mailing address: Duke University
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Box 90086
Durham, NC 27708 office: 06 Soc/Psy Building email: phone: 919.684.0698
Research Summary: I have three major areas of research interest.
First, I am interested in belief superiority: the belief that one's own viewpoints are more correct than other people's. My research focuses on the causes and consequences of belief superiority to see what factors might cause such beliefs and whether they plays a part in everyday interpersonal conflicts.
Second, I am interested in the psychological processes that promote and prevent environmentalism. In particular, I am interested in the role that self-presentational motivations, habits,and excuse-making play in the adoption and maintenance of green behaviors.
Third, I am interested in accounts--the statements that people make to explain undesirable behaviors. I am exploring how people choose between excuses, justifications, and exceptions and how these decisions affect later behavior and reactions from others.
Toner, K., Leary, M.R., Asher, M.W., & Jongman-Sereno, K. (2013). Feeling superior is a bipartisan issue: Extremity (not direction) of political views predicts perceived belief superiority.. Psychological Science. [doi]
Toner, K., Gan, M. & Leary, M.R. (2013).
The impact of individual and group feedback on environmental attitudes and intentions. Environment & Behavior. [doi]
Leary, M.R. & Toner, K. "Self-processes in the construction and maintenance of personality." APA handbook of personality and social psychology.
Ed. M. Mikulincer & P. R. Shaver 2012
Leary, M.R. & Toner, K. "Reducing egoistic biases in self-beliefs." The handbook of self-knowledge.
Ed. S. Vazire & T. D. Wilson 2012
Leary, M.R. & Toner, K. "Psychological perspectives on blushing." Illuminating the blush.
Ed. W.R. Crozier & P. de Jong 2012
