Social Psychology Network

Maintained by Scott Plous, Wesleyan University

Jeffry A. Simpson

Jeffry A. Simpson

Most of my research investigates close relationships and interpersonal processes. My current work focuses on five areas: attachment (e.g., how different adult attachment orientations impact relationships and relationship functioning, particularly when people are distressed); mating (e.g., how individuals make decisions to become involved with new romantic partners, what attributes they consider, how they make “trade-offs”); empathic accuracy (e.g., the circumstances under which people become more versus less accurate at inferring their romantic partners’ thoughts and feelings during social interactions); idealization (e.g., how people’s standards for ideal partners and ideal relationships affect the satisfaction and stability of their relationships); and relationships, social development, and health outcomes.

Recent Grants:

Attachment styles, stress, and close relationships (with W. Steven Rholes), National Institute of Mental Health, 1995-1999

Empathic accuracy and inaccuracy in relationships (with William Ickes), National Science Foundation, 1998-2002

Cognition in intimate interpersonal contexts: Toward an integration of social cognition and evolutionary psychology (with Garth J. O. Fletcher), Marsden Foundation, 1999-2002

Adult attachment, stress, and relationship well-being (with W. Steven Rholes), National Institute of Mental Health, 2002-2008

Interaction of current and childhood environment on risky decision-making: An experimental and longitudinal life-history theory approach (with Vladas Griskevicius & W. Andrew Collins), National Science Foundation, 2011-2014

Early life stress, developmental processes, and adult health (with W. Andrew Collins, Byron Egeland, Elizabeth Carlson, Michelle Englund, & Megan Gunnar), National Institute of Aging, 2011-2018

Caring for older parents: Determining the role of attachment security (with Gery Karantzas, Marita McCabe & Judith Feeney), Australian Research Council, 2016-2020

Developmental and interpersonal antecedents of emotion regulation (with Rachael E. Jones & Nickola C. Overall), Engdahl Family Research Fund, 2016-2018

Developmental and interpersonal antecedents of parenting orientations and behavior: A life history perspective (with Vladas Griskevicius & Ohad Szepsenwol), National Science Foundation, 2017-2021

Primary Interests:

  • Close Relationships
  • Evolution and Genetics
  • Health Psychology
  • Interpersonal Processes
  • Nonverbal Behavior
  • Personality, Individual Differences
  • Persuasion, Social Influence
  • Research Methods, Assessment

Research Group or Laboratory:

Note from the Network: The holder of this profile has certified having all necessary rights, licenses, and authorization to post the files listed below. Visitors are welcome to copy or use any files for noncommercial or journalistic purposes provided they credit the profile holder and cite this page as the source.

Image Gallery

Books:

  • Fletcher, G. J. O., Simpson, J. A., Campbell, L., & Overall, N. C. (2013). The science of intimate relationships. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
  • Simpson, J. A., & Dovidio, J. F. (Eds.) (2014). APA handbook of personality and social psychology: Vol. 3. Interpersonal relations. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Simpson, J. A., & Rholes, W. S. (Eds.) (2015). Attachment theory and research: New directions and emerging themes. New York: Guilford.

Journal Articles:

  • 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. doi: 10.1177/0956797610368061
  • Cantú, S. M., Simpson, J. A., Griskevicius, V., Weisberg, Y. J., Durante, K. M., & Beal, D. (2014). Fertile and selectively flirty: Women's behavior toward men changes across the ovulatory cycle. Psychological Science, 25, 431-438. doi: 10.1177/0956797613508413
  • Gangestad, S. W., & Simpson, J. A. (2000). The evolution of human mating: Trade-offs and strategic pluralism. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23, 573-587.
  • 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.
  • Howland, M., & Simpson, J. A. (2010). Getting in under the radar: A dyadic view of invisible support. Psychological Science, 21, 1878-1885. doi: 10.1177/0956797610388817
  • 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. doi: 10.1037/a0031798
  • 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. doi: 10.1037/a0028889
  • 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. doi: 10.1177/0956797610397055
  • Simpson, J. A. (2007). Psychological foundations of trust. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 264-268.
  • 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.
  • Simpson, J. A., Griskevicius, V., & Rothman, A. J. (2012). Consumer decisions in relationships. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22, 304-314. doi: 10.1016/j.jcps.2011.09.007
  • Simpson, J. A., Oriña, 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 Psychology, 85, 881-893.
  • Simpson, J. A., & Overall, N. C. (2014). Partner buffering of attachment insecurity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 54-59. doi: 10.1177/0963721413510933
  • Simpson, J. A., Rholes, W. S., & Winterheld, H. A. (2010). Attachment working models twist memories of relationship events. Psychological Science, 21, 252-259. doi: 10.1177/ 0956797609357175
  • 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. doi: 10.1037/a0016418

Other Publications:

  • 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.). New York: Guilford.

Courses Taught:

  • Close Relationships
  • Dyadic Data Analyses and Methods
  • Evolution and Social Behavior
  • Introduction to Personality Psychology
  • Introduction to Social Psychology
  • Theories of Social Psychology

Jeffry A. Simpson
Department of Psychology
University of Minnesota
75 East River Parkway
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0344
United States of America

Send a message to Jeffry A. Simpson

Note: You will be emailed a copy of your message.

Psychology Headlines

From Around the World

News Feed (35,797 subscribers)