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Edward Lemay, Jr.

Edward Lemay, Jr.

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Edward Lemay is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland. He received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Yale University.

Dr. Lemay is director of the Interpersonal Relationships Lab at University of Maryland. Research in the lab examines cognition, emotion, behavior, and motivation within the context of close interpersonal relationships, such as friendships and romantic relationships. Current research projects focus on the effects of interpersonal goals on relationship maintenance behaviors, ways people manage relationships with chronically insecure relationship partners, cognitive biases that preserve and undermine trust, intervention in relationships, and interpersonal influence within relationships. The projects involve a variety of methods, including behavioral observation, response time, and questionnaire measures, longitudinal designs, daily report designs, and laboratory-based experiments. He has published in outlets such as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Health Psychology, and Personal Relationships. He serves on numerous editorial boards in social-personality psychology.

Dr. Lemay received the Sage Young Scholars Award, the Society for Experimental Social Psychology Dissertation Award, the International Association for Relationships Research Dissertation Award, the Caryl E. Rusbult Early Career Award from Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the Gerald Miller Early Career Award from the International Association for Relationships Research. In addition, he was nominated as a "Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science.

Primary Interests:

  • Close Relationships
  • Communication, Language
  • Emotion, Mood, Affect
  • Interpersonal Processes
  • Motivation, Goal Setting
  • Person Perception
  • Personality, Individual Differences
  • Research Methods, Assessment
  • Self and Identity
  • Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

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Journal Articles:

  • Clark, M. S., Greenberg, A., Hill, E., Lemay, E. P., Jr., Clark-Polner, E., & Roosth, D. (2011). Heightened interpersonal security diminishes the monetary value of possessions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 359-364.
  • Clark, M. S., Lemay, E. P., Jr., Graham, S. M., Pataki, S. P., & Finkel, E. J. (2010). Ways of giving benefits in marriage: Norm use and attachment-related variability. Psychological Science, 21, 944-951.
  • Cohen, S., & Lemay, E. (2007). Why would social networks be linked to affect and health practices? Health Psychology, 26, 410-417.
  • Feeney, B. C., & Lemay, E. P., Jr. (2012). Surviving relationship threats: A theory of emotional capital. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 1004-1017.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., & Ashmore, R. D. (2006). The relation of social approval contingency to trait self-esteem: Cause, consequence, or moderator? Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 121-139.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., & Clark, M. S. (2009). Self-esteem and communal responsiveness toward a flawed partner: The fair-weather care of low self-esteem individuals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 698-712.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., & Clark, M. S. (2008). How the head liberates the heart: Projection of communal responsiveness guides relationship promotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 647-671.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., & Clark, M. S. (2008). “Walking on eggshells”: How expressing relationship insecurities perpetuates them. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 420-441.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., & Clark, M. S. (2008). “You’re just saying that”: Contingencies of self-worth, suspicion, and authenticity in the partner affirmation process. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 1376-1382.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., Clark, M. S., & Feeney, B. C. (2007). Projection of responsiveness to needs and the construction of satisfying communal relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 834-853.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., Clark, M. S., & Greenberg, A. (2010). What is beautiful is good because what is beautiful is desired: Physical attractiveness stereotyping as projection of interpersonal goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 339-353.
  • Lemay, E. P. Jr., & Dudley, K. L. (2011). Caution: Fragile! Regulating the security of chronically insecure relationship partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 681-702.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., & Dudley, K. L. (2009). Implications of reflected appraisals of interpersonal insecurity for suspicion and power. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1672-1686.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., & O’Leary, K. (2012). Alleviating interpersonal suspicions of low self-esteem individuals: Negativity as honesty credentials. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31, 251-288.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., Overall, N. C., & Clark, M. S. (2012). Experiences and interpersonal consequences of hurt feelings and anger. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103, 982-1006.
  • Lemay, E. P., Jr., Pruchno, R. A., & Feild, L. (2006). Accuracy and bias in perception of spouses’ life-sustaining medical treatment preferences. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 2337-2361.
  • Yoo, S. H., Clark, M. S., Lemay, E. P., Jr., Salovey, P., & Monin, J. K. (2011). Responding to partners’ expression of anger: The role of communal motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 229-241.

Other Publications:

  • Clark, M. S., & Lemay, E. P., Jr. (2010). Close relationships. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of Social Psychology (5 ed., Vol. 2, pp. 898-940). New York: Wiley.

Courses Taught:

  • Multivariate Statistics
  • Research Methods
  • Seminar in Social Psychology and Relationships
  • Social Psychology

Edward Lemay, Jr.
Department of Psychology
University of Maryland at College Park
Biology/Psychology Building Room 3147F
College Park, Maryland 20742
United States of America

  • Phone: (603) 862-4305
  • Fax: (301) 314-9566

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