Note: Professor Robert Zajonc (pronounced ZYE-unts) died from pancreatic cancer on December 3, 2008, at his home in Stanford, California. Social Psychology Network is maintaining this profile for visitors who wish to learn more about Professor Zajonc's work. For additional information, please see these articles in the New York Times and the APS Observer:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/education/07zajonc.html

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=1711

After obtaining his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1955, Robert Zajonc became a professor there until 1994, having held the positions of Director of the Institute for Social Research and Director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics. He then joined the faculty at Stanford University, where he is currently Professor Emeritus of Psychology.

Throughout his long and distinguished career, Professor Zajonc has had research interests in basic processes implicated in social behavior, with a special emphasis on the interface between affect and cognition. In a series of well-known studies, he examined circumstances under which affective influences can take place in the absence of cognitive contributions.

For this ground-breaking work Professor Zajonc has received a number of honors, including Doctorates Honoris Causa from the University of Louvain, the Society for Experimental Social Psychology Distinguished Scientist Award, and the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award.

Primary Interests:

Attitudes and Beliefs
Causal Attribution
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
Social Cognition

Attitudes and Beliefs
Causal Attribution
Emotion, Mood, Affect

Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
Social Cognition

Books:

Izard, C., Kagan, J., & Zajonc, R. (Eds.). (1984). Emotions, cognition, and behavior. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Zajonc, R. B. (2003). The selected works of R. B. Zajonc. New York: Wiley.
Zajonc, R. B. (1980). Social psychology: An experimental approach. California: Brooks/Cole.

Journal Articles:

Herrera, N. C, Zajonc, R. B., Wieczorkowska, G., & Cichomski, B. (2003). Beliefs about birth rank and their reflection in reality. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 85(1), 142-150.
McIntosh, D. N., Zajonc, R. B., Vig, P. S., & Emerick, S. W. (1997). Facial movement, breathing, temperature, and affect: Implications of the vascular theory of emotional efference. Cognition & Emotion, 11(2), 171-195.
Monahan, J. L., Murphy, S. T., & Zajonc, R. B. (2000). Subliminal mere exposure: Specific, general, and diffuse effects. Psychological Science, 11(6), 462-466.
Murphy, S. T, Monahan, J. L., & Zajonc, R. B. (1995). Additivity of nonconscious affect: Combined effects of priming and exposure. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 69(4), 589-602.
Murphy, S. T., & Zajonc, R. B. (1993). Affect, cognition, and awareness: Affective priming with optimal and suboptimal stimulus exposures. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 64(5), 723-739.
Raven, B. H., Zajonc, R. B., & Kupper, D. A. (2003). Harold B. Gerard (1923-2003). American Psychologist, 58(10), 811.
Winkielman, P., Zajonc, R. B, & Schwarz, N. (1997). Subliminal affective priming resists attributional interventions. Cognition & Emotion, 11(4), 433-465.
Zajonc, R. B. (2001). Birth order debate resolved? American Psychologist, 56(6-7), 522-523.
Zajonc, R. B. (2001). The family dynamics of intellectual development. American Psychologist, 56(6-7), 490-496.
Zajonc, R. B. (1993). The confluence model: Differential or difference equation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 23(2), 211-215.
Zajonc, R. B. (1989). Styles of explanation in social psychology. European Journal of Social Psychology, 19(5), 345-368.
Zajonc, R. B., & Mullally, P. R. (1997). Birth order: Reconciling conflicting effects. American Psychologist, 52(7), 685-699.