Jeffry A. Simpson Professor S354 Elliott, (612) 626-0025 simps108@umn.edu Education Ph.D., 1986, University of Minnesota A.B., 1981, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Director, Doctoral Minor in Interpersonal Relationships (IREL) http://education.umn.edu/icd/IrelMinor/default.html

VITA

Statement of Interests

In collaboration with several research teams, my research investigates close relationships and interpersonal processes from different theoretical models and perspectives. Most of our current work focuses on five areas: attachment processes, human mating, empathic accuracy, idealization in relationships, and social influence in relationships.

Our longstanding program of research on adult attachment, which has been funded by NIMH, examines how attachment processes and adult attachment orientations are systematically associated with relationship functioning and well-being, particularly when partners are distressed. Our program of work on human mating studies how individuals make mating decisions, what attributes they prefer in mates, and how they make “trade-offs” between different attributes. Our research on empathic accuracy (mindreading), which has been funded by NSF, explores the conditions under which people tend to be accurate versus inaccurate at inferring their partners’ private thoughts and feelings during social interactions (e.g., resolving a conflict, discussing important relationship issues). Our line of work on idealization, which has been supported by the Marsden Foundation in New Zealand, investigates how the ideal standards that individuals hold for their romantic partners and relationships guide how their relationships are evaluated, regulated, and function across time. Our most recent line of research on social influence examines when, how, and why individuals use different social influence tactics to persuade their partners and which tactics tend to be most effective in different situational contexts.

Selected Publications

Simpson, J. A., Gangestad, S. W., Christensen, P. N., & Leck, K. (1999). Fluctuating asymmetry, sociosexuality, and intrasexual competitive tactics. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 159-172.

Fletcher, G. J. O., Simpson, J. A., Thomas, G., & Giles, L. (1999). Ideals in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 72-89.

Simpson, J. A., Ickes, W., & Grich, J. (1999). When accuracy hurts: Reactions of anxiously-attached dating partners to a relationship-threatening situation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 754-769.

Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., & Orina, M. M. (1999). Attachment and anger in an anxiety-provoking situation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 940-957.

Gangestad, S. W., & Simpson, J. A. (2000). The evolution of human mating: Trade-offs and strategic pluralism. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23, 573-587.

Fletcher, G. J. O., Simpson, J. A., & Thomas, G. (2000). Ideals, perceptions, and evaluations in early relationship development. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 933-940.

Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., Campbell, L., & Grich, J. (2001). Adult attachment and the transition to parenthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 421-435.

Simpson, J. A., Rholes, W. S., Campbell, L., Tran, S., & Wilson, C. L. (2003). Adult attachment, the transition to parenthood, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1172-1187.

Simpson, J. A., Rholes, W. S., Campbell, L., & Wilson, C. L. (2003). Changes in attachment orientations across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 39, 317-331.

Simpson, J. A., Orina, M. M., & Ickes, W. (2003). When accuracy hurts, and when it helps: A test of the empathic accuracy model in marital interactions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 881-893.

Gangestad, S. W., Simpson, J. A., Cousins, A. J., Garver-Apgar, C. E., & Christensen, P. N. (2004). Women's preferences for male behavioral displays change across the menstrual cycle. Psychological Science, 15, 203-207.

Campbell, L., Simpson, J. A., Boldry, J., & Kashy, D. A. (2005). Perceptions of conflict and support in romantic relationships: The role of attachment anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 510-531.

Simpson, J. A., & Campbell, L. (2005). Methods of evolutionary sciences. In D. M. Buss (Ed.), The handbook of evolutionary psychology (pp. 119-144). New York: Wiley.

Overall, N. C., Fletcher, G. J. O., & Simpson, J. A. (2006). Regulation processes in intimate relationships: The role of ideal standards. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 662-688.

Gangestad, S. W., Garver-Apgar, C. E., Simpson, J. A., & Cousins, A. J. (2007). Changes in women's mate preferences across the ovulatory cycle. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 151-163.

Simpson, J. A., Collins, W. A., Tran, S., & Haydon, K. C. (2007). Attachment and the experience and expression of emotions in adult romantic relationships: A developmental perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 355-367.

Simpson, J. A. (2007). Foundations of interpersonal trust. In A. W. Kruglanski & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (2nd ed., pp. 587-607). New York: Guilford.

Simpson, J. A. (2007). Psychological foundations of trust. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 264-268.

Simpson, J. A., Winterheld, H. A., Rholes, W. S., & Orina, M. M. (2007). Working models of attachment and reactions to different forms of caregiving from romantic partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 466-477.

Benjamin, L. T., Jr., & Simpson, J. A. (in press). The power of the situation: The impact of Milgram's obedience studies on personality and social psychology. American Psychologist.

Overall, N. C., Fletcher, G. J. O., Simpson, J. A., & Sibley, C. G. (in press). Regulating partners in intimate relationships: The costs and benefits of different communication strategies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Simpson, J. A., & Belsky, J. (in press). Attachment theory within a modern evolutionary framework. In P. R. Shaver & J. Cassidy (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.