Sean McCrea, Ph.D.

Sean McCrea

Chair & Professor

Motivation, Self, Social cognition, Judgment,

Social Psychology

 

Full CV

 

Education

Ph.D., Indiana University 2002

B.A., Bucknell University 1996

 

Contact 

smccrea@uwyo.edu  • Bio Sciences Bldg 109

                  

Academic positions

2019-present Professor, University of Wyoming

2013-2019 Associate Professor, University of Wyoming

2009-2013 Assistant Professor, University of Wyoming

2003-2009 Assistant Professor for Motivational and Social psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany

 

Research Interests

My current research interests broadly focus on the interplay of motivational and cognitive processes. Our laboratory is currently focusing on defensive behaviors in a variety of contexts, particularly self-handicapping behavior and responding to crticism. Other areas of research interest include phases of goal-pursuit, behavior change, and counterfactual thinking.

 

Teaching

* Research Methods in Psychology

* Motivation

* Advanced Social Psychology

* Social cognition

* Self-regulation

 

Recent Publications

 

Thuermer, J. L., & McCrea, S. M. (2024). Intergroup sensitivity in a divided society: Calls for unity and reconciliatory behavior during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 27, 414–431.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302221147005

 

McCrea, S. M., Thuermer, J. L., Helm, M. R., Erion, C. J., & Krueger, K. P. (2024). Respecting conversational norms improves reception of expert messages among unvaccinated individuals. Health Communication, 39, 1795–1806. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2243047 

 

Thuermer, J. L., & McCrea, S. M. (2023). Behavioral consequences of intergroup sensitivity. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 17, e12716. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12716 

 

Thuermer, J. L., & McCrea, S. M. (2023). What motivates the vaccination rift effect? Psycho-linguistic features of responses to calls to get vaccinated differ by source and recipient vaccination status. Vaccines, 11, 503. DOI:10.3390/vaccines11030503

 

Wondra, T., & McCrea, S. M. (2022). Collective Self-Doubt: Does Subjective SES Predict Behavioral Self-Handicapping Tendency in College Students? Social Psychology of Education, 25, 129–167. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11218-021-09678-z 

 

Thuermer, J. L., Stadler, J., & McCrea, S. M. (2022). Intergroup Sensitivity and Promoting Sustainable Consumption: Meat-eaters Reject Vegan’s Call for a Plant-based Diet. MDPI: Sustainability, 14, 1741. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/3/1741  

 

Thuermer, J. L., & McCrea, S. M. (2022). The vaccination rift effect provides evidence that source vaccination status determines the rejection of calls to get vaccinated. Scientific Reports, 12, 18947. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-23291-w 

 

McCrea, S. M., Erion, C. J., & Thuermer, J. L. (2022). Why punish critical outgroup commenters? Social identity, general norms, and retribution. British Journal of Social Psychology, 61, 711–728. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12508 

 

Thuermer, J. L., & McCrea, S. M. (2022). On Efficient Mass-Media Messages During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Expertise and Expressed Social Identity. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 3, https://tmb.apaopen.org/pub/eo6qkr07/release/2  

 

Bitter, A. N., Wondra, T. K., McCrea, S. M., Darzi, A., & Novak, D. (2022). Does it Pay to Play?: Undermining Effects of Monetary Reward but not Gamification in a Web-based Task. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 3 (1). https://tmb.apaopen.org/pub/jbkavq2a/release/2 

 

 

Research Grants

 

2022-present  RAISE: IHBEM: Understanding and Predicting Behavioral Responses to Epidemic Risks and Control Policies: Implications for Epidemiological Models and Policy Design, NSF. PI David Finnoff with CoPI Rongsong Liu, CoPI Sean McCrea, CoPI Linda Thunstrom, CoPI Stephen Newbold

2017-2020  A Kinder, Gentler Technology: Enhancing Human-Machine Symbiosis Using Adaptive, Personalized Affect-Aware Systems, PI Domen Novak (UW), NSF

2015 Treatment noncompliance as a form of self-handicapping behavior, University of Wyoming (PI)

 

2014 Overcoming collective defensiveness with implementation intentions, University of Konstanz (Collaboration with PI Dr. Lukas Thuermer, University of Konstanz)


Research Lab

Motivation and Cognition Lab

 
Contact Us

Department of Psychology

1000 E University Ave

Dept. 3415

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: 307-766-6303

Email: psyc.uw@uwyo.edu

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