Role Module Leader for PSYC388/389 Psychology Projects International Student Recruitment and Exchange Representative (School of Psychology) Environment Committee (University) Internationalisation Committee (Faculty of Science and Technology)
Qualifications & background since 2006 Lecturer in Psychology, University of Plymouth, UK 2003-2006 Lecturer in Psychology, University of Erlangen, Germany 2002-2003 ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Sheffield, UK 2002 PhD in Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK 1999 Diplom in Psychology, University of Bremen, Germany 1998 MSc in Social and Applied Psychology, University of Kent, UK
Professional membership
UK Society for Behavioural Medicine (UKSBM)
European Social Cognition Network (ESCON)
Psychological Society (BPS); BPS Cognitive Section; BPS Social Section
International Social Cognition Network (ISCON)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs); Fachgruppe Umweltpsychologie
European Association for Decision Making (EADM)
European Association of Experimental Social Psychology (EAESP)
Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
International Association for People-Environment Studies (IAPS)
Affiliate Member, European Centre for Environment and Human Health, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry http://www.ecehh.org/
Affiliate Member, Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning, University of British Columbia http://www.calp.forestry.ubc.ca/
Research interests
I have two broad areas of research interests: 1) social cognition, e.g., social comparison and cognitive construal; 2) applied social psychology, specifically the area of environment (e.g., sustainability, pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour) and health. In 2010 I established the Sustainability & Psychology group, see http://psychology.plymouth.ac.uk/research/working-groups/sustainability/
Social Cognition
My basic research has investigated self-positivity biases such as the above-average effect and unrealistic optimism, showing that the question format has a consistent effect on the amount of positivity displayed. Asking people to compare self with other leads to greater self-positivity than the reverse, asking people to compare others with the self (“focus effect”; Eiser, Pahl & Prins, 2001; Pahl & Eiser, 2005; 2006; 2007). This is even true for comparisons involving a well-known other such as a friend (Pahl, Eiser & White, 2009). Thus it seems as if most previous research on comparative judgements has used exactly the format that maximises self-positivity. Recent research has addressed the underlying linguistic processes contributing to these effects (Pahl, 2011a). A second related line of research has looked at egocentric judgements in situations in which it would be adaptive to consider others. A recent finding in the literature is that people overestimate their performance relative to others on easy tasks, but they underestimate their performance on difficult tasks. In a series of quiz studies, I have used perspective taking and priming to debias this difficulty effect (Pahl, 2011b). Other current studies involve the effects of social interference (Bertrams & Pahl, 2011) and social exclusion on self-control (Owen & Pahl, in prep). I've also been investigating construal level theory, e.g., for memory processes (Wyer, Perfect & Pahl, 2010) and sustainable attitudes and intentions (Pahl & Ashurst, in prep).
Environment and Health
My applied interests are primarily in Sustainability and Environmental Psychology. For example, I’ve done research on optimism for environmental risks, specifically asking whether this differs between environmental activists and non-activists (Pahl, Harris, Todd & Rutter, 2005). In order to improve pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, some of my students and I have employed perspective-taking (Pahl & Bauer, 2011). A recent project has investigated the effect of a visit to the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth on pro-environmental attitudes and intentions (Wyles, Pahl et al., 2011). I'm involved with research on the beneficial effects of natural (specifically marine) environments (White et al., 2010). I’m also involved in projects using thermal imaging to improve energy-saving behaviour in the home (Goodhew, Pahl et al., in prep), psychological distance / construal effects on sustainable attitudes and intentions (Pahl & Ashurst, 2011) and the effects of optimistic versus pessimistic future scenarios. Bordering environment and health, I have been involved in research on risk communication (White, Pahl, Buehner & Haye, 2003) and risk perception (White, Eiser, Harris & Pahl, 2007). One recent project has looked at factors that predict the acceptance of smoking bans in smokers (Zlatev, Pahl & White, 2010).
UoP Research group membership
Centre for Research in Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (CBCB) Behaviour
Research degrees awarded to supervised students Current PhD students:
Amanda Hignett (co-supervisor; P/T since Oct 2011): Cognitive benefits of natural environments
Becky Jenkin (European Centre for Environment and Human Health; co-supervisor; F/T since Oct 2011): Blue Gym 4 kids
Carolyn Arnold (Falmouth College; co-supervisor; F/T since Oct 2011): Storytelling as a paradigm for promoting pro-environmental behaviour
Kayleigh Wyles (Director of Studies; F/T since Oct 2010): Rocky shores - From habitat threat to marine awareness and restorative experiences.
Christine Boomsma (Director of Studies; F/T since Oct 2009): Visual images and sustainability
Lauren Carroll (co-supervisor; F/T since Oct 2009): Choice and volunteering
Debbie Cracknell (Director of Studies; P/T since Oct 2010): The restorative potential of subaquatic environments.
Lerryn Rowe (Falmouth College; co-supervisor; P/T since Jan 2009): Collective efficacy and pro-environmental behaviour
Julie Goodhew (co-supervisor; P/T since Jan 2007): Thermal images as prompts for energy-saving behaviour
Grants & contracts
Pahl, S. (Co-PI), de Wilde, P. (Co-PI) et al. eViz – Energy Visualisation for Carbon Reduction (2012-2015). EPSRC multi-centre grant with the Universities of Bath, Birmingham and Newcastle: £1,876,000, with £1,125,000 to Plymouth.
Thompson, R. C. & Pahl, S. (2012-2015). Marine Litter in European Seas: Social Awareness and Co-Responsibility (MARLISCO). Plymouth Work Package £300k in £4,100,000 EU FP7 Project.
Pahl, S. (2011). Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) Fellowship, British Columbia, Canada. March.
Pahl, S. (2011). International Research and Networking Scheme University of Plymouth, for research visit to the University of British Columbia, March.
Pahl, S. & Thompson, R. C. (2010-13). Rocky Shores: From Habitat Threat to Marine Awareness and Restorative Experiences. (ESRC/NERC Interdisciplinary +3 Studentship)
White, M. P., Pahl, S. & Depledge, M. (2010-13). Blue Gym: The health and well-being effects of blue space. (University of Plymouth: £120k).
Pahl, S. (Co-PI), White, M. P. (Co-PI), Andrade, J., May, J., Stone, R., Moles, D. & Depledge, M. (2010-13). The use of natural environments in healthcare contexts. (University of Plymouth: £100k)
Wyer, N., Pahl, S. & Perfect, T. (2010-13). Construal, processing style and memory for social events. (ESRC: £240k).
Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Plymouth College, with L. Butel (PI) & J. Memory, Plymouth Business School (2009-11). (Technology Strategy Board: £81k).
Pahl, S. (2009-10). Optimism, pessimism and pro-environmental engagement. (Seale-Hayne Educational Trust: £2k).
Pahl, S. & White, M. P. (2008-09). Predicting and improving satisfaction with a rewarding activity: Volunteering for the Samaritans. (University of Plymouth: £8k).
Pahl, S. (2006), "Self-activation and betting behaviour". Dr. German Schweiger Spende: €1k.
Pahl, S. (2006-08), "Role models, social comparison & gender: Effects on career aspirations of men and women". University of Erlangen: €9k.
Pahl, S. (2005-06). Linguistic norms and the focus effect in self-other comparisons. EAESP Postdoctoral Seedcorn Grant: €2k.
Pahl, S. (2002-03). ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship: £26k.
Publications under review
Nichols, A.,Richardson, J., Pahl, S., Jenkin, R., Wallace, G., & Bennallick, M. (2011). Sustainability in health: The challenge of healthcarewaste. Manuscriptunder review.
*Wyles, K., Pahl, S., White, M., Morris, S., Snelling, D & Thompson, R. C. (2011). Enhancing the "Marine Mindset": The effects of an aquarium visit and information booklet on attitudes and intentions about fish sustainability and marine pollution. Manuscript under review.
Pahl, S. (2011). Self as subject or referent in self-other comparisons? Evidence from preferences, clarity and judgement latency measures. Manuscript under review. *Bertrams, A. & Pahl, S. (2011). Out of the Way, or I’ll Lose My Temper! Social Interference Impairs Self-Regulation. Manuscript under review.
Goodhew, J., Pahl, S., Auburn, T. & Goodhew, S. (2011). Making heat visible. Promoting energy conservation behaviours though tailored thermal imaging. Manuscript under review. published (peer-review)
Pahl, S. & Bauer, J. (2011). Overcoming the distance: Perspective taking with Future Humans Improves Engagement with Environmental Issues. Manuscript in press, Environment and Behavior.
Pahl, S. (2012). Would I bet on beating you? Increasing other-focus helps overcome egocentrism.Experimental Psychology, 59, 74-81.
* Carroll, L., White, M. P. & Pahl, S. (2011). The impact of excess choice on deferment of decisions to volunteer.Judgment and Decision Making, 6, 629-637.
White, M. P., Smith, A., Humphries, K., Pahl, S., Snelling, D. & Depledge, M. (2010). Blue Space: The Importance Of Water For Preference, Affect And Restorativeness Ratings Of Natural And Built Scenes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 482-493.
Wyer, N., Perfect, T. & Pahl, S. (2010). Temporal distance and person memory: Thinking about the future changes memory for the past. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 805-816.
*Zlatev, M., Pahl, S. & White, M. P. (2010). Perceived risk and benefit for self and others as predictors of smokers' attitudes towards smoking restrictions. Psychology & Health, 25, 167-182.
Pahl, S., Eiser, J. R. & White, M. P. (2009). Boundaries of Self-Positivity: The Effect of Comparison Focus in Self-Friend Comparisons. Journal of Social Psychology, 149, 413-424.
Goodhew, J., Goodhew, S., Auburn, T., de Wilde, P. & Pahl, S. (2009). A preliminary investigation of the potential for thermographic images to influence householders understanding of home energy consumption. In Dainty, S. (Ed.), ARCOM Conference 2009, Nottingham, UK, September, 971-979.
*Blueher, R. & Pahl, S. (2007). Der "mere exposure" Effekt und die Wahl von Produkten - Ein Experiment im Feld [Mere exposure and product choice - A field experiment]. Zeitschrift fuer Sozialpsychologie, 38, 209-215.
White, M. P., Eiser, J. R., Harris, P. R. & Pahl, S. (2007). Who reaps the benefits, who bears the risks? Risk and benefit perceptions of mobile phone technology for different targets. Risk Analysis, 27, 741-753.
Pahl, S. & Eiser, J. R. (2007). How malleable is positive bias for the self? The effects of judgmental focus, anchoring and accessibility. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 617-627.
Pahl, S. & Eiser, J. R. (2006). The focus effect and self-positivity in ratings of self-other similarity and difference. British Journal of Social Psychology, 45, 107-116.
Pahl, S. & Eiser, J. R. (2005). Valence, comparison focus and self-positivity biases: Does it matter whether people judge positive or negative traits? Experimental Psychology, 52, 303-310.
Pahl, S., Harris, P. R., Todd, H. A. & Rutter, D. R. (2005). Comparative optimism for environmental risks. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 1-11.
White, M. P., Pahl, S., Buehner, M. J. & Haye, A. (2003). Trust in risky messages: The role of prior attitudes. Risk Analysis, 23, 717-726.
Eiser, J. R., Pahl, S. & Prins, Y. R. A. (2001). Optimism, pessimism, and the direction of self-other comparisons. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 37, 77-84.
published (additional)
Pahl, S., White, M. P. & Carroll, L. (2010). Volunteering for Samaritans. Report April 2010. University of Plymouth.
Pahl, S. (2006). Seedcorn grant report (A closer look at the focus effect). European Bulletin of Social Psychology, 18, 77-80. Pahl, S. & Eiser, J. R. (2004). Reducing positive biases for the self. International Journal of Psychology, 39, Suppl. S, p. 568.
