Social Psychology Network

Maintained by Scott Plous, Wesleyan University

Joel Cooper

Joel Cooper

Joel Cooper received his B.A. from the City College of New York in 1965 and a Ph.D. from Duke University in 1969. He joined the psychology department faculty at Princeton University in 1969, attaining the rank of full professor in 1978.

Professor Cooper's major research focus is on attitudes and attitude change, particularly as they relate to the process of cognitive dissonance. His recent work examines vicarious experiences of dissonance (i.e., feeling dissonance due to the inconsistent behavior of others) and the role of the self in dissonance arousal. Two other areas of active interest are (1) the effect of expert testimony in courts of law, and (2) gender differences in the effectiveness of information technology, particularly among school children.

Primary Interests:

  • Applied Social Psychology
  • Attitudes and Beliefs
  • Causal Attribution
  • Gender Psychology
  • Internet and Virtual Psychology
  • Law and Public Policy
  • Persuasion, Social Influence
  • Self and Identity

Books:

Journal Articles:

  • Aronson, J., Blanton, H., & Cooper, J. (1995). From dissonance to dis-identification: Selectivity on the self-affirmation process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 6, 986-996.
  • Blanton, H., Cooper, J., Skurnik, I., & Aronson, J. (1997). When bad things happen to good feedback: Exacerbating the need for self-justification through self affirmation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(7), 684-692.
  • Cooper, J. (1998). Unlearning cognitive dissonance: Toward an understanding of the development of cognitive dissonance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 34, 562-575.
  • Cooper, J., & Fazio, R. (1989). Research traditions, analysis, and synthesis: Building a faulty case around misinterpreted theory. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 15, 519-529.
  • Cooper, J., Hall, J., & Huff, C. (1990). Situational stress as a consequence of sex stereotyped software. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 16, 419-429.
  • Galinsky, A., Stone, J., & Cooper, J. (2000). The reinstatement of dissonance and psychological discomfort following failed affirmations. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 123-147.
  • Robinson-Staveley, K., & Cooper, J. (1990). Mere presence, gender and reactions to computers: Studying human computers interaction in the social context. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 26, 168-183.
  • Scher, S., & Cooper, J. (1989). The motivational basis of dissonance: The singular role of behavioral consequences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 899-906.
  • Stone, J., & Cooper, J. (2001). A self-standards model of cognitive dissonance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 37, 228-243.
  • Stone, J., Wiegand, A. W., Cooper, J., & Aronson, E. (1997). When exemplification fails: Hypocrisy and the motive for self-integrity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(1), 54-65.

Joel Cooper
Department of Psychology
Green Hall
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
United States of America

  • Phone: (609) 258-4464
  • Fax: (609) 258-1113

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