Professional Bio

Research Interests

Karen Gasper is interested in affect and social cognition. Currently, her research examines the effect of both momentary and long-term feelings on information processing, the factors that influence affect regulation, and situational and individual differences in emotional understanding and experience. Some projects have investigated the influence of trait and state anxiety on judgment, the effect of mood on creativity, and the factors that reduce the influence of affect on information processing.

Recent Publication

Gasper, K & Hackenbracht, J.  (2014). Too Busy To Feel Neutral: Reducing Cognitive Resources Attenuates Neutral Affective States. Motivation and Emotion doi: 10.1007/s11031-014-9457-7

Middlewood, B. L. & Gasper, K. (2014). Making Information Matter: Symmetrically Appealing Layouts Promote Issues Relevance, which Facilitates Action and Attention Argument Quality. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 53, 100-106. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.03.003

 Gasper, K., & Middlewood, B. L.  (2014). Approaching Novel Thoughts: Understanding Why Elation and Boredom Promote Associative Thought More Than Distress and Relaxation.  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 52, 50-57. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2013.12.007

Hackenbracht, J.  & Gasper, K. (2013).  I’m All Ears: The Need to Belong Motivates Listening to Emotional Disclosure. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 915-921. doi: 10/1016/j.jesp.2013.03.014

 Hackenbracht, J. & Gasper, K. (2013). Feeling More and Feeling Close: Affect Intensity Influences Judgments of Interpersonal Closeness. Social Cognition, 31, 94-105.

Gasper, K. & Zawadzki, M. J. (2012). Want Information? How Mood and Performance Perceptions Alter the Perceived Value of Information and Influence Information-Seeking Behaviors. Motivation and Emotion, 34, 308-322, doi: 10.1007/s11031-012-9303-7

Bramesfeld, K. D., & Gasper, K. (2010). Sad-and-Social is Not Smart: The Moderating Effects of Social Anticipation on Mood and Information Processing. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 146-151.