Research Interests

Over the last 25 years, in collaboration with some exceptional graduate and undergraduate students, we formed research teams that studied interpersonal processes like attraction, cooperation, and conflict in both adults and children. We have uncovered some underlying common elements in this diverse set. To the best of my knowledge, we have the only research team in the world that is systematically investigating the Big Five dimension of Agreeableness. We believe our data show that Nice Persons do not always finish last in the games of life.

In collaboration with Dr. Demetra Evangelou in Purdue’s College of Engineering, we began research on Person-Thing Orientation. When people look out to the environment around them, they can differ in orienting primarily toward other people or toward things. We found large sex differences in thing orientation, and these differences were related to choice of academic major (e.g., Engineering, Life Sciences, and Psychology). These orientation differences can be seen in children as young as 8-9 years and are related to the way people view themselves and plan their educations and careers.

Recent Publications

* = publication with graduate and undergraduate students  

* Tobin, R. M. & Graziano, W. G. (2011).  The disappointing gift: Dispositional and situational moderators of children’s emotional expressions. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. DOI:10.1016/j.jecp.2011.0211.02.010.

* Graziano, W. G., Habashi, M. M., & Woodcock, A. (2011).  Exploring and measuring differences in person-thing orientation. Personality & Individual Differences. 51, 28-33.  DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2011.03.004.

*  Graziano, W. G. & Habashi, M. M. (2010).  Motivational processes underlying both prejudice and helping. Personality & Social Psychology Review.14 (3), 313-331.

* Graziano, W.G. & Tobin, R.M. (2009). Agreeableness In M.R. Leary & R.H. Hoyle (Eds.) Handbook of individual differences in Social Behavior. (pp. 46-61). New York: Guilford.

* Graziano, W. G., Bruce, J. W., Sheese, B. E. & Tobin, R. M. (2007). Attraction, personality and prejudice: Liking none of the people most of the time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 93(4) 565-582.  

 * Graziano, W. G., Habashi, M., Sheese, B., & Tobin, R. M. (2007). Agreeableness, empathy, and helping: A person X situation perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 93(4) 583-599. 

* Bruce, J. W. & Graziano, W.G. (2008). Attraction and the initiation of relationships: A review of the empirical literature In S. Sprecher, A. Wenzel, and J.H. Harvey (Eds.) Handbook of Relationship Initiation. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 

 * Kieras, J. E., Tobin, R. M., & Graziano, W. G., & Rothbart, M. K. (2005). You can't always get what you want: Effortful control and children's reactions to undesirable gifts. Psychological Science. 16(5), 354-357.

 * Sheese, B. E., & Graziano, W. G. (2005). Deciding to defect: The effects of video game violence on cooperative and competitive behavior. Psychological Science. 16(5), 391-396.

 * Jensen-Campbell, L. A., & Graziano, W. G. (2005). Methodologies for studying personality processes in interpersonal conflict. International Negotiation. 10(1), 165-182.

 * Jensen-Campbell, L. A., & Graziano, W. G. (2005). The two faces of temptation: Differing motives for self-control in children. Merrill Palmer Quarterly. (Special issue: Personality development). 51(3), 287-314.

 * Graziano, W. G., & Bryant, W. H. (1998). Self-monitoring and the self-attribution of positive emotions. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 74, 250-261.

 * Graziano, W. G., Hair, E. C., & Finch, J. F. (1997). Competitiveness mediates the link between personality and group performance. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 73, 1394-1408.

 * Graziano, W. G., Jensen-Campbell, L. A., & Finch, J. F. (1997). The self as a mediator between personality and adjustment. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 73, 392-404.

 * Graziano, W. G., Jensen Campbell, L., Shebilske, L., & Lundgren, S. (1993). Social influence, sex differences, and judgments of beauty: Putting the 'interpersonal' back in interpersonal attraction. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 65, 522-531.

 * Graziano, W. G., Smith, S. M., Tassinary, L. G, Sun, C. R., & Pilkington, C. (1996). Does imitation enhance memory for faces? Four converging studies. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 71, 874-887.

 * Jensen-Campbell, L. A., & Graziano, W. G. (2000). Beyond the schoolyard: Relationships as moderators of interpersonal conflict. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 923-935.

 * Jensen-Campbell, L., Graziano, W. G., & West, S. G. (1995). Dominance, prosocial orientation, and female preferences: Do nice guys really finish last? Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 68, 427-440.

 * Tobin, R. M., & Graziano, W. G., Vanman, E., & Tassinary, L. (2000). Personality, emotional experience, and efforts to control emotions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 656-669. 

Other Publications:

* Tobin, R.M., & Graziano, W.G. (in press). Delay of gratification: A review of fifty years of regulation research. In R. Hoyle (Ed.) Handbook of self-regulation and personality. Malden, MA: Blackwell.