Abigail A. Scholer
- Media Contact
- SPN Mentor
My work investigates the dynamic, complex, and often confounding world of human motivation and self-regulation. What makes us reach for the stars, huddle in a corner, get out of bed, help others, break our diets, save for retirement, follow rules, and color outside the lines? I take a social psychological approach to explore questions such as these. In particular, I attempt to understand how situational and individual factors lead people to both manage and mismanage life’s challenges and opportunities. My work focuses on the trade-offs related to different motivational states and goals (e.g., when does looking on the bright side help versus hurt us? When does seeing the glass as half-empty support versus hinder our goals?) and examines the critical role of self-regulatory flexibility in navigating the world.
Primary Interests:
- Health Psychology
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Motivation, Goal Setting
- Social Cognition
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Journal Articles:
- Beck, J.W., Scholer, A.A., & Hughes, J. (2017). Divergent effects of distance versus velocity disturbances on emotional experiences during goal pursuit. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102, 1109-1123.
- Cortes, K., Kammrath, L.K., Scholer, A.A., & Peetz, J. (2014). Self-regulating the effortful “Do’s” in relationships: A domain specific approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106, 380-397.
- Cortes, K. , Scholer, A.A., Kohler, A., & Cavallo, J.V. (2018). Perceiving relationship success through a motivational lens: A regulatory focus perspective. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44, 795-808.
- Fujita, K., Scholer, A.A., Miele, D.B., & Nguyen, T. (2019). On metamotivation: Consumers' knowledge about the role of construal level in enhancing task performance. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 4, 57-64.
- Higgins, E. T., & Scholer, A. A. (2009). Engaging the consumer: The science and art of the value creation process. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19, 100-114.
- Kammrath, L. K., & Scholer, A. A. (2011). The Pollyanna myth: How highly agreeable people judge positive and negative relational acts. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 1172-1184.
- Klinger, J.A., Scholer, A.A., Molden, D.C., & Hui, C.M. (2018). Effortful experiences of self-control foster lay theories that self-control is limited. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 78, 1-13.
- Miele, D.B., & Scholer, A.A. (2018). The role of metamotivational monitoring in motivation regulation. Educational Psychologist, 53, 1-21.
- Scholer, A.A., Cornwell, J.M.F., & Higgins, E.T. (2019). Should we approach approach and avoid avoidance? An inquiry from different levels. Psychological Inquiry, 30, 111-124.
- Scholer, A.A., & Miele, D.B. (2016). The role of metamotivation in creating task-motivation fit. Motivation Science, 2, 171-197.
- Scholer, A.A., Miele, D.B., Murayama, K., & Fujita, K. (2018). New directions in self-regulation: The role of metamotivational beliefs. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27, 437-442.
- Scholer, A. A., Zou, X., Fujita, K., Stroessner, S. J., & Higgins, E. T. (2010). When risk seeking becomes a motivational necessity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 215-231.
- Zou, X. & Scholer, A.A. (2016). Motivational affordance and risk preference across decision domains. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 42, 275-289.
- Zou, X., Scholer, A.A., & Higgins, E.T. (2014). In pursuit of progress: When risk-seeking serves promotion in the domain of gains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106, 183-201.
Other Publications:
- Scholer, A. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2008). Distinguishing levels of approach and avoidance: An analysis using regulatory focus theory. In A. J. Elliot (Ed.), Handbook of approach and avoidance motivation (pp. 489-504). New York: Psychology Press.
Courses Taught:
- Experimental Social Psychology
- History of Experimental Psychology
- Statistics
Abigail A. Scholer
Psychology Department
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1
Canada
- Phone: (519) 888-4567 x43362