My work focuses on self-regulation and motivation. Life demands a lot and people are rather astounding in all of the ways they both triumph and fail in the face of such demands. In particular, I am interested in how people make decisions, resolve self-control conflicts (e.g., sleep in or exercise? fun technology toy today or retirement savings tomorrow?), and manage change. Broadly, my research examines how different motivational orientations influence self-regulatory processes.

Primary Interests:

Health Psychology
Judgment and Decision Making
Motivation, Goal Setting
Social Cognition

Health Psychology
Judgment and Decision Making

Motivation, Goal Setting
Social Cognition

Journal Articles:

Higgins, E.T., Marguc, J., & Scholer, A.A. (2012). Working under adversity: How opposing versus coping affects value. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 965-967.
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.
Scholer, A.A., & Higgins, E.T. (2012). Commitment to change from locomotion motivation during deliberation. Motivation and Emotion, 36, 114-129.
Scholer, A. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2009). Exploring the complexities of value creation: The role of engagement strength. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19, 137-143.
Scholer, A. A., Stroessner, S. J., & Higgins, E. T. (2008). Responding to negativity: How a risky tactic can serve a vigilant strategy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 767-774.
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.

Other Publications:

Scholer, A.A., & Higgins, E.T. (2012). Too much of a good thing? Trade-offs in promotion and prevention focus. In R. Ryan (Ed.) Oxford Handbook of Motivation. (pp. 65-84). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Scholer, A. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2010). Targeting control at different levels of self-regulation. In R. Hassin, K. Ochsner, & Y. Trope (Eds.), Self-control in society, mind, and brain (pp. 312-334). New York: Oxford University Press.
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

Experimental Social Psychology
History of Experimental Psychology

Statistics

Abigail Scholer
Psychology Department
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1
Canada

Phone: (519) 888-4567 x31362