Dr. Lisa Legault
Dr. Lisa Legault
Assistant Professor
Psychology Department
161 Science Center
PO Box 5825
Potsdam, NY 13699-5825
Phone: 315-268-2361
Fax: 315-268-7118
E-mail: llegault@clarkson.edu
Education
Ph.D., University of Ottawa, Canada, 2009
Courses Taught
Introduction to Psychology, Human Motivation
Research Interests
My research lies at the intersection of motivational science, social cognitive neuroscience, and intergroup relations. In one line of research, I explore the motivational factors that promote positive intergroup perceptions and interactions. Using basic principles of human motivation, I have found that the societal pursuit of prejudice reduction can take two forms – one that is controlling and coercive, and one that promotes personal choice and motivation to appreciate diversity. Some of my current projects examine the divergent effects of these two approaches on the effectiveness of prejudice reduction and the promotion of positive intergroup motivation, attitudes, and behavior. In addition, I am interested in the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying these effects. In one set of studies, for example, I assess whether promoting controlling vs. personal motivation to be nonprejudiced influences self-control over implicitly prejudiced responses, as indexed by neuroaffective signals of race bias errors.
In a related line of work, I investigate how motivational factors influence not only outgroup perception, but ingroup perception as well. I propose that the source of motivation (i.e., controlling vs. autonomous) crucially shapes ingroup identity through the distinct processes of identity integration and identity defense. Combining the social identity approach with existential and humanistic theory, I explore how the capacity to integrate conflicting aspects of one’s ingroup identity improves both ingroup and outgroup esteem.
In a third, more general line of research, I take a closer look at the basic mechanisms underlying the link between motivation and self-control. My work suggests that personal autonomy (as opposed to social coercion) actually improves executive control processes, such as response inhibition and error monitoring. Moreover, using a neuroscientific approach, I demonstrate that these effects are mediated by increased activity of the anterior cinglulate cortex – a neural structure that regulates bodily states of arousal in order to execute effective control and self-regulation.
Grants and Awards
Defence Research and Development Canada, Social Identity Management and Intergroup Perception: Toward a Dynamic Model of Social Identity Theory, $70,000.00 (Principle Investigator), 2012 - 2013
Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Interpersonal Influences on the Self-Regulation of Race Bias: How Our Social Environment Can Help Us Automatize Motivation to be Nonprejudiced, $5,000.00 (Principle Investigator), 2009 - 2011.
Publications (Last 5 years)
Legault, L. & Inzlicht, M. (in press). Self-determination, self-regulation and the brain: Autonomy improves performance by enhancing neuroaffective responsiveness to self-regulation failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Legault, L., Al-Khindi, & Inzlicht, M. (in press). Preserving integrity in the face of performance threat: Self-affirmation enhances neurophysiological responsiveness to errors. Psychological Science.
Legault, L. & Amiot, C. (in press). The role of autonomy in intergroup processes: Integrating Self-Determination Theory and intergroup approaches. In N. Weinstein (Ed.), Integrating Human Motivation and Interpersonal Relationships: Theory, Research and Applications. New York: Springer.
Tabit, M.B. & Legault, L., Ma, W., & Wan, P. (in press). Are we creating prejudice through anti-prejudice pedagogy? Empirical evidence from the Forum BEVI Project. In C.N. Shealy (Ed.), Making Sense of Beliefs and Values. New York: Springer.
Legault, L., & Green-Demers, I. (2012). The protective role of self-determined prejudice regulation in the relationship between intergroup threat and prejudice. Motivation and Emotion, 36(2), 143-158.
Inzlicht, M., Gutsell, J.N, & Legault, L. (2012). Mimicry reduces racial prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 361–365.
Legault, L., Gutsell, J.N., & Inzlicht, M. (2011). Ironic effects of anti-prejudice messages: How motivational interventions can reduce (but also increase) prejudice. Psychological Science, 22 (12), 1472 – 1477.
Inzlicht, M., Tullett, A.M., Legault, L., & Kang, S. K (2011). Lingering effects: Stereotype threat hurts more than you think. Social Issues and Policy Review, 5(1), 231-259.
Legault, L., Green-Demers, I., & Eadie, A.L. (2009). When internalization leads to automatization: The role of self-determination in automatic stereotype suppression and implicit prejudice regulation. Motivation and Emotion, 33(1), 10-24.
Green-Demers, I., Legault, L., Pelletier, D., & Pelletier, L. G. (2008). Factorial invariance of the Academic Amotivation Inventory across gender and grade in a sample of Canadian high school students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 68(5), 862-880.
Majstorovic, N., Legault, L., & Green-Demers, I. (2008). Measuring selfhood according to self-determination theory: Construction and validation of the Ego Functioning Questionnaire (EFQ). Psihologija, 41(2), 213-235.
Legault, L., Green-Demers, I., & Pelletier, L.G. (2008). Pourquoi est-ce que les élèves du secondaire manquent de motivation en classe? Vers une meilleure compréhension de la démotivation scolaire et de ses antécédents sociaux. (Why do high school students lack motivation? Understanding the social antecedents of academic disengagement). Le bulletin de Liaison de l'Association Québécoise des Psychologues Scolaires (Journal of the Association of Quebec Psychologists), 20 (2), 77-80.
Legault, L., Green-Demers, I., Grant, P., & Chung, J. (2007). On the self-regulation of implicit and explicit prejudice: A Self-Determination Theory perspective. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(5), 732-749.
Legault, L., Green-Demers, I., & Pelletier, L.G. (2006). Why do high school students lack motivation in the classroom? Toward an understanding of academic amotivation and the role of social support. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(3), 567-582.
Presentations at Scientific Meetings (Last 5 years)
Legault, L., Inzlicht, M., & Gutsell, J.N. (2012, January). Ironic effects of anti-prejudice messages: How motivational interventions can reduce (but also increase) prejudice. In Elliot, A., & Berry-Mendes, W. (Chairs), Data Blitz Symposium, 13th Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
Legault, L. (2012, January). Integrating positive and negative ethnic identity into the self: Motivational antecedents and intergroup consequences. Paper presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting (Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, GPIR), San Diego, CA.
Legault, L., & Inzlicht, M. (2011, June). Paradoxical effects of anti-prejudice cues: How motivational priming exacerbates prejudice. Paper presented at the 72nd Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention, Toronto, Ontario.
Legault, L., Green-Demers, I. & Inzlicht, M. (2010, May). The Automatization of autonomy: Social and neurocognitive mechanisms. In Hodgins, H. (Chair) Symposium on Unconscious Processes in Motivation, 4th International Self-Determination Theory Conference, Gent, Belgium.
Legault, L. (2010, January). Being self-determined to regulate prejudice buffers the impact of intergroup threat. Paper presented at the 11th Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Legault, L., & Weinstein, N. (2009, May, Co-Chairs). Implicit and explicit processes in motivation: Applications in interpersonal contexts. Symposium presented at the Society for the Study of Motivation, San Francisco, CA.
Legault, L. (2009, May). Self-determined motivation to be nonprejudiced and the implicit control of racial bias. In Legault, L., & Weinstein, N. (Chairs) Symposium on Implicit and Explicit Processes in Motivation: Applications in Interpersonal Contexts, Society for the Study of Motivation, San Francisco, CA.
Legault, L., Eadie, A., & Green-Demers, I. (2007, June). Impact of cognitive depletion on prejudice regulation: The moderating role of self-determined motivation to be nonprejudiced. Paper presented at the 68th Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention, Ottawa, Ontario.
Gadbois, H., Legault., L & Green-Demers, I. (2007, June). Assessing inclination towards guilt and shame: Translation and validation of the Test of Self-Conscious Affect for Adolescents (TOSCA-A) Paper presented at the 68th Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention, Ottawa, Ontario.
Legault, L., & Green-Demers, I. (2007, May). On the self-regulation of implicit and explicit prejudice: A Self-Determination Theory perspective. Paper presented at the 3rd International Self-Determination Theory Conference, Toronto, Ontario.
Green-Demers, I. Koestner, R., Legault, L., Spencer, A., Pelletier, D., & Paiement, T. (2007, May). Motivational and emotional underpinnings of ironic effects: The influence of personal goals and meta-mood processes on mental mood control. Paper presented at the 3rd International Self-Determination Theory Conference, Ottawa, Ontario.
