Professor Hirt has research interests in a variety of areas, including: reconstructive memory; social cognition and social judgment; self-protective strategies, particularly self- handicapping and the substitutability of different self-protective strategies; hypothesis testing and information seeking; affect and cognition, particularly the relationship between mood and intrinsic interest and creativity; social identity and allegiance, particularly sports fanship.
Primary Interests:
- Emotion, Mood, Affect
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Motivation, Goal Setting
- Persuasion, Social Influence
- Self and Identity
- Social Cognition
Areas of Study
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Research Topics
- Reconstructive memory
- Social cognition and social judgment
- Self-protective strategies, particularly self-handicapping
- Hypothesis testing
- Mood effects, intrinsic interest and creativity
- Social identity and allegiance, particularly fanship
My research generally concentrates on issues related to motivation and performance. My primary current line of research focuses on mental depletion and its pejorative consequences for subsequent performance and acts of self-control.
Additional lines of research focus on the flexibility with which individuals maintain their self-conceptions.
I have another line of research that look at the effects that one's affective state has for performance. Specifically, we have focused on the contributions that positive affect consistently makes in facilitating creative performance. Finally, we have work that investigates the development of allegiance and identification, particularly with regard to sports teams and fanship, and its consequences for personal and collective self-esteem as well as behaviors illustrative of one's commitment and loyalty to the team.
Skills and Expertise
- Social Psychology
- Metacognition
- Self-efficacy
- Diary Studies
- Motivational Psychology
