Good? Evidence from the Brain, Heart, Liver, and Behavior

Chair: Kathleen Vohs, University of Minnesota

Co-Chair: William Hedgcock, University of Iowa

This symposium will cover the latest discoveries about how self-control affects the brain and body. The research describes how self-control depletion disturbs brain activity, why self-control puts the body’s peripheral organs on pause, and how self-control training strengthens the brain’s self-control neural network.

3:30-4:45 p.m., Room 228-230 - Concealment in Plain Sight: The Unseen Influence of Secrets in E-Mails, Bodily Experiences, Social Interactions, and the Community

Chair: Michael Slepian, Stanford University

Co-Chair: E. J. Masicampo, Wake Forest University

We showcase the latest research on concealment, demonstrating the effects of secrets on e-mail content and frequency, the way secrets burden as if comprising actual weight, how one’s secrets affect others’ mental and physical performance, and stresses related to preoccupation with and disclosure of stigma in a diverse community sample.

3:30-4:45 p.m., Room 208-210 - Harvesting and Distilling Big Data in the Information Age: Applications and Advances in Social and Personality Psychology

Chair: Benjamin S. Crosier, University of Florida

Co-Chair: Gregory D. Webster, University of Florida

Whereas social-personality psychologists once faced a dearth of data, with advent of the information age, they now face a deluge of "big data.” This symposium provides an overview of the possibilities of big data for social-personality psychology’s future with a sample of cutting-edge research that uses web-based data (Facebook, Foursquare).

3:30-4:45 p.m., Room 211-213 - Tweeting, Texting, And Talking: Technology’s Impact On Social Interaction

Chair: Jonah Berger, University of Pennsylvania

Rather than just communicating face-to-face, people can now tweet, text, and talk through a host of channels. How do these different modalities impact the nature and consequences of social interaction? This session integrates various methodologies and research perspectives to illuminate both the upsides and downsides of technology’s impact on communication.

5:00-6:15 p.m., Room 206-207 - The Role of Pain in Human Behavior: Painful Distress is Relevant to Uncertainty, Cognitive Control and Emotional Stability

Chair: Steven Heine, University of British Columbia

Pain is aversive, but necessary to avoid further harm. However, the role of pain appears to go beyond merely preventing physical damage. Four presenters discuss new evidence that painful distress is critical to self-control, well-being, emotional-moderation, reacting to uncertainty, and empathy. A range of behavioral and neurological evidence is presented.

5:00-6:15 p.m., Room 217-219 - Early Life Experiences and Later Life Outcomes: New Longitudinal Findings

Chair: Vivian Zayas, Cornell University

Co-Chair: Jeffry Simpson, University of Minnesota

A perennial issue in psychology is to identify the psychosocial processes that profoundly shape the individual. Grounded in different theoretical perspectives and methodologies, this symposium presents recent longitudinal findings on the key environmental (caregiving, unpredictability) factors that influence later life outcomes (sexual activity, risky behaviors, attachment, competency).

Media contact:

Lisa M.P. Munoz, SPSP Public Information Officer
spsp.publicaffairs@gmail.com
703-951-3195
@SPSPnews #SPSP2013