Gordon Moskowitz
Encyclopedia
Gordon Blaine Moskowitz (born October 6, 1963) is a social psychologist
working in the field of social cognition
. He is currently an associate professor
in the Department
of Psychology
at Lehigh University
. His primary research
interests are in examining: 1) social inferences which occur with neither the intention
of forming an impression nor the awareness that one has done so (i.e., the extent to which social inferences, especially stereotypes, are spontaneous); and 2) the non-conscious nature of motivation
and goals, with emphasis on how the goals to be egalitarian and creative are more efficiently pursued when one is not consciously trying to pursue them.
(B.Sc 1984) and New York University
(Ph.D. 1993). His post-doctoral training was at the Max Planck Institute on Leopoldstrasse in Munich, Germany. From 1994 through 2001 he was an assistant professor of psychology at Princeton University
.
Social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
working in the field of social cognition
Social cognition
Social cognition is the encoding, storage, retrieval, and processing, in the brain, of information relating to conspecifics, or members of the same species. At one time social cognition referred specifically to an approach to social psychology in which these processes were studied according to the...
. He is currently an associate professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in the Department
Academic department
An academic department is a division of a university or school faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline. This article covers United States usage at the university level....
of Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
. His primary research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
interests are in examining: 1) social inferences which occur with neither the intention
Intention
Intention is an agent's specific purpose in performing an action or series of actions, the end or goal that is aimed at. Outcomes that are unanticipated or unforeseen are known as unintended consequences....
of forming an impression nor the awareness that one has done so (i.e., the extent to which social inferences, especially stereotypes, are spontaneous); and 2) the non-conscious nature of motivation
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
and goals, with emphasis on how the goals to be egalitarian and creative are more efficiently pursued when one is not consciously trying to pursue them.
Biography
Moskowitz was born in Brooklyn, New York to Howard and Geraldine Moskowitz. He attended McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
(B.Sc 1984) and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(Ph.D. 1993). His post-doctoral training was at the Max Planck Institute on Leopoldstrasse in Munich, Germany. From 1994 through 2001 he was an assistant professor of psychology at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
Research Topics
- the nature of stereotyping and the question of how people can prevent stereotypic thoughts from occurring or, if they do occur, prevent stereotypic thinking from influencing their evaluations of and actions toward others.
- the "snap judgments" made when hearing about, meeting, or observing others; the "automaticityAutomaticityAutomaticity is the ability to do things without occupying the mind with the low-level details required, allowing it to become an automatic response pattern or habit. It is usually the result of learning, repetition, and practice....
" of human inferential processes and the extent to which goals and motives can be equally "automatic."
- the manner in which goals, operating outside of conscious awareness, control cognition, such as 1) egalitarian goals inhibiting one's stereotypes, and 2) creativity goals inhibiting typical thoughts in favor of more atypical and unique ones.
- the extent to which people are persuaded or influenced by minority messengers: the cognitive economy which directs initial thoughts toward minorities and how motives which instigate more elaborate thought processes lead to greater minority influence.
- a motive termed "the need for structure" and how the desire to control, understand, and structure the events and people which make up one's social world affects the way in which one perceives and acts.
Books
- Moskowitz, G.B. Social Cognition: Understanding Self and Others. NY, NY: The Guilford Press, 2005.
- Moskowitz, G.B. (Ed., 2001). Cognitive Social Psychology: The Princeton symposium on the legacy and future of social cognition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Journal Articles
- Moskowitz, G.B., Li, P., & Kirk, E. (2004). The implicit volition model: On the preconscious regulation of temporarily adopted goals. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Volume 36, pp. 317-413). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
- Moskowitz, G.B., Salomon, A.R., & Taylor, C.M. (2000). "Preconsciously controlling stereotyping: Implicitly activated egalitarian goals prevent the activation of stereotypes." Social Cognition, 18, 151-177.
- Moskowitz, G.B., Gollwitzer, P.M., Wasel, W., & Schaal, B. (1999). "Preconscious control of stereotype activation through chronic egalitarian goals." Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyJournal of Personality and Social PsychologyThe Journal of Personality and Social Psychology is a monthly psychology journal of the American Psychological Association. It is considered one of the top journals in the fields of social and personality psychology. Its focus is on empirical research reports; however, specialized theoretical,...
, 77, 167-184
- Thompson, E.P., Roman, R.J., Moskowitz, G.B., Chaiken, S., & Bargh, J.A.John BarghJohn A. Bargh is a distinguished social psychologist currently working at Yale University, where he has formed the Automaticity in Cognition, Motivation, and Evaluation Laboratory...
(1994). "Accuracy motivation attenuates covert priming effects: The systematic reprocessing of social information." Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyJournal of Personality and Social PsychologyThe Journal of Personality and Social Psychology is a monthly psychology journal of the American Psychological Association. It is considered one of the top journals in the fields of social and personality psychology. Its focus is on empirical research reports; however, specialized theoretical,...
, 66, 474-489.
- Sassenberg, K. & Moskowitz, G.B. (2005). Do not stereotype, think different! Overcoming automatic stereotype activation by mindset priming. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41 (5), 317-413.
Other
- Andersen, S.A., Moskowitz, G.B., Blair, I.V., & Nosek, B.A. (2007). Automatic Thought. In E.T. Higgins & A. Kruglanski (Eds.) Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles (Volume 2). New York: Guilford.
- Moskowitz, G.B. (2001) "Preconscious control and compensatory cognition." In G.B. Moskowitz (Ed.). Cognitive Social Psychology: The Princeton symposium on the legacy and future of social cognition. Hillsdale, NJ, Erlbaum.
- Moskowitz, G. B., & Chaiken, S. (2001) "Mediators of minority social influence: Cognitive processing mechanisms revealed through a persuasion paradigm." In N. de Vries & C. de Dreu (Eds.), Group innovation. Fundamental and applied perspectives. Oxford, Blackwell.
- Moskowitz, G.B., Skurnik, I., & Galinsky, A. (1999). "The history of dual process notions; The future of preconscious control." In S. Chaiken and Y. Trope (Eds.), Dual Process Models in Social Psychology (pp. 12-36). New York: Guilford.
- Gollwitzer, P.M., & Moskowitz, G.B. (1996). "Goal effects on action and cognition." In E.T. Higgins & A. Kruglanski (Eds.) Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles (pp. 361-399). New York: Guilford.
- Uleman, J.S., Newman, L.S., & Moskowitz, G.B. (1996). "People as flexible interpreters: Evidence and issues from spontaneous trait inference." In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 28, 211-280. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.