Broadly defined, my work centers on the dynamic properties of complex human experience at different levels of social reality. The specific topics currently under investigation include the emergence and maintenance of self-concept coherence, the intrinsic dynamics of self-evaluation and social judgment, the dynamics of self-regulation and action planning, the coordination of behavior and internal states in social interaction, intractable conflict, and societal change. These topics are investigated with laboratory experiments utilizing time-series data and by means of computer simulations (cellular automata, attractor neural networks, coupled dynamical systems). I’m also interested in evolutionary psychology, in part because of its intrinsic interest, but also because of its resonance with basic dynamic processes (e.g., nonlinearity, phase transitions, emergence).

Although my primary concern is identifying basic principles of human experience, my research within the dynamical perspective has direct implications for application. Four current research agendas in particular have an applied focus. (1) The dynamics of protracted (seemingly intractable) conflict; (2) Self-reflection dynamics and maladjustment; (3) Disruptions in social coordination; (4) Catastrophic societal transitions.

Primary Interests:

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Close Relationships
Evolution and Genetics
Intergroup Relations
Interpersonal Processes
Motivation, Goal Setting
Personality, Individual Differences
Persuasion, Social Influence
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Self and Identity
Social Cognition

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Close Relationships
Evolution and Genetics
Intergroup Relations
Interpersonal Processes
Motivation, Goal Setting

Personality, Individual Differences
Persuasion, Social Influence
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Self and Identity
Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

Dynamical Social Psychology Laboratory
Interactive Map

Books:

Journal Articles:

Michaels, J., & Vallacher, R. R. (2009). The ghost in the system: Where free will lurks in the human mind. In-Mind Magazine (Internet Social Psychology Magazine).
Nowak, A., Vallacher, R. R., Tesser, A., & Borkowski, W. (2000). Society of self: The emergence of collective properties in self-structure. Psychological Review, 107, 39-61.
Vallacher, R. R., Coleman, P. T., Nowak, A., & Bui-Wrzosinska, L. (2010). Rethinking intractable conflict: The perspective of dynamical systems. American Psychologist, 65, 262-278.
Vallacher, R. R., & Jackson, D. (2009). Thinking inside the box: Dynamical constraints on mind and action. European Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 1226-1229.
Vallacher, R. R., & Nowak, A. (1997). The emergence of dynamical social psychology. Psychological Inquiry, 8, 73-79.
Vallacher, R. R., Nowak, A., Froehlich, M., & Rockloff, M. (2002). The dynamics of self-evaluation. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6, 370-379.
Vallacher, R. R., Nowak, A., & Kaufman, J. (1994). Intrinsic dynamics of social judgment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 20-34.
Vallacher, R. R., Read, S. J., & Nowak, A. (2002). The dynamical perspective in personality and social psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6, 264-273.
Vallacher, R. R., & Wegner, D. M. (1987). What do people think they're doing? Action identification and human behavior. Psychological Review, 94, 315.

Other Publications:

Nowak, A., & Vallacher, R. R. (1998). Toward computational social psychology: Cellular automata and neural network models of interpersonal dynamics. In S. J. Read & L. C. Miller (Eds.), Connectionist models of social reasoning and social behavior (pp. 277-311). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Nowak, A., Vallacher, R. R., & Zochowski, M. (2002). The emergence of personality: Personal stability through interpersonal synchronization. In D. Cervone & W. Mischel (Eds.), Advances in personality science (Vol. 1, pp. 292-331). New York: Guilford Press.
Vallacher, R. R. (2009). Applications of complexity to social psychology. In R. A. Myers (Ed.), Encyclopedia of complexity and system science. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
Vallacher, R. R., Coleman, P. T., & Nowak, A. (2012). Why do conflicts become intractable? The dynamical perspective on malignant social relations. In L. Trop (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Intergroup Conflict. New York: Oxford University Press.
Vallacher, R. R., & Nowak, A. (2007). Dynamical social psychology: Finding order in the flow of human experience. In A. W. Kruglanski & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (2nd ed., pp. 734-758). New York: Guilford Publications.
Vallacher, R. R., & Nowak, A. (2006). Coherence in human experience and psychological science. In P. Van Lange (Ed.), Bridging social psychology: The benefits of transdisciplinary approaches (pp. 77-82). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Vallacher, R. R., & Nowak, A. (2000). Landscapes of self-reflection: Mapping the peaks and valleys of self-evaluation. In A. Tesser, R. Felson, & J. Suls (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on self and identity (pp. 35-65). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Courses Taught:

Experimental Studies of Personality
Group Dynamics
Honors Seminar
Research Methods
Seminar: Dynamical Social Psychology
Seminar: Evolutionary Psychology
Seminar: Experimental Studies of Personality
Seminar: Self-Concept and Behavior
Seminar: Social Cognition
Social Behavior Laboratory
Social Psychology

Experimental Studies of Personality
Group Dynamics
Honors Seminar
Research Methods
Seminar: Dynamical Social Psychology
Seminar: Evolutionary Psychology

Seminar: Experimental Studies of Personality
Seminar: Self-Concept and Behavior
Seminar: Social Cognition
Social Behavior Laboratory
Social Psychology

Robin R. Vallacher
Department of Psychology
Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991
United States

Phone: (561) 297-3371
Fax: (561) 297-2160