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Jeffry Simpson

Jeffry Simpson

Psychology N-218 EltH 3281 75 East River Road
Curriculum Vitae

Department Affiliations

Narrative

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 six areas: attachment processes, human mating and decision-making, empathic accuracy, idealization in relationships, social influence in relationships, and relationships, social development, and health outcomes.

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, which is currently being funded by NSF, examines how individuals make mating decisions, the conditions under which they do and do not delay gratification, and how they make “trade-offs“ between different life history-relevant dimensions. 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 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. Our most recent program of work, which is being funded by the NIA, is investigating how social experiences encountered earlier in life are associated with markers of physical health at mid-life.


Specialties

  • Interpersonal relationships
  • Evolution and social behavior
  • Personality and social behavior
  • Social influence

Educational Background

  • A.B.: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, 1981.
  • Ph.D.: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1986.

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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • Gangestad, S. W., & Simpson, J. A. (2000). The evolution of human mating: Trade-offs and strategic pluralism. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23, 573-587. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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 Psycholog, 85, 881-893. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • 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. Download
  • Simpson, J. A. (2007). Psychological foundations of trust. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 264-268. Download
  • 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. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., & Belsky, J. (2008). Attachment theory within a modern evolutionary framework. In P. R. Shaver & J. Cassidy (Eds.). Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed.), (pp. 131-157). New York: Guilford. Download
  • Benjamin, L. T., Jr., & Simpson, J. A. (2009). The power of the situation: The impact of Milgram’s obedience studies on personality and social psychology. American Psychologist, 64, 12-19. Download
  • Overall, N. C., Fletcher, G. J. O., Simpson, J. A., & Sibley, C. G. (2009). Regulating partners in intimate relationships: The costs and benefits of different communication strategies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 620-639. Download
  • Tran, S., & Simpson, J. A. (2009). Pro-relationship maintenance behaviors: The joint roles of attachment and commitment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 685-698. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., Rholes, W. S., & Winterheld, H. A. (2010). Attachment working models twist memories of relationship events. Psychological Science, 21, 252-259. Download
  • Beckes, L., Simpson, J. A., & Erickson, A. (2010). Of snakes and succor: Learning secure attachment associations with novel faces via negative stimulus pairings. Psychological Science, 21, 721-728. Download
  • Campbell, L., Simpson, J. A., Boldry, J., & Harris, R. (2010). Trust, variability in relationship evaluations, and relationship processes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 14-31. Download
  • Howland, M., & Simpson, J. A. (2010). Getting in under the radar: A dyadic view of invisible support. Psychological Science, 21, 1878-1885. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., Griskevicius, V., & Kim, J. (2011). Evolution, life history theory, and personality. In L. Horowitz & S. Strack (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal psychology: Theory, research, assessment, and therapeutic interventions, (pp. 75-89). New York: Wiley. Download
  • Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., Rentfro, J. L., Wilson, C., Martin, A. M., Tran, S., & Kashy, D. A. (2011). Attachment orientations and depression: A longitudinal study of new parents. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 567-586. Download
  • Salvatore, J. E., Kuo, S. I., Steele, R. D., Simpson, J. A., & Collins, W. A. (2011). Recovering from conflict in romantic relationships: A developmental perspective. Psychological Science, 22, 376-383. Download
  • Orina, M. M., Collins, W. A., Simpson, J. A., Salvatore, J. E., Haydon, K. C., & Kim, J. S (2011). Developmental and dyadic perspectives on commitment in adult romantic relationships. Psychological Science, 22, 908-915. Download
  • Winterheld, H. A., & Simpson, J. A. (2011). Seeking security or growth: A regulatory focus perspective of motivations in romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 935-954. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., Collins, W. A., & Salvatore, J. E. (2011). The impact of early social experience on adult romantic relationship functioning: Recent findings from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 355-359. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., & Rholes, W. S. (2012). Attachment, stress, and romantic relationships. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 279-328. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., & Winterheld, H. A. (2012). Person-by-situation perspectives on close relationships. In K. Deaux & M. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of personality and social psychology, (pp. 493-516). New York: Oxford University Press. Download
  • Shallcross, S. L., & Simpson, J. A. (2012). Trust and responsiveness in strain-test situations: A dyadic perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102, 1031-1044. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., Griskevicius, V., Kuo, S. I., Sung, S., & Collins, W. A. (2012). Evolution, stress, and sensitive periods: The influence of unpredictability in early versus late childhood on sex and risky behavior. Developmental Psychology, 48, 674-686. Download
  • Durante, K. M., Griskevicius, V., Simpson, J. A., Cantu, S. M., & Tybur, J. M. (2012). Sex ratio and women’s career choice: Does a scarcity of men lead women to choose briefcase over baby?. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103, 121-134. Download
  • Durante, K. M., Griskevicius, V., Simpson, J. A., Cantu, S. M., & Li, N. P. (2012). Ovulation leads women to perceive sexy cads as good dads. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103, 292-305. Download
  • Haydon, K. C., Collins, W. A., Salvatore, J. E., Simpson, J. A., & Roisman, G. I. (2012). Shared and distinctive origins and effects of adult attachment representations: The developmental organization of romantic functioning. Child Development, 83, 1689-1702. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., Griskevicius, V., & Rothman, A. J. (2012). Consumer decisions in relationships. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22, 304-314. Download
  • Puig, J., Englund, M. M., Simpson, J. A., & Collins, W. A. (2013). Predicting adult physical illness from infant attachment: A prospective longitudinal study. Health Psychology, 32, 409-417. Download
  • Fletcher, G. J. O., Simpson, J. A., Campbell, L., & Overall, N. C. (2013). The science of intimate relationships. New York: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Overall, N. C., & Simpson, J . A. (2013). Regulation processes in close relationships. In J. A. Simpson & L. Campbell (Eds.). The Oxford handbook of close relationships (pp. 427-451). New York: Oxford University Press, Download
  • Griskevicius, V., Ackerman, J. M., Cantu, S. M., Delton, A. W., Robertson, T. E., Simpson, J. A., Thompson, M. E., & Tybur, J. M. (2013). When the economy falters do people spend or save? Responses to resource scarcity depend on childhood environments. Psychological Science, 24, 197-204. Download
  • Overall, N. C., Simpson, J. A., & Struthers, H. (2013). Buffering attachment-related avoidance: Softening emotional and behavioral defenses during conflict discussions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 854-871. Download
  • Simpson, J. A., Farrell, A. K., Orina, M. M., & Rothman, A. J. (2014). Power and social influence in relationships. In J. A. Simpson & J. F. Dovidio (Eds.), The handbook of personality and social psychology: Interpersonal relations and group processes. Washington, DC: APA Press. Download

Professional Activities

  • Associate Editor, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes: 2002 - 2008
  • Social Psychology, Personality, and Interpersonal Processes Grant Panel (member), National Institutes of Health: 2004 - 2006
  • Social Psychology, Personality, and Interpersonal Processes Grant Panel (chair), National Institutes of Health: 2006 - 2008
  • Editor, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes: 2009 - 2014
  • Vice President, International Association for Relationship Research, 2012 - 2014

Awards

  • Berscheid-Hatfield Award for Distinguished Mid-Career Achievement, International Association for Relationship Research, 2004
  • Diener Award for Distinguished Mid-Career Achievement, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 2009
  • Scholar of the College, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota, 2011 - 2014
  • Seeyle Trust Fellowship, University of Auckland, 2012

Courses Taught

  • Psy 1001- Introduction to Psychology
  • Psy 3101- Introduction to Personality
  • Psy 5204- Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships
  • Psy 8960- Evolution and Social Behavior
  • IREL 8021- Dyadic Data Analyses and Methods
Alternative Output Formats Alternative Output Formats