Research Interests

 

My research focuses on processes of social motivation.  I am currently working on three primary lines of research: (a) Color and motivation in the social domain; (b) Approach vs. avoidance motivation and reactance; and (c) Death-related, existential thoughts and pro- and antisocial motivation. With the first line of research, I investigate how color affects interpersonal attraction and the role of evolution and socialization in moderating these judgments. Related to the second line of research, I am interested in examining the role of approach vs. avoidance goals in resistance to change. In this context, I explore how the self, based on culture and gender, interacts with approach vs. avoidance motivation in processes of reactance. In my third line of research, I am especially interested in how mortality salience, measured on a state and trait level, affects human values, norms and aspirations.

 

Publications/Manuscripts

 

Journal Articles

 

• Fritsche, I., Jonas, E., Niesta Kayser, D., & Koranyi, N. (2009). Existential threat and compliance with pro-environmental norms. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31, 1-13.
• Koranyi, N., Fritsche, I., Jonas, E., & Niesta Kayser, D. (2009). Existentielle Bedrohung und umweltfreundliches Verhalten: Die moderierende Rolle der Normsalienz. [Existential threats and pro-environmental behavior: The moderating role of norm salience]. Informationen zur Umweltpsychologie 15, 1, 8-9.
• Niesta Kayser, D., Greitemeyer, T., Fischer, P., & Frey, D. (2009). Why mood affects help giving but not moral courage: Two types of prosocial behaviours. European Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 1-21.
• Jonas, E., Graupmann, V., Niesta Kayser, D., Zanna, M., Traut-Mattausch, E., & Frey, D. (2009). Self-Construal and the emergence of reactance: Is there a "universal" freedom? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 1068-1080.
• Niesta Kayser, D., Farwell, L., & Greitemeyer, T. (2008). A comparison of help giving to individuals versus humanitarian organizations. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 38, 2990-3008.
• Jonas, R., Martens, A., Niesta Kayser, D., Fritsche, I., & Greenberg, J. (2008). Focus theory of normative conduct and terror management theory: The interactive impact of mortality salience on social judgment and behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1239-1251.
• Elliot, A.J., & Niesta, D. (2008). The effect of red on men's attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95. 1150-1164.
• Niesta, D., Fritsche, I., & Jonas, E. (2008). Mortality salience and its effects on peace processes: A review. Social Psychology, 39, 48-58.
• Jonas, E., & Niesta, D. (2004). Zur Bedeutung der Terror Management Theorie im philanthropischen Sektor [On the meaning of terror management theory in the philanthropic sector]. Fachzeitschrift für Nonprofit Management, 2, 14-27.

 

Manuscripts under review

 

• Niesta Kayser, D., Elliot, A.J., & Feltman, R. Red and romantic behavior in men viewing women. Manuscript under review.
• Elliot, A.J., Niesta Kayser, D., Greitemeyer, T., Lichtenfeld, S., Gramzow, R.H., & Maier, M.A. Red, rank and romance in women viewing men. Manuscript under review.
  

 

Manuscripts in preparation

 

• Niesta Kayser, D., Greitemeyer, T., & Elliot, A. How functional are accessible chronic death-thoughts? The development and validation of a mortality salience construct.
• Niesta Kayser, D., Jonas, E., Graupman, V., & Frey, D. Individualistic versus collective costs and benefits of limitations to our freedom: Self-concept and its role on reducing psychological reactance.
• Niesta Kayser, D., Helleman, G., & Frey, D. Perceived responsibility versus perceived fairness: A complementary approach of attributional prediction and social justice.

 

Books and Book Chapters

• Elliot, A.J., & Niesta, D. (2009). Goals in the context of their underlying sources. In: G. Moskowitz and H. Grant (Eds.), Goals. (pp. 56-76). NY: Guilford Press.
• Friedman, R., Moller, A.C., Fryer, J.W., Zahn, I., Law, W., Acuff, R.D., Niesta, D., Murayama, K., Meier, A.M., Jelstad, B., & Elliot, A.J. (2008). Achievement goals in the context of the hierarchical model of approach-avoidance achievement motivation. To appear in S. Karabenick & A. Kaplan (Eds.), Culture, self, and motivation: Essays in honor of Martin L. Maehr. (pp. 111 - 134). NY: Information Age Publishers.
• Frey, D., Kaminski, S., Streicher, B., & Niesta, D. (2007). Sustainable performance development. In: H. Schuler und K. Sonntag (Eds.), Arbeits-und Organisationspsychologie. Handbuch der Psychologie [Industrial and Organisational Psychology. Handbook of Psychology] (pp. 633-640). Göttingen, Germany: Hogrefe.
• Frey, D., Greitemeyer, T., Fischer, P., Niesta, D. (2005). Psychologische Theorien Hilfreichen Verhaltens. (Psychological Theories of Helpful Behavior). In K. J. Hopt, T. V. Hippel, W. Rainer Walz (Eds). Nonprofit Organisationen in Wirtschaft, Recht und Gesellschaft (Nonprofit Organisations in Their Aspects on Economy, Law, and Society). (pp. 177-196). Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck.
• Niesta, D. (2005). Prosocial motivation and help-giving behavior. Experimental studies on help-giving behavior toward individuals and organizations. Munich, Germany: Herbert Utz Verlag.

 

 

Grants, Awards and Fellowships

 

• fMRI Research Grant: “The Color Red and Sexual Attraction”
  2007
  Center for Brain Imaging at the University of Rochester
• Research Grant: "The Cross-Cultural Validity of Reactance Theory”
  2006 - 2008
  German Research Foundation (DFG)
• EAESP Post-doctoral Travel Grant
  2006
  European Association of Experimental Social Psychology
• SPSP Graduate Student Summer School Award
  2005
  Social Psychology Summer School Michigan, Ann Arbor
  Society for Personality and Social Psychology
• Graduate Research Fellowship
  2002 - 2004
  Bavarian State Education Ministry
• Graduate Visiting Scholar Fellowship
  2001 - 2002
  Research Fellow at University of California, Los Angeles
  German - American Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

 

Additional Information

 

Teaching Experience

Nazareth College:

• Human Motivation (Spring 2009)

 

University of Rochester:

• Introduction to Statistics in Psychology (Spring 2009)
• Introduction to Statistics in Psychology (Fall 2008)
• Introduction to Statistics in Psychology (Spring 2008)
• Seminar in Social Psychology (Fall 2007)
• Introduction to Statistics in Psychology (Spring 2007)

 

Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich:

• Experimental Practicum in Psychology of Gender (Spring 2005)
• Methods in Social Psychology (Fall 2003)
• Theories of Social Psychology (Fall 2002)

 

Excellence International Masters Program LMU and DAAD (German-American Exchange Service):

• Conflict Resolution
• Career Development in the Corporate World and the Higher Education
• Social Justice and Fairness

 

Professional Services and Affiliation

 

• Ad-hoc Reviewer for Social Influence
• Ad-hoc Reviewer for the Swiss National Science Foundation
• European Association of Experimental Social Psychology (EAESP), Member
• German Society for Social Psychology (DGSP), Member
• International Society for Justice Research (ISJR), Member
• Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), Member
• Western Psychological Association (WPA), Member