Most of my research investigates close relationships and interpersonal processes. My current work focuses on four 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); and idealization (e.g., how people’s standards for ideal partners and ideal relationships affect the satisfaction and stability of their relationships).

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 Institutes of Health, 2002-2006

Primary Interests:

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Causal Attribution
Close Relationships
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Evolution and Genetics
Interpersonal Processes
Nonverbal Behavior
Person Perception
Personality, Individual Differences
Persuasion, Social Influence
Sexuality, Sexual Orientation

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Causal Attribution
Close Relationships
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Evolution and Genetics
Interpersonal Processes

Nonverbal Behavior
Person Perception
Personality, Individual Differences
Persuasion, Social Influence
Sexuality, Sexual Orientation

Books:

Journal Articles:

Campbell, L., Simpson, J. A., Boldry, J., & Kashy, D. A. (2005). Perceptions of conflict and support in romantic relationships: The role of attachment anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 510-531.
Gangestad, S. W., Garver-Apgar, C. E., Simpson, J. A., & Cousins, A. J. (2007). Changes in women’s mate preferences across the ovulatory cycle. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 151-163.
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.
Overall, N. C., Fletcher, G. J. O., & Simpson, J. A. (2006). Regulation processes in intimate relationships: The role of ideal standards. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 662-685.
Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., Campbell, L., & Grich, J. (2001). Adult attachment and the transition to parenthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 421-435.
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., Gangestad, S. W., Christensen, P. N., & Leck, K. (1999). Fluctuating asymmetry, sociosexuality, and intrasexual competitive tactics. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 159-172.
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., Rholes, W. S., Campbell, L., Tran, S., & Wilson, C. L. (2003). Adult attachment, the transition to parenthood, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1172-1187.
Simpson, J. A., Winterheld, H. A., Rholes, W. S., & Oriña, M. M. (2007). Working models of attachment and reactions to different forms of caregiving from romantic partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 466-477.

Other Publications:

Simpson, J. A. (2007). Foundations of interpersonal trust. In A. W. Kruglanski & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (2nd ed., pp. 587-607). New York: Guilford.
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:

Advanced Research Methods
Attachment Theory
Close Relationships
Human Evolution
Introduction to Personality Psychology
Introduction to Social Psychology
Theories of Social Psychology

Advanced Research Methods
Attachment Theory
Close Relationships
Human Evolution

Introduction to Personality Psychology
Introduction to Social Psychology
Theories of Social Psychology

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

Phone: (612) 626-0025
Fax: (612) 626-2079