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Research |
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Social
Psychology involves the study of how real, imagined, or implied others affect
people's thoughts, feelings, and behavior. My primary area of interest is the
Self. My current interests lie in three areas: |
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1. First, I have conducted research
on the phenomenon of STTUC—Sensitivity about being the Target of a
Threatening Upward Comparison. STTUC is the discomfort that people may feel
when they outperform others. I am interested in predictors of STTUC (such as
a sense of deservingness), as well as how STTUC experiences influence state
self-esteem. In the long term, I would like to examine whether desires to
avoid STTUC predict withdrawal in academic endeavors. Koch, E. J., *Davis-Janes, A.,
& Franz-Odendaal, T. (2023). Outperformance-related discomfort: Another
factor in women’s under-representation in STEM? Sex Roles. doi.org/10.1007/s11199-023-01418-1 pdf Koch, E. J. (2023). Success with
a twinge of distress: Antecedents and consequences of outperformance-related
discomfort. Social and Personality
Psychology Compass. doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12736 link Koch, E. J., & *Totton, S.
F. M. (2017). “What’ve I done to deserve this?” The role of deservingness in
reactions to being an upward comparison target. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 34(1), 3–25. doi:
10.1177/0265407515619043 pdf Koch, E. J., & *Metcalfe, K.
P. (2011). The bittersweet taste of success: Daily and recalled experiences
of being an upward social comparison target. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 33(1), 47-58.
doi:10.1080/01973533.2010.539960 link |
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2. Second, I am interested in
anticipated regret, which is what people experience when they imagine wishing
they had decided to act differently. I am particularly interested in how
anticipated regret predicts health behaviors. Koch, E. J. (2022). Imagining the
hangover: Anticipated regret and binge drinking. Psi Chi Journal, 3(27), 212-222. doi: 10.24839/2325-7342.JN27.3.212 Koch,
E. J. (2014). How does anticipated regret
influence health and safety decisions? A literature review. Basic
and Applied Social Psychology, 36(5), 397-412. doi:
10.1080/01973533.2014.935379 link |
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3. Third, I have long been
interested in how particular “self” variables (e.g., self-complexity)
predict responses to interpersonal rejection. I recently became interested in
self-compassion, which involves treating the self with kindness rather than
criticism. I have been exploring whether self-compassion predicts relatively
less maladaptive responses to rejection. |
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Koch,
E. J. (2020). Remembering that “Everybody Hurts”: The role of self-compassion
in responses to rejection. Basic and
Applied Social Psychology. doi:
10.1080/01973533.2020.1726748 link Blog
post: https://spsp.org/news-center/blog/koch-self-compassion
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* = St. FX
graduate |
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