Biography
In general terms, I investigate context effects in judgments and decision making from a social cognitive perspective. As a master student at the University of Heidelberg I investigated with Herbert Bless, Michaela Waenke, and Norbert Schwarz assimilation and contrast effects in social judgments (Bless, Igou, Schwarz, & Waenke, 2000; Waenke, Bless, & Igou, 2001). Almost parallel to this research, I developed an interest in the impact of conversational rules on information processing. This interest is especially reflected in my dissertation, in which I investigated the impact of conversational rules on the emergence of order effects in one- and two-sided communications (Igou & Bless, 2003, 2007).
Towards the end of my PhD education at the University of Heidelberg I became interested in affective forecasting. Specifically, I investigated how lay theories about the progression of affect (continuity vs. decrease) and how different perspectives (self vs. other) influence the predictions that people make about affective states (Igou, 2004, 2008).
During my post-doctoral fellowship at New York University (2002-2004) I started working with Yaacov Trope on affective influences on self-regulation. Specifically, we were interested in how positive mood influences self-control dilemmas in self-evaluative situations (Gervey, Igou, & Trope, 2005; Trope, Igou, & Burke, 2006).
After my post-doc I joined Tilburg University (The Netherlands). There I continued to work on most of the topics mentioned above and I developed an interest in the effects of decision frames (gains vs. losses) on decisions (Igou & Bless, 2007), the impact of construal levels (high vs. low) on judgments, and how subjective experiences (easy vs. difficult recall) influence attitudes. At Tilburg University, I became interested in the effects of existential concerns (through mortality and life salience) on worldview defense (e.g., ideological judgments; Van Tilburg & Igou, 2011).
In August of 2008, I joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Limerick (Ireland), which is a newly formed and growing department. It is our goal to make the University of Limerick an exciting and well-known environment for top-quality (social) psychological research. Here, I developed the Social Cognition & Decision Making Lab group, which mainly investigates the effects of specific positive and specific negative emotions on judgments and decisions. For example, my former PhD student Wijnand van Tilburg and I investigated the effects of boredom on people's sense of meaningfulness of life and their activities (Van Tilburg & Igou, 2011) and how these effects of boredom in turn lead to meaning-repair attempts such as social identification with one's in-group (Van Tilburg & Igou, 2011). Together with Constantine Sedikides we also showed that boredom increases nostalgia as one form of meaning-repair strategy (Van Tilburg, Igou, & Sedikides, in press).
Research Interests
In general terms, I investigate context effects in judgements and decision making from a social cognitive perspective. As a master student at the University of Heidelberg I investigated with Herbert Bless, Michaela Waenke, and Norbert Schwarz assimilation and contrast effects in social judgements. Almost parallel to this research, I developed an interest in the impact of conversational rules on information processing. This interest is especially reflected in my dissertation, in which I investigated the impact of conversational rules on the emergence of order effects in one- and two-sided communications. Towards the end of my PhD education at the University of Heidelberg I became interested in affective forecasting. Specifically, I investigated how lay theories about the progression of affect (continuity vs. decrease) and how different perspectives (self vs. other) influence the predictions that people make about affective states. During my post-doctoral fellowship at New York University (2002-2004) I started working with Yaacov Trope on affective influences on self-regulation. Specifically, we were interested in how positive mood influences self-control dilemmas in self-evaluative situations. After my post-doc I joined Tilburg University (The Netherlands). There I continued to work on most of the topics mentioned above and I developed an interest in the effects of decision frames (gains vs. losses) on decisions (Igou & Bless, 2007), the impact of construal levels (high vs. low) on judgments, and how subjective experiences (easy vs. difficult recall) influence attitudes. More recently, I also became interested in the effects of existential concerns (through mortality and life salience) on worldview defense (e.g., ideological judgements). Very recently I joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Limerick (Ireland), which is a newly formed and growing department. It is our goal to make the University of Limerick an exciting and well-known environment for top-quality (social) psychological research. Current members of my (social cognition & decision making) lab at the University of Limerick are two postgraduate students: Frederieke van Dongen (BA degree from Tilburg University; lab member since 2007) & Wijnand van Tilburg (Research Master degree from Tilburg University; lab member since 2006)
Professional Activities
Association
- , American Psychological Society (APS)
- , Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGfP)
- , European Association of Social Psychology (EASP)
- , International Social Cognition Network
- , Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
Publications
Book
Book Chapter
Preferences
Igou, E. R., Van Dongen, F., & Van Tilburg, W. A. P.
Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, 2nd Edition
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-375000-6.00286-X
The when and why of risky choice framing effects: A constructive processing perspective
Igou, E. R.
Perspectives on Framing
Metacognition.
Bless, H., Keller, J., & Igou, E.R.
Social Cognition: The Basis of Human Interaction Frontiers of Social Psychology
Mood as resource in structuring goal pursuit.
Trope, Y., Igou, E.R., & Burke, C
Affect in social thinking and behavior. Frontiers of Social Psychology
Stimmung und Informationsverarbeitung
Bless, H. & Igou, E.R.
Handbuch für Sozialpsychologie und Kommunikationspsychologie
Mood and the use of general knowledge structures in judgment and decision making
Bless, H., & Igou, E.R.
The routines of decision making
Die Rolle kognitiv verfügbarer Information bei der Eindrucksbildung
Bless, H., & Igou, E. R.
Das experimentalpsychologische Praktikum. Computergestützte Versuchssteuerung im Labor und WWW
Conference Publication
ASPO
Van de Calseyde, P. P. F. M., & Igou, E. R.
Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA)
Igou, E. R., & Poels, T.
Other Journal
Making sense of standardized survey questions: The influence of reference periods and their repetition
Igou, E. R., Bless, H., & Schwarz, N.
Communication Monographs
DOI: 10.1080/714041712
Das Psychologiestudium der Zukunft oder: Was wir noch immer zu träumen wagen
Agudelo, D., Böhne, J., Crawford, M. Galliker, M. Hemmati-Weber, M., Horlacher, K. D., Hüneke, H., Igou, E. R., Rodewald, R., & Sommer J.
Journal für Psychologie
Peer Reviewed Journal
How dyads reminiscence moderates the relations between familiarity, trust, and memory conformity.
Condon, C. E., Ritchie, T. D., & Igou, E. R.
Social Psychology
DOI: 10.1027/1864-9335/a000222
Zeroing in on heroes: A prototype analysis of hero features.
Kinsella, E. L., Ritchie, T. D., & Igou, E. R.
Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology
DOI: 10.1037/a0038463
Lay perspectives on the social and psychological functions of heroes.
Kinsella, E. L., Ritchie, T. D., & Igou, E. R.
Frontiers in psychology
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00130
Moving onwards: An action continuation strategy in finding the way.
Van Tilburg, W. A. P., & Igou, E. R.
Journal Of Behavioral Decision Making
DOI: 10.1002/bdm.1817
The impact of middle names: Middle initials enhance perceived intellectual performance.
Van Tilburg, W. A. P., & Igou, E. R.
European Journal Of Social Psychology
DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2026
From Van Gogh to Lady Gaga: Artist eccentricity increases perceived artistic skill and art appreciation.
Van Tilburg, W. A. P., & Igou, E. R.
European Journal Of Social Psychology
DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.1999
In search for meaningfulness: Nostalgia as an antidote to boredom.
Van Tilburg, W. A. P., Igou, E. R., & Sedikides, C.
Emotion
DOI: 10.1037/a0030442
On the meaningfulness of behavior: An expectancy x value approach.
Van Tilburg, W. A. P. & Igou, E. R.
Motivation And Emotion
DOI: 10.1007/s11031-012-9316-3
On boredom: Lack of challenge and meaning as distinct boredom experiences
Van Tilburg, W. A. P. & Igou, E. R.
Motivation And Emotion
DOI: 10.1007/s11031-011-9234-9
On the meaningfulness of existence: When life salience boosts adherence to worldviews.
Van Tilburg, W. A. P. & Igou, E. R.
European Journal Of Social Psychology
DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.819
On boredom and social identity: A pragmatic meaning-regulation approach.
van Tilburg, W. A .P., Igou, E. R.
Personality And Social Psychology Bulletin
DOI: 10.1177/0146167211418530
Different ways of looking at unpleasant truths: How construal levels influence information search.
Shani, Y., Igou, E. R., Zeelenberg, M.
Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes
DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2009.05.005
How long will I suffer?" Versus "How long will you suffer?" A self-other effect in affective forecasting.
Igou, E. R.
Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology
DOI: 10.1037/a0011619
Additional thoughts on conversational and motivational sources of the dilution effect
Igou, E.R.
Journal Of Language And Social Psychology
DOI: 10.1177/0261927X06296473
Conversational expectations as a basis for order effects in persuasion.
Igou, ER; Bless, H
Journal Of Language And Social Psychology
On undesirable consequences of thinking: Framing effects as a function of substantive processing.
Igou, ER; Bless, H
Journal Of Behavioral Decision Making
The conversational basis for the dilution effect
Igou, E. R., & Bless, H.
Journal Of Language And Social Psychology
DOI: 10.1177/0261927X04273035
Positive mood and future-oriented self-evaluation.
Gervey, B; Igou, ER; Trope, Y
Motivation And Emotion
Lay theories in affective forecasting: The progression of affect. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Igou, E. R. & Bless, H.
Journal Of Experimental Social Psychology
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2003.09.004
Inferring the importance of arguments: Order effects and conversational rules.
Igou, E. R., Bless, H.
Journal Of Experimental Social Psychology
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1031(02)00509-7,
Next to a star: Paling, shining, or both? Turning interexemplar contrast into interexemplar assimilation
Waenke, M., Bless, H., & Igou, E. R.
Personality And Social Psychology Bulletin
Reducing context effects by adding context information: The direction and size of context effects in political judgment.
Bless, H., Igou, E. R., Schwarz, N., & Wänke, M.
Personality And Social Psychology Bulletin
DOI: 10.1177/01461672002611002