Robert S. Wyer
Encyclopedia
Robert S. Wyer, Jr. is a visiting professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
and Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Colorado
. His research interests cut across numerous areas of social information processing, including knowledge accessibility, comprehension, memory, social inference, the impact of affect on judgment and decisions, attitude formation and change, and consumer judgment and decision making.
. Raised in upstate New York
, he initially studied engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic and after graduation, took a job at Bell Labs
. Eventually, worried that he might have missed out on a classic liberal arts education, he decided to return to school at the University of Colorado
for graduate study. He selected Psychology
as his specialty field. Working with O. J. Harvey and William Scott, he began to investigate questions of cognitive organization and social information processing, establishing the themes that have guided his scholarship throughout his career. On completion of his doctoral studies, Wyer held academic appointments at the University of Iowa
and the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. In his earliest work, he investigated a range of fundamental questions about the nature of social beliefs, attitudes, and judgment. He developed a comprehensive view of the cognitive bases of judgment and inference in his first major book, Cognitive Organization and Change: An Information Processing Approach (1974). It was around this time that he moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, where he spent the next several decades of his research career. During that time, he began to develop a full-fledged social-cognitive perspective on topics such as attitudes, attribution, and impression formation, and he established himself as one of the most phenomenally prolific scholars in the history of social psychology. He is living in Hong Kong with his wife Rashmi Adaval and his son Mikul Wyer.
in 2008 and the Society for Consumer Psychology in 2011. A tribute to his remarkable contribution to the field of social cognition was made by the book, "Foundations of Social Cognition: A Festschrift in Honor of Robert S. Wyer, Jr.".
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
and Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Colorado
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
. His research interests cut across numerous areas of social information processing, including knowledge accessibility, comprehension, memory, social inference, the impact of affect on judgment and decisions, attitude formation and change, and consumer judgment and decision making.
Personal life
It was a somewhat circuitous path that led Bob Wyer to the field of social psychologySocial 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...
. Raised in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, he initially studied engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic and after graduation, took a job at Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
. Eventually, worried that he might have missed out on a classic liberal arts education, he decided to return to school at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
for graduate study. He selected 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...
as his specialty field. Working with O. J. Harvey and William Scott, he began to investigate questions of cognitive organization and social information processing, establishing the themes that have guided his scholarship throughout his career. On completion of his doctoral studies, Wyer held academic appointments at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
and the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. In his earliest work, he investigated a range of fundamental questions about the nature of social beliefs, attitudes, and judgment. He developed a comprehensive view of the cognitive bases of judgment and inference in his first major book, Cognitive Organization and Change: An Information Processing Approach (1974). It was around this time that he moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, where he spent the next several decades of his research career. During that time, he began to develop a full-fledged social-cognitive perspective on topics such as attitudes, attribution, and impression formation, and he established himself as one of the most phenomenally prolific scholars in the history of social psychology. He is living in Hong Kong with his wife Rashmi Adaval and his son Mikul Wyer.
Research
Dr. Wyer is the author or coauthor of four books, the most recent being Social Comprehension and Judgment (2004). He is the editor of several others including the Handbook of social cognition, the Advances in social cognition series and Understanding culture: Theory, research and application (with Chi-yue Chiu and Ying-yi Hong). He has published numerous journal articles and book chapters and was recently cited as having published the greatest number of articles in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in the 30 years since its inception.Services and Honors
Dr. Wyer is a former editor of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and, more recently, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, and has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals. He is a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Special Research Prize for Distinguished Scientists in 1981, the Thomas M. Ostrom Award for Distinguished Contributions to Person Memory and Social Cognition in 1998, and Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards from the Society of Experimental Social PsychologySociety of Experimental Social Psychology
The Society of Experimental Social Psychology is a scientific professional organization of social psychologists. SESP has over 700 members worldwide.-History:...
in 2008 and the Society for Consumer Psychology in 2011. A tribute to his remarkable contribution to the field of social cognition was made by the book, "Foundations of Social Cognition: A Festschrift in Honor of Robert S. Wyer, Jr.".