Michelle R. Vandellen

Michelle R. Vandellen
University of Georgia | UGA · Department of Psychology

Ph.D.

About

98
Publications
69,984
Reads
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4,122
Citations
Additional affiliations
August 2012 - present
University of Georgia
Position
  • Professor (Assistant)
July 2011 - June 2012
Duke University
Position
  • Research Scientist

Publications

Publications (98)
Article
Full-text available
Transactive goal dynamics (TGD) theory conceptualizes 2 or more interdependent people as 1 single self-regulating system. Six tenets describe the nature of goal interdependence, predict its emergence, predict when it will lead to positive goal outcomes during and after the relationship, and predict the consequences for the relationship. Both partne...
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Effective self-regulation could involve not only managing internal resources for goal pursuit but also the often-fleeting interpersonal resources that can support goal attainment. In five studies, we test whether people who are effective self-regulators tend to position themselves in social environments that best afford self-regulatory success. Res...
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The psychological literature on self-control has illustrated the many benefits experienced by people with high self-control, who are more successful both personally and interpersonally. In the current research, we explore the possibility that having high self-control also may have some interpersonal costs, leading individuals to become burdened by...
Article
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Support from close others predicts smoking abstinence, yet little research has investigated what factors promote support. This study investigates predictors of support for a quit attempt. Partners of smokers (N = 131) reported their relationship quality, concern for partner's health, own smoking status, and intended support for a quit attempt. Smok...
Article
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The coronavirus pandemic posed a major challenge to mental health. Existing evidence shows that COVID-19 is related to poor emotional well-being, particularly among women. However, most work on the subject uses single-country samples, limiting the ability to generalize the disparity or explain it as a function of societal variables. The present stu...
Article
Objective: To assess the combined and independent effects of energy content and sweetness on cephalic phase insulin release (CPIR) and compare responses in adults with normal weight (NW) and obese (OB) body mass indexes (BMI). Methods: In this randomized, double-blind crossover study, 39 adults (NW: n=21; OB: n=18), aged 18-45y (24±5y), rinsed with...
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The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a shift toward a more traditional division of labor–one where women took greater responsibility for household tasks and childcare than men. We tested whether this regressive shift was more acutely perceived and experienced by women in countries with greater gender equality. Cross-cultural longitudinal survey d...
Article
Implicit theories and psychological essentialism are valuable frameworks used to model how changeable many traits are perceived to be. These frameworks, however, characterise changeability as a broad and generalised construct and do not fully capture the nuance and specificity involved in personality changeability. We therefore sought to deconstruc...
Article
People are drawn to and like others who are physically attractive. In the present research, we investigated the influence of trait self-control on individuals’ interest in relationships with physically attractive others. We hypothesized that high (vs. low) self-control individuals would approach relationships by considering information beyond appea...
Article
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Virus mitigation behavior has been and still is a powerful means to fight the COVID-19 pandemic irrespective of the availability of pharmaceutical means (e.g., vaccines). We drew on health behavior theories to predict health-protective (coping-specific) responses and hope (coping non-specific response) from health-related cognitions (vulnerability,...
Article
Introduction Members of dual-smoker couples (in which both partners smoke) are unlikely to try to quit smoking and are likely to relapse if they do make an attempt. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility, tolerability, and preliminary outcomes of dyadic adaptations of financial incentive treatments to promote smoking cessation...
Article
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Psychologicalresearchonthepredictorsofconspiracytheorizing—explainingimpor-tant social and political events or circumstances as secret plots by malevolentgroups—has flourished in recent years. However, research has typically examinedonly a small number of predictors in one, or a small number of, national con-texts. Such approaches make it difficult...
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Some public officials have expressed concern that policies mandating collective public health behaviors (e.g., national/regional “lockdown”) may result in behavioral fatigue that ultimately renders such policies ineffective. Boredom, specifically, has been singled out as one potential risk factor for noncompliance. We examined whether there was emp...
Article
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Xenophobia and anti-immigrant attacks rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet this may not be solely due to the disease threat. According to theories of frustration and scapegoating, situational obstructions and deprivation can motivate prejudice against outgroups. Using a global natural quasi-experimental design, this study tests whether the restri...
Article
Anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and home confinement has been associated with adverse health behaviors, such as unhealthy eating, smoking, and drinking. However, most studies have been limited by regional sampling, which precludes the examination of behavioral consequences associated with the pandemic at a global level. Further, few s...
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The present paper examines longitudinally how subjective perceptions about COVID-19, one’s community, and the government predict adherence to public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus. Using an international survey ( N = 3040), we test how infection risk perception, trust in the governmental response and communications about COVID-19...
Article
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Before vaccines for COVID-19 became available, a set of infection prevention behaviors constituted the primary means to mitigate the virus spread. Our study aimed to identify important predictors of this set of behaviors. Whereas social and health psychological theories suggest a limited set of predictors, machine learning analyses can identify cor...
Article
Full-text available
Anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and home confinement has been associated with adverse health behaviors, such as unhealthy eating, smoking, and drinking. However, most studies have been limited by regional sampling, which precludes the examination of behavioral consequences associated with the pandemic at a global level. Further, few s...
Article
Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake is important to inform policy decisions and plan vaccination campaigns. The aims of this research were to: (1) explore the individual- and country-level determinants of intentions to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, and (2) examine worldwide variation in vaccination intentions. This cross-s...
Article
The current research examined individuals’ perceptions of difficulty regarding goal striving in the near and distant future. Study 1 tested the hypothesis that predictions decrease over increasing temporal distance. Participants forecasted how difficult several goal-related tasks would be at varying points in the future. Our hypothesis was mostly s...
Article
The current research examined the role of values in guiding people’s responses to COVID-19. Results from an international study involving 115 countries (N = 61,490) suggest that health and economic threats of COVID-19 evoke different values, with implications for controlling and coping with the pandemic. Specifically, health threats predicted prior...
Article
Full-text available
Tightening social norms is thought to be adaptive for dealing with collective threat yet it may have negative consequences for increasing prejudice. The present research investigated the role of desire for cultural tightness, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, in increasing negative attitudes towards immigrants. We used participant-level data from...
Article
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During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors dete...
Article
During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors dete...
Article
Full-text available
As of 2019, 34.1 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes. People who smoke and who are partnered with other smokers (i.e., dual-smoker couples [DSCs]) represent an estimated two-thirds of U.S. smokers. DSCs face unique obstacles to quitting, are less likely to try to quit, and are more likely to relapse during a quit attempt. Although...
Article
Full-text available
The current research examined the role of values in guiding people’s responses to COVID-19. Results from an international study involving 115 countries (N = 61,490) suggest that health and economic threats of COVID-19 evoke different values, with implications for controlling and coping with the pandemic. Specifically, health threats evoked prioriti...
Article
Objectives: Cross-sectional reports on weight gain during the COVID-19 shelter-at-home have raised concerns for weight increases as the pandemic continues. We examined behaviors that impact energy intake and/or energy expenditure among adults in the United States during shelter-at-home. Methods: Cross-sectional data (N=1779; April 24 - May4, 2020)...
Article
Objective: Neighborhood risk in childhood is associated with poor health across the lifespan. However, many people who are reared in risky neighborhoods remain healthy in adulthood. In the context of high-risk neighborhoods, controlling parenting practices might promote better physical health outcomes later in life. The current study utilized a vi...
Article
Full-text available
Self-reported weight gain during the COVID-19 shelter-at-home has raised concerns for weight increases as the pandemic continues. We aimed to investigate the relationship of psychological and health markers with energy balance-related behaviors during the pandemic-related extended home confinement. Ratings for stress, boredom, cravings, sleep, self...
Article
Full-text available
This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N = 25,435). The main predictors were (1) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (...
Article
Full-text available
Cross-sectional analyses have shown increased obesogenic behaviors and a potential for weight gain during COVID-19 related peak-lockdown (March-May 2020), but longitudinal data are lacking. This study assessed longitudinal changes in body weight and lifestyle behaviors in the US adults during the pandemic. Methods: We used Qualtrics survey to col...
Article
Objective: In this study, we investigated self-weighing frequency (SWF) among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and retrospectively (6 months) before the pandemic, and whether SWF was associated with changes in health-related behaviors. Methods: United States adults (N = 1607) completed a health-related questionnaire during COVID-19 and associate...
Article
Although consumers put substantial effort toward their appearance, engaging in beauty work is often seen as inauthentic, posing challenges for beauty companies that increasingly rely on social media-driven product promotion where authenticity perceptions are consequential. This article draws on existentialist notions of authenticity (wherein the tr...
Article
Full-text available
We conducted a preregistered multi-laboratory project (k = 36; N = 3531) to assess the size and robustness of ego depletion effects using a novel replication method, termed the paradigmatic replication approach. Laboratories implemented one of two procedures that intended to manipulate self control and tested performance on a subsequent measure of...
Preprint
Full-text available
According to health behavior theories, perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors determine motivation to follow these recommendations. Because the U.S. President Trump and U.S. conservative politicians downplayed the risk and seriousness of contracting COVID-19 and the effectiv...
Preprint
Full-text available
The Coronavirus is highly infectious and potentially deadly. In the absence of a cure or a vaccine, the infection prevention behaviors recommended by the World Health Organization constitute the only measure that is presently available to combat the pandemic. The unprecedented impact of this pandemic calls for swift identification of factors most i...
Preprint
Full-text available
In this work, we study how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. We draw on cross-national data, collected across four time points between mid-March until early May 2020. We situate our work within the public debate on these issues and discuss to what extent the public...
Preprint
Full-text available
According to health behavior theories, perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors determine motivation to follow these recommendations. Because the U.S. President Trump and U.S. conservative politicians downplayed the risk and seriousness of contracting COVID-19 and the effectiv...
Article
Full-text available
The PsyCorona collaboration is a research project to examine processes involved in the COVID-19 pandemic, such as behavior that curbs virus transmission, which may implicate social norms, cooperation, and self-regulation. The study also examines psychosocial consequences of physical distancing strategies and societal lockdown, such as frustration o...
Article
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The purpose of this data visualization tool is twofold. First, it serves as a resource for researchers, analysts, and practitioners to understand people’s thoughts, feelings, and responses to the coronavirus as well as the extraordinary societal measures taken against it. Such knowledge could provide pilot data for researchers, inform current polic...
Article
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Peoples’ beliefs about their own past personality development are associated with current and future self-concepts. Here, we report on 2 studies designed to investigate the way people think about retrospective changes to their own personality. We found that implicit theories of personality were associated with greater perceived retrospective person...
Article
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The desire to feel positively about the self is frequently studied. However, most work has investigated these self‐enhancing behaviors as a binary choice: to enhance or not to enhance? We propose a novel framework for investigating a more nuanced decision: with a seemingly endless supply of self‐enhancing behaviors, how do people determine engageme...
Article
Full-text available
Mapping the Moods of COVID-19: Global Study Uses Data Visualization to Track Psychological Responses, Identify Targets for Intervention
Preprint
This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N=25,435). The main predictors were (i) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (ii...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to shelter-at-home for an extended period, resulting in a sudden rise in unstructured time. This unexpected disruption in everyday life has raised concerns about weight management, especially in high-risk populations of women and individuals with overweight and obesity. This study aimed to investi...
Article
Full-text available
Cultural context can affect how changes in self-concepts are either valued or tolerated. However, very little is currently known regarding how culture may differentially confer consequences to people that change their self-concepts over the course of several years. We investigated the moderating role of culture (Japan and USA) on the link between l...
Article
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Background Individuals’ social networks exert a strong influence on alcohol use, but valid assessment of network drinking behavior is typically lengthy and high in participant burden. The aim of this study was to validate the Brief Alcohol Social Density Assessment (BASDA), an efficient measure of perceived alcohol use within a person’s social netw...
Article
Relationship members are frequently concordant on health outcomes; health behavior change is also concordant in close relationships. Despite clear evidence of this influence, relatively little is known about the possible mechanisms by which individuals in densely transactive systems (i.e., relationships with high goal‐related interdependence) influ...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new scale to measure multiple aspects of partner support for quitting smoking relevant to dual-smoker couples, called the Partner Support for Quitting Scale. The best model fit ( N = 238 individuals in 119 couples) considers the frequency of, confidence in, and perceived usefulness of partner support beha...
Article
Objectives: In this study, we investigated self-weighing frequency (SWF) among adults and whether SWF was associated with health markers. Methods: We had 533 US adults complete a questionnaire on SWF and other health markers. Respondents were categorized into 4 quartiles of SWF: "Never," "<1x/week," "1x/week," or ">1x/week." Results: Overall, 60.0%...
Article
People dream of countless ideal possible selves they hope to become, but they have a difficult time actualizing them. In the present work, we review and integrate prior research regarding possible selves, self‐regulation, and interpersonal relationships. We draw on multiple perspectives to define ideal possible selves and clarify their structure. W...
Article
Fruit and vegetable consumption in the United States is below the recommended level for two reasons: lack of access and low preference. In this work, we identify lack of preference for vegetables as a public health issue and apply theories from psychology and marketing literature to study the effect of partitioned presentation of vegetables on cons...
Article
Objective Holiday weight gain is reported to be 0.4 to 1.5 kg and may contribute to annual weight gain. The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of daily self‐weighing (DSW) using visual graphical feedback (GF) to prevent holiday weight gain. Methods A total of 111 adults were randomly assigned into a control or DSW + GF group and comp...
Article
This research investigates the association between judge's and target's personality and personality judgment accuracy. Participants (N = 466) completed personality testing, a social interaction task with a partner, and then rated their partner's personality. Participants initially interacted together for 3 min and then in 1 of 3 interaction conditi...
Article
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Husbands and wives often provide different reports about the qualities of their relationship—a pattern of reporting that is often discounted as measurement error. In the present study, we tested three research questions related to perceptions of marital conflict in a sample of 123 married couples. First, we tested whether individual and partner att...
Article
Although self-promotion may be the most direct way people self-present, it carries social costs. We propose a novel phenomenon – promotion by others – wherein social networks may afford similar advantages with fewer costs. We utilized egocentric network analysis to examine relationships between social connections and perceived promoter potential (i...
Article
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Introduction: Dual-smoker couples are a highly prevalent group who report low motivation to quit smoking. Aims: This study tested the effect of a messaging intervention (couples- vs. individual-focused smoking outcomes) on motivation to quit among dual-smoker couples and examined the moderating effect of perceived support. Methods: A total of 202 i...
Article
Based on similarities between overconsumption of food and addictive drugs, there is increasing interest in “food addiction,” a compulsive eating pattern defined using symptoms parallel to substance use disorders. Impulsivity, a multidimensional construct robustly linked to drug addiction, has been increasingly examined as an obesity determinant, bu...
Article
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Psychological reactance is typically assumed to motivate resistance to controlling peer influences and societal prohibitions. However, some peer influences encourage behaviors prohibited by society. We consider whether reactant individuals are sensitive to such opportunities to enhance their autonomy. We specifically propose a self-regulatory persp...
Article
Objective: Potential support providers may rely on observable behaviours (e.g. resisting a cigarette vs. smoking) to determine how much and what kind of support to provide. We evaluated the effect of smokers’ salient behaviour on partners’ likelihood of providing positive and negative support. Design: Partners of smokers (N = 131) were randomly ass...
Article
People with high self-control have frequent short-term and long-term goal success. These successes stem from both reactive and proactive self-regulatory processes, including maneuvering their social relationships to interact more frequently with other people who are also high in self-control. One implication of this idea is that higher levels of se...
Article
High self-control is associated with positive relationship outcomes. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between self-control and communication patterns between romantic partners. Dyadic data analyses revealed main effects of actor and partner self-control on mutually constructive communication and demand/withdraw. Addition...
Article
The self-regulatory strength model proposes that an individual's ability to alter his or her own responses is a limited resource that becomes depleted in situations requiring its use—a phenomenon referred to as ego depletion. Although theory suggests that individuals vary characteristically in what situations may activate their personality dynamics...
Article
Full-text available
Good self-control has been linked to adaptive outcomes such as better health, cohesive personal relationships, success in the workplace and at school, and less susceptibility to crime and addictions. In contrast, self-control failure is linked to maladaptive outcomes. Understanding the mechanisms by which self-control predicts behavior may assist i...
Article
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We investigated how power dynamics in close relationships influence the tendency to devote resources to the pursuit of goals valued by relationship partners, hypothesizing that low (vs. high) power in relationships would lead individuals to center their individual goal pursuit around the goals of their partners. We study 2 related phenomena: partne...
Article
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Objective To examine dyadic relationships between depressive symptoms and family functioning in families of pediatric cancer survivors. Methods Sixty-four adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors and their caregivers self-reported on depressive symptoms and family functioning. Multilevel modeling analyses were used to test actor–partner in...
Article
The present study examined the characteristics of individuals (N = 104 undergraduate couples) who date grandiosely or vulnerably narcissistic individuals, including the experience of developmental trauma, general and pathological personality traits, and psychopathology, using multiple data sources. In addition, relationship duration was tested as a...
Article
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People in close relationships influence the health behavior of their significant others. Recent research has explored one form of influence—social control—and produced results that suggest varying relationships between social control, health outcomes, and psychological well-being. For the present article, we conducted a meta-analysis to compare thr...
Article
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Identifying and understanding the goal pursuit strategies that distinguish effective self-regulators from less-effective self-regulators are important for elucidating how individuals achieve their goals. We suggest that the timing of plans for difficult goal pursuits is one differentiation. A pilot study shows that effective self-regulators tend to...
Article
Three studies examine how self-regulatory resources affect goal appraisals, finding support for the hypothesis that when low in self-regulatory resources, individuals endorse statements that rationalize either inaction or less effortful goal pursuit. Study 1 examines appraisals of self-set personal goals, finding that resource-depleted participants...
Article
People often encounter self-control challenges in complex everyday environments in which objects that promote a given goal (e.g., to eat healthily) are mixed together with objects that obstruct that goal. For example, healthy and unhealthy food choices are often mixed together in restaurant menus. Because local processing facilitates attention to l...