People—Andrew Elliot
Professor Elliot's research focuses on approach and avoidance motivation, achievement motivation, social motivation, and well being.
Research Interests
The primary focus of Dr. Elliot's research is on the hierarchical model of approach and avoidance motivation. Professor Elliot examines the antecedents, consequences, and development of achievement motivation and social motivation. He conducts basic, applied, and cross-cultural research in educational and sport contexts. Professor Elliot's work focuses on the self, motivation, parenting, achievement, social connection, and the effects of color on psychological functioning.
Courses Offered (subject to change)
- CSP 161 Social Psychology and Individual Differences
- CSP 364/464 Achievement and motivation
Selected Publications
- Elliot, A.J., & Maier, M.A. (2012). Color-in-context theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 61-126.
- Elliot, A.J., & Pazda, A.D. (2012). Dressed for sex: Red as a female sexual signal in humans. PLoS ONE, 7, e34607.
- Elliot, A.J., Sedikides, C., Murayama, K., Tanaka, A., Thrash, T.M., & Mapes, R. (2012). Cross-cultural generality and specificity in self regulation: Avoidance personal goals and multiple aspects of wellbeing in the U.S. and Japan. Emotion, 12, 1031-1040.
- Law, W., Elliot, A.J., & Murayama, K. (2012). Perceived competence moderates the relation between performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104, 806-819.
- Lichtenfeld, S., Elliot, A.J., Maier, M.A., & Pekrun, R. (2012). Fertile green: Green facilitates creative performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 784-797.
- Maruskin, L.A., Thrash, T.M., & Elliot, A.J. (2012). The chills as a psychological construct: Content universe, factor structure, affective composition, elicitors, and trait antecedents. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103, 135-157.
- Meier, B.P., D'Agostino, P.R., Elliot, A.J., Maier, M.A., & Wilkowski, B.M. (2012). Color in context: Psychological context moderates the influence of red on approach- and avoidance-motivated behavior, PLoS ONE, 7, e40333.
- Murayama, K., & Elliot, A.J. (2012). The competition-performance relation: A meta-analysis and a test of the opposing processes model of competition and performance. Psychological Bulletin, 138, 1035-1070.
- Murayama, K., & Elliot, A.J. (2012). Further clarifying the Competition-Performance Relation: Reply to D. Johnson, et al.
- Pazda, A.D., Elliot, A.J., & Greitemeyer, T. (2012). Sexy red: Perceived sexual receptivity mediates the red-attraction relation in men viewing women. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 787-790.
- Elliot, A.J., & Aarts, H. (2011). Perception of the color red enhances the force and velocity of motor output. Emotion, 11, 445-449.
- Elliot, A.J., Payen, V., Brisswalter, J., Cury, F., & Thayer, J. (2011). A subtle threat cue, heart rate variability, and cognitive performance. Psychophysiology, 48, 1340-1345.
- Elliot, A.J., Murayama, K., & Pekrun, R. (2011). A 3 x 2 achievement goal model. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103, 632-648.
- Elliot, A.J., Thrash, T.M., & Murayama, K. (2011). A longitudinal analysis of self-regulation and well-being: Avoidance personal goals, avoidance coping, stress generation, and subjective well-being. Journal of Personality, 79, 643-674.
- Feltman, R., & Elliot, A.J. (2011). The influence of red on perceptions of dominance and threat in a competitive context. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 33, 308-314.
- Fetterman, A.K., Robinson, M.D., Gordon, R.D., & Elliot, A.J. (2011). Anger as seeing red: Perceptual sources of evidence. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2, 311-316.
- Murayama, K., & Elliot, A.J. (2011). Achievement motivation and memory: Achievement Goals differentially influence immediate and delayed remember-know recognition memory. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 1339-1348.
- Murayama, K., Elliot, A.J., & Yamagata, S. (2011). Separation of performance-approach and performance-avoidance achievement goals: A broader analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103, 238-256.
- Payen, V., Elliot, A.J., Coombes, S.A., Chalabev, A., Brisswalter, J., & Cury, F. (2011). Viewing red prior to a strength test inhibits motor output. Neuroscience Letters, 495, 44-48.
- Roussel, P., Elliot, A.J., & Feltman, R. (2011). The influence of achievement goals and social goals on help seeking from peers in an academic context. Learning and Instruction, 21, 394-402.
Recent and Current Editorial Positions
- Associate Editor, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2013 - )
- Associate Editor, Psychological Science (2012 - )
- Associate Editor, Emotion (2010)
- Editor (Emotion and Motivation Section) Social and Personality Compass (2007 - 2008)
- Associate Editor, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2005 - 2007)
- Associate Editor, Journal of Personality (2003 - 2006)
Recent and Current Graduate Students
- Christopher Thorstenson (M.A. level)
- Rachel Korn (M.A. level)
- Adam Pazda (Ph.D. level)
- Roger Feltman Context and Color Preferences: Does The Preference for Red Vary Across Romance and Achievement Contexts? (Ph.D. thesis)
- Rachael Mapes - The socialization of fear of failure in Japan and the U.S. (Ph.D. thesis)
- Wilbert Law - The impact of extrinsic goals on romantic relationships: A theoretical approach and some possible mechanisms (Ph.D. thesis)
- James Fryer - Stability and change in achievement goals across the middle school transition (Ph.D. thesis)
- Arlen Moller - The motivational dynamics of the need to belong (Ph.D. thesis)
- Ron Friedman - The sound of motivation (Ph.D. thesis)
- Todd Thrash - Inspiration as a motivational construct (Ph.D. thesis)
- Holly McGregor - Fear of failure and shame (Ph.D. thesis)
- Marcy Church - Perceptions of the college classroom and achievement goals (Ph.D. thesis)
Recent Visitors to the Lab
| Dr. Yuxiang Zheng (China) | 2012-2013 |
| Katherine Buerger (Germany) | 2012 |
| Dr. Joanne Dickson (England) | 2012 |
| Felix Dinger (Germany) | 2012 |
| Qin Gau (China) | 2012 |
| Daniela Oertig (Germany) | 2012 |
| Mark Leveszy (Germany) | 2011 |
| Marieke Roskes (The Netherlands) | 2011 |
| Nurcan Kahraman (Turkey) | 2010 |
| Dr. Stephanie Lictenfeld (Germany) | 2010-2011 |
| Isabelle Paulick (Germany) | 2009 |
| Dr. Lin Yu (China) | 2008-2009 |
| Dr. Julia Schueler (Switzerland) | 2007 |
| Mattias Radant (Germany) | 2007 |
| Dr. Huijin Liu (China) | 2007 |
| Dr. Kou Murayama (Japan) | 2006-2008 |
| Angelika Meier (Switzerland) | 2006 |
| Dr. Ayumi Tanaka (Japan) | 2005-2006 |
| Dr. Daniela Niesta (Germany) | 2005-2008 |
Recent Grants
- Institute of Education Sciences
- "Transforming algebra assignments"—2010 to 2013 ($213,424)
- Humboldt Foundation
- "Achievement goals and emotions."—2007 to 2010 ($109,000)
- W.T. Grant Foundation
- "Fear of Failure and the Middle School Transition."—2004 to 2007 ($180,000)
Select Honors and Distinctions
- Thompson Reuter's ISI HighlyCited for Social Sciences (Psychology/Psychiatry). (2010)
- Fellow, Society of Experimental Social Psychology (2009)
- Fellow, American Psychological Association, Division 15 (2008)
- Churchill Fellow, Churchill College, University of Cambridge (2008)
- Fellow, Association for Psychological Science (2007)
- Fellow, American Psychological Association (2007)
- Willem Bessel Research Award (2004)
- Fellow, Society for Personality and Social Psychology (2004)
- Richard Snow Award for Early Career Contributions to Educational Psychology (2002)
- International Society for Self and Identity Early Career Award (2002)
- APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology in the area of Personality Psychology (2001)
