Michigan State University

Graduate Student, Psychology

About

Many people struggle when it comes to achieving their goals. They procrastinate, find it difficult to marshal the motivation necessary to finish tasks, and seem to have trouble self-regulating goal-directed activity. The major aim of my research is to uncover the psychological processes that underlie successful goal pursuit in order to develop empirically informed interventions that enhance motivation and self-regulation, helping individuals to improve their chances of successfully achieving their aspirations. The questions that my research addresses therefore have important implications in both basic and applied domains.

My research focuses on two motivational contexts: education and health. In the area of education, my work examines the antecedents, outcomes, and development of individuals’ achievement goals. I then apply the knowledge generated by this research to the design of interventions that help individuals succeed in real classroom settings. Within the health context, I use theories of social influence and self-regulation to develop tools that health practitioners can utilize to help their patients adopt more healthy behaviors.

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