Social Psychology Network

Maintained by Scott Plous, Wesleyan University

Matthew Hornsey

Matthew Hornsey

My primary research interest is in examining why people resist seemingly reasonable messages. Drawing on theorizing around identity and trust, I ask questions such as: "Why do people reject messages of reconciliation?"; "Why do people refute scientific consensus on issues like climate change and immunization; and "why do groups resist criticisms and recommendations for change?" My goal is to build models that help explain defensiveness in he face of messages, with an eye to developing concrete and do-able tools for minimizing this defensiveness.

Primary Interests:

  • Aggression, Conflict, Peace
  • Group Processes
  • Intergroup Relations
  • Persuasion, Social Influence
  • Self and Identity

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Journal Articles:

  • Bain, P.G., Hornsey, M. J., Bongiorno, R., & Jeffries, C. (2012). Promoting pro-environmental action in climate change deniers. Nature Climate Change, 2, 600-603.
  • Bastian, B., Jetten, J., Hornsey, M. J., & Leknes, S. (2014). The positive consequences of pain: A biopsychosocial approach. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 256-279.
  • Crimston, D., Bain, P. G., Hornsey, M. J., & Brock, B. (2016). Moral expansiveness: Examining variability in the extension of the moral world. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111, 636-653.
  • Hornsey, M. J., Bain, P. G., Harris, E. A., Lebedeva, N., Kashima, E., Guan, Y., González, R., Chen, S. X., & Blumen, S. (in press). How much is enough in a perfect world? Cultural variation in ideal levels of happiness, pleasure, freedom, health, self-esteem, longevity, and intelligence. Psychological Science.
  • Hornsey, M. J., Faulkner, C., Crimston, D., & Moreton, S. (2018). A microscopic dot on a microscopic dot: Self-esteem buffers the negative effects of exposure to the enormity of the universe. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 198-207.
  • Hornsey, M. J., & Fielding, K. S. (2017). Attitude roots and jiu jitsu persuasion: Understanding and overcoming the motivated rejection of science. American Psychologist, 72, 459-473.
  • Hornsey, M. J., & Fielding, K. S. (2016). A cautionary note about messages of hope: Focusing on progress in reducing carbon emissions weakens mitigation motivation. Global Environmental Change, 39, 26-34.
  • Hornsey, M. J., Grice, T., Jetten, J., Paulsen, N., & Callan, V. (2007). Group directed criticisms and recommendations for change: Why newcomers arouse more resistance than old-timers. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 1036-1048.
  • Hornsey, M. J., Harris, E. A., Bain, P. G., & Fielding, K. S. (2016). Meta-analyses of the determinants and outcomes of belief in climate change. Nature Climate Change, 6, 622-626.
  • Hornsey, M. J., Harris, E. A., & Fielding, K. S. (in press). Relationships among conspiratorial beliefs, conservatism and climate scepticism across nations. Nature Climate Change.
  • Hornsey, M. J., Harris, E. A., & Fielding, K. S. (2018). The psychological roots of anti-vaccination attitudes: A 24-nation investigation. Health Psychology, 37, 307-315.
  • Hornsey, M. J., & Hogg, M. A. (2000). Assimilation and diversity: An integrative model of subgroup relations. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 143-156.
  • Hornsey, M. J., & Imani, A. (2004). Criticizing groups from the inside and the outside: An identity perspective on the intergroup sensitivity effect. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 365-383.
  • Hornsey, M. J., & Jetten, J. (2004). The individual within the group: Balancing the need to belong with the need to be different. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8 , 248-264.
  • Hornsey, M. J., Jetten, J., McAuliffe, B., & Hogg, M. A. (2006). The impact of individualist and collectivist group norms on evaluations of dissenting group members. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 57-68.
  • Hornsey, M. J., Wellauer, R., McIntyre, J. C., & Barlow, F.K. (2015). A critical test of the assumption that men prefer conformist women and women prefer nonconformist men. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41, 755-768.
  • Hornsey, M.J., & Wohl, M. J. A. (2013). We are sorry: Intergroup apologies and their tenuous link with intergroup forgiveness. European Review of Social Psychology, 24, 1-31.
  • Jetten, J., & Hornsey, M. J. (2014). Deviance and dissent within groups. Annual Review of Psychology. 65, 461–485.
  • Morton, T. A., Postmes, T., Haslam, S. A., & Hornsey, M. J. (2009). Theorizing gender in the face of social change: Is there anything essential about essentialism? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 653-664.
  • Wohl, M. J. A., Hornsey, M. J., & Bennett, S. H. (2012). Why group apologies succeed and fail: Intergroup forgiveness and the role of primary and secondary emotions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102, 306-322.

Courses Taught:

  • Intergroup Relations and Group Processes

Matthew Hornsey
School of Psychology
University of Queensland
St. Lucia, QLD 4072
Australia

  • Phone: + 61 (7) 3365 4910
  • Fax: + 61 (7) 3365 4466

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