Jennifer Lerner
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Lerner is an experimental social psychologist known for her research in emotion
, effects on judgment and decision making. She is currently a professor of Public Policy and Management at the Harvard Kennedy School
of Government as well as the Faculty Director of the Harvard Decision Science Laboratory. Her research interests also include accountability and the application of psychology
to policy problems.
Lerner was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
at the age of 16.
from the University of Michigan
Honors College in 1990. She received her M.A and Ph.D. in psychology
from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1994 and 1998, respectively. Her postdoctoral fellowship through a National Institutes of Health
National Research Service Award
(NRSA) took place at UCLA and focused on biological bases of emotion. From 1999 to 2007 she served on the faculty of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences
at Carnegie Mellon University
. Her primary PhD advisors were Dacher Keltner
, Philip E. Tetlock
and Shelley Taylor
. She also received an Honorary M.A. Degree from Harvard University
in 2007.
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
, effects on judgment and decision making. She is currently a professor of Public Policy and Management at the Harvard Kennedy School
Kennedy School
The Kennedy School is a former elementary school that has been converted to a hotel, movie theater and dining establishment in northeast Portland, Oregon. The facility is operated by the McMenamins chain.-External links:*...
of Government as well as the Faculty Director of the Harvard Decision Science Laboratory. Her research interests also include accountability and the application 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...
to policy problems.
Lerner was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus , often abbreviated to SLE or lupus, is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. As occurs in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage...
at the age of 16.
Education
Lerner received her B.A. in psychologyPsychology
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...
from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Honors College in 1990. She received her M.A and Ph.D. in 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...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1994 and 1998, respectively. Her postdoctoral fellowship through a National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
National Research Service Award
National Research Service Award
The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards are a family of grants provided by the United States National Institutes of Health for training researchers in the behavioral sciences and health sciences. They are a highly selective and very prestigious source of funding for doctoral and...
(NRSA) took place at UCLA and focused on biological bases of emotion. From 1999 to 2007 she served on the faculty of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences
Social and Decision Sciences
Social and Decision Sciences, informally known as SDS, is an interdisciplinary academic department within the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University headquartered in Porter Hall in Pittsburgh, PA and led by Department Head John H...
at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
. Her primary PhD advisors were Dacher Keltner
Dacher Keltner
Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley as well as the Director for Greater Good Science Center, formerly known as the Center for the Development of Peace and Well-Being. Professor Keltner received his B.A. in Theatre Studies from the University of...
, Philip E. Tetlock
Philip E. Tetlock
Philip E. Tetlock is Leonore Annenberg University Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also written several non-fiction books on politics, including Counterfactual Thought Experiments in World Politics and "Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We...
and Shelley Taylor
Shelley Taylor
Shelley Elizabeth Taylor is a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University, and was formerly on the faculty at Harvard University...
. She also received an Honorary M.A. Degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 2007.
Work in Psychology
Lerner's research focuses on the influence of specific emotions (e.g., happiness or anger), in contrast to most models, which focus on larger categories of emotions (e.g., positive moods or negative moods) on behavior and decision making. She has proposed a framework which predicts that the influence of a specific emotion on judgment depends on a variety of cognitive factors related to the source of each emotion. Currently she is working to test predictions from this framework. For example, in a series of studies, her research examines the distinct effects of fear, anger, and happiness on risk perception and risk preference.Honors and awards
Lerner has been the recipient of numerous academic awards from psychological and educational associations:- Radcliffe Institute Fellow, 2010–2011
- Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASEPECASEThe Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. The White House, following recommendations from participating agencies,...
), awarded by the National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and The White House, 2004 - Estella Loomis McCandless Endowed (Junior) Chair, Carnegie Mellon, 2004–2007
- The National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Career Award 2003-2008 - National Research Service Award, The National Institute of Mental HealthNational Institute of Mental HealthThe National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...
, 1998–1999 - The National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Graduate Fellowship, 1993–1996 - Highest Honors in Psychology, University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, 1990 - James B. Angell Scholar, University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, 1989–1990