BIOGRAPHY

I obtained a BA in psychology from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey, an MA in social psychology from the Vrije University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and a PhD in social/personality psychology from York University in Toronto, Canada. Before joining the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex in 2006, I completed a two-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) postdoctoral fellowship at the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

My primary research interests concern how different cultural settings shape social cognition, conceptions of self, and interpersonal relationships. My current research is organized around three major themes:

1. a)Socio-economic basis of interdependence: The goal of this project, funded by two British Academy grants, is to investigate how economic activities that encourage different degrees of social interdependence shape cognitive and social functioning.
   

2. b)Cultural conceptions of honour: In this comparative project, funded by the National Science Foundation, I investigate the cultural variations in the salience and forms of honour and emotional and behavioural responses to honour-relevant situations.
   

100. c)Culture and health behaviour change: This line of work, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, integrates research evidence in social, cultural and health psychology to test novel strategies in health behaviour change.
     

In addition, I am interested in the role of self-regulatory mechanisms in social cognition (e.g. processing of messages), social interaction (e.g., aggression), and mental well-being, as well as social/cultural psychological processes in question comprehension and responding in survey contexts. I welcome applications from prospective PhD students who are interested in questions related to these areas of research.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Special issue with European Journal of Social Psychology (theme: Social image) Guest editors: Patricia Rodriguez Mosquera, Ayse K. Uskul, & Susan Cross.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.v41.4/issuetoc

Uskul, A. K., Oyserman, D., Schwarz, N., Lee, S. W., & Xu, A. J. (in press). How successful you have been in life depends on the response scale used: The role of cultural mindsets in pragmatic inferences drawn from question format. Social Cognition. (Special Issue: Situated social cognition. Guest editors: Jonas Kai, Joe Cesario)

Cross, S., Uskul, A. K., Gercek-Swing, B., Sunbay, Z., & Ataca, B. (in press). Confrontation vs.withdrawal: Cultural differences in responses to threats to honor. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. (Special Issue: In the name of honor: On virtue, reputation, and violence. Guest editor: Patricia M. Rodriguez Mosquera.)

Uskul, A. K., Cross, S., Gercek-Swing, B., Sunbay, Z., & Ataca, B. (2012). Honor bound: The cultural construction of honor in Turkey and the Northern US. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43, 1131-1151.

Lalonde, R. & Uskul, A. K. (in press). Openness to inter-ethnic relationships for second generation Chinese and South Asian Canadians: The role of Canadian identity. In E. Fong and L. N. Ciang (Eds.). Immigrant adaptation in multiethnic cities - Canada, Taiwan, and the U.S. Routledge. 

Uskul, A. K. (2012). Rethinking innovative designs to further test parasite-stress theory. Brain and Behavioral Sciences, 35, 93-94. (commentary on Fincher & Thornhill)

Uskul, A. K., Lalonde, R., & Konanur, S. (2011). The role of culture and gender on intergenerational value discrepancies regarding intergroup dating. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 42, 1165-1178.  

Karremans, J. C., Regalia, C., Paleari, F. G., Fincham, F. D., Cui, M., Takada, N., Ohbuchi, K-I., Terzino, K., Cross, S., & Uskul, A. K. (2011). Maintaining harmony across the globe: The cross-cultural association between closeness and interpersonal forgiveness. Social Psychology and Personality Science, 2, 443-451. 

Sherman, D. K., Uskul, A. K., & Updegraff, J. A. (2011). The role of the self in responses to health communications: A cultural perspective. Self and Identity, 10, 284-294.

Rodriguez Mosquera, P., Uskul, A. K., & Cross, S. (2011). The centrality of social image in social psychology. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 403-410.

Kitayama, S. & Uskul, A. K. (2011). Culture, mind, and the brain: Current evidence and future directions. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 419-449.

Uskul, A. K. (2010). Socio-cultural aspects of health and illness. In D. French, A. Kaptein, K. Vedhara, and J. Weinman, (Eds.). Health psychology (pp. 347-359). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Uskul, A. K., Oyserman, D., & Schwarz, N. (2010). Cultural emphasis on honor, modesty, or self-enhancement: Implications for the survey response process. In J. A. Harkness, M. Braun, B. Edwards, T. Johnson, L. Lyberg, P. Mohler, B. E. Pennell, and T. W. Smith (Eds.) Survey methods in multinational, multiregional and multicultural context (pp. 191-202). NJ: John Wiley and Sons.

Uskul, A. K., & Oyserman, D. (2010). When message-frame fits salient cultural-frame, messages feel more persuasive. Psychology & Health, 25, 321–337.

Orbell, S., Lidierth, P., Henderson, C., Geeraert, N., Uller, C., Uskul, A. K., & Kyriakaki, M. (2009). Motivation and behaviour change following the ban on smoking in public places in England: A prospective community study. Health Psychology, 28, 753-761.

Kitayama, S., Park, H., Sevincer, A. T., Karasawa, M., & Uskul, A. K. (2009). A cultural task analysis of implicit independence: Comparing North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 236-255.

Uskul, A. K., Sherman, D., & Fitzgibbon, J. (2009). The cultural congruency effect: Culture, regulatory focus, and the effectiveness of gain- vs. loss-framed health messages. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 535-541.

Uskul, A. K., Nisbett, R. N., & Kitayama, S. (2008). Ecoculture, social interdependence, and holistic cognition: Evidence from farming, fishing, and herding communities in Turkey. Communicative & Integrative Biology, 1, 40-41. (Addendum to the PNAS paper)

Oyserman, D. & Uskul, A. (2008). Individualism and collectivism: Societal-level processes with implications for individual-level and society-level outcomes. In F. van de Vijver, D. van Hemert, & Y. Poortinga (Eds.) Multilevel analysis of individuals and cultures (pp. 145-173). Mahwah, N.J: Erlbaum.

Uskul, A. K., Kitayama, S. & Nisbett, R. N. (2008). Ecocultural basis of cognition: Farmers and fishermen are more holistic than herders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 105, 8552-8556.

Keller, J., Hurst, M., & Uskul, A. K. (2008). Prevention-focused self-regulation and aggressiveness. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 800-820.

Uskul, A. K., Keller, J., & Oyserman, D. (2008). Regulatory fit and health behavior. Psychology and Health, 23, 327-34.

Uskul, A. K., Lalonde, R., & Cheng, L. (2007). Views on interracial dating among European and Chinese Canadians: The roles of culture, gender, and mainstream cultural identity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 891-911.

Uskul, A. K. & Hynie, M. (2007). Self-construal and concerns elicited by imagined and real health problems. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 2156-2189.

Oyserman, D., Uskul, A. K., Yoder, N., Nesse, R., & Williams, D. (2007). Unfair treatment and self-regulatory focus. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 505-512.

Uskul, A. K. & Oyserman, D. (2006). Question comprehension and response: Implications of individualism and collectivism. In B. Mannix, M. Neale,and Y. Chen (Eds.), Research on Managing Groups and Teams: National Culture & Groups (Vol. 9) (pp. 177-206). Oxford: Elsevier Science Press.

Uskul, A. K. & Greenglass, E. (2005). Proactive coping, optimism, and psychological well-being in a Turkish-Canadian sample. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 18, 269-278.

Uskul, A. K. & Eaton, J. (2005). Graded long-answer questions to increase reading of assigned material. Teaching of Psychology, 32, 116-118.

Uskul, A. K., Hynie, M., & Lalonde, R. (2004). Interdependence as a mediator between culture and interpersonal closeness for Euro-Canadians and Turks. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35, 174-191.

Uskul, A. K. (2004). Women’s menarche stories from a multicultural sample. Social Science and Medicine, 59, 667-679.

Eaton, J. & Uskul, A. K. (2004). Using The Simpsons to teach social psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 31, 277-278.

Uskul, A. K. (2004). Culture and menstruation experiences. In Body Project (Ed.), Corporealities. In(ter)ventions in an Omnipresent Subject (pp.120-137). Koenigstein/ Tunus: Helmer, Germany.

Uskul, A. K. & Ahmad. F. (2003). Physician-patient interaction: A gynecology clinic in Turkey. Social Science and Medicine, 57, 205-215.

Uskul, A. K., Ahmad, F., Leyland, N., & Stewart, D. (2003). Hysterectomy and women’s decision-making. Women and Health, 38, 53-67.