A defining feature of the human experience is close, intimate
relationships. Experiences within close relationships are rich and
colorful and vary greatly both within and across individuals. My research
program examines the processes that shape people’s feelings, thoughts,
and behaviors within close relationships. Reflecting the breadth and
complexity of the topic, my research seeks to understand both
intraindividual and interindividual processes using a variety of
methodological tools (e.g., self-report, implicit, and physiological) and
experimental designs (laboratory and longitudinal). The core questions
that guide my research are: What are the cognitions and affects that are
likely to play an important role within social and interpersonal contexts?
Are there individual differences in these automatic processes? If so, are
they related to people’s experiences within close relationships? What
role do early relationship experiences (e.g., interactions with one’s
mother) play in how a person experiences relationships, and self, in later
life? How do people shape their social worlds through the choices they
make in dating partners? Although the questions are diverse, mirroring the
topic itself, I seek to integrate my research findings on intra and
interindividual processes within a single, coherent, unifying framework.
This framework highlights how a person’s behavior emerges out of the
continuous interactions between her personal characteristics and the
characteristics that define the social and interpersonal contexts in which
she lives (Zayas, Shoda, Ayduk, 2002).
PROJECTS:
stability of attachment representations
partner preference
significant person IAT
significant person priming
subliminal person perception
-subliminal face perception
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