Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Southern California
About
Dr. Oyserman was trained in applied social science research methods and social psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) and the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) where she was later on faculty as the Thomas collegiate professor of social work and psychology, and research professor at the Institute for Social Research. She currently is the dean's professor of psychology, education, and communication at the University of Southern California and maintains a connection with the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research.
She published about 190 refereed journal articles, chapters and a book, Pathways to Success (Oxford University Press). She is a frequently cited researchers in the fields of self and identity and internationally known for her research on self, culture, and motivation for which she received a Humboldt Prize (Germany) and twice recognized by the Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science) and the Society for Social Work Research for most frequently cited research in psychology and best research paper. She is a fellow of numerous societies and received an early career award (W.T. Grant Foundation Faculty Scholar).
Current Work:
Oyserman starts with the idea that thinking is for doing; people do not think outside of contexts, they think about themselves and their possibilities in terms of what seems relevant inside of the context.
Using experimental and field-based methods she examines the interface among the world outside oneself, the meaning one makes of one’s experiences in the world, and how one acts in the world, focusing especially on cognitive and behavioral consequences of identity-based motivation for important outcomes (academic performance, saving, health, and wellbeing). Her experiments translate to successful school-based intervention.
The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, W.T. Grant and Templeton Foundations have funded her research and a Prevention Research Training program for doctoral students.
Research Area Keyword(s):
Identity-based motivation, culture, culture-as-situated cognition, self and motivation, ntervention
