The Forum: Interview with John V. Petrocelli

A shortened version of the interview on this page appeared in the Summer, 2003, issue of The Forum, SPSP's student newsletter. The interview is with John V. Petrocelli, a second-year graduate student at Indiana University--Bloomington. His area of specialization focuses on attitudes and social cognition, and his faculty advisor is Jim Sherman.

	What was the path like that led you to graduate school in psychology?
	It sure was a long path. I had spent three years in a doctoral program in counseling psychology at the University of Georgia. I then came to my senses [and] became more passionate about social psychology research. Particularly, I became more and more interested in a research and teaching career in social cognition, and so I figured Indiana University was probably the place for me.
	What person was most influential in your decision to pursue graduate school?
	David B. Gray, Ph.D., now a retired faculty member from Westminster College. He studied the "belief in equality" social belief construct. He would ask his students, "When you look at the masses, what do you see? Do you see a sea of talent, or an army of unfortunates?" Such questions made me think more and more about how the way in which we perceive others partly determines how we behave towards others in our social world. A simple idea that fascinates me still. I also desired to be trained by the master: Jim Sherman.
	Please describe the program you attend (size, research vs. teaching focus, etc.).
	The program consists of a 1:2 faculty to student ratio, largely focused on a research-based program of social cognition. The program also benefits from collaboration with an excellent cognitive science program.
	How many graduate schools did you apply to, and how did you decide which ones?
	I applied to three programs. I decided which areas of study I was most interested in (social cognition) and then researched which schools had the best programs. I also looked at all the social psychology research I had read and liked most. Because I had become very interested in many areas of social cognition, I looked for the "eclectic" social psychologist to work with. If there is such thing as an eclectic social psychologist, it's Jim Sherman; and so I figured that he was who I should work with.
	What were the major criteria you used to decide which school you attended?
	Curriculum and training program, availability of advisor, financial assistance, and location.
	What do you feel are the major strengths of the program you are currently attending?
	Collaboration potential with several well-respected professionals in both social psychology and cognitive science, depth of knowledge of advisors, research lab space, academic advisor to student ratio, and supportive staff.
	What are your research interests? If you can, tell us a little about how you got interested in this specific area.
	Attitudes and social cognition. Recently, I have become interested in motivated reasoning that occurs despite awareness of attitude change. I have also studied time perspective orientation as it relates to ease of retrieval effects to predict evaluations of the past and expectations of the future. I would like to focus more attention on time perspective orientation as it relates to subjective well-being and affective forecasting.
	What kind of career do you plan to pursue and why?
	Teaching and research; to me, there is no other more exciting career than to find answers to interesting questions from a social psychological perspective.
	What do you like most about being a graduate student?
	Oftentimes I forget that I am a graduate student. For me, being a graduate student is not simply an extension of undergraduate studies. I feel as though I am developing ideas and empirical questions to be tested, and doing many of the same things that a faculty member would do.
	Can you recommend an interesting JPSP or PSPB article you've read recently?
	Ross, M., & Wilson, A. E. (2002). It feels like yesterday: Self-esteem, valence of personal past experiences, and judgments of subjective distance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 792-803. Tormala, Z. L., Petty, R. E., & Brinol, P. (2002). Ease of retrieval effects in persuasion: A self-validation analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1700-1712.
	What do you like least about being a graduate student?
	Oftentimes feeling that "my worth" that is to be judged by award committees is bound up within what I consider non-merit-based characteristics (e.g., GRE scores, advisor) rather than on merit-based accomplishments (e.g., professionally refereed publications). It is difficult to make sense that "points" in the "big game" that faculty play, in terms of contributions to the field, do not always "count" at the graduate student level; perhaps not until one applies for a faculty position.
	If you could give young graduate students one piece of advice, what would it be?
	Do not just find the advisor that you can "work with," find the advisor that is willing to push you by making you a better thinker and a better social psychologist altogether.