Dr. Jessica Curtis
Research at a Glance
Summary
My research focuses on understanding the factors that contribute to goal commitment. I am interested not only in how we become more committed to our goals and the implications of that commitment, but how others use their perceptions of our commitment to interact with us.
I am also interested in the psychology of fandom specifically for fictional/narrative fiction (e.g., TV shows). Within this work, I explore how fandom identification affects a multitude of fan behaviors such as fanfiction writing and shipping. I am also exploring how the identification as a fan impacts the perceptions others have about the fan.
Areas of Expertise
- Motivation
- Fandom Psychology
Selected Publications
- Curtis, J., Hatvany, T., Barber, K. E., & Burkley, E. (2022). Moxie: Individual variability in motivation intensity. Current Psychology, 42, 2226-2238. doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-03304-7
- Curtis, J., Burkley, E., Hatvany, T., & Higdon, B. (2021). Goal commitment is in the eye of the beholder: Causes and consequences of perceiving others’ goal commitment. Journal of Social Psychology, 161(6), 683-696. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2020.1867041
- Burkley, E., Curtis, J., Burkley, M., & Hatvany, T. (2015). Goal Fusion: The integration of goals within the self-concept. Self and Identity, 14, 348-368. doi: 10.1080/15298868.2014.1000959
Teaching
Courses Taught
- Experimental Psychology
- Quantitative Methods in Behavioral Science
- Motivation
- History of Psychology
- Social Psychology
Teaching Interests
- Motivation
- Research Methods
- Statistics