Associate Professor Lisa Williams

Associate Professor Lisa Williams

Associate Professor
  • Ph.D. Social Psychology, Northeastern University, 2009
  • M.A. Social Psychology, Northeastern University, 2006
  • B.A. Psychology, Lewis and Clark College, 2004
Science
School of Psychology

I am a social psychologist whose research explores how emotions shape and are shaped by social processes. Specifically, my research focuses on the adaptive functions of positive social emotions such as pride and gratitude. This program of research covers intrapersonal (within person), interpersonal (between individuals), and intergroup (between groups) processes.

Phone
02 9385 1643
Location
School of Psychology University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Mathews Building Room 1302A
  • Book Chapters | 2021
    Bliss-Moreau E; Williams LA; Karaskiewicz CL, 2021, 'Evolution of Emotion in Social Context', in Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science, Springer International Publishing, pp. 2487 - 2499, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_2459
    Book Chapters | 2018
    Bliss-Moreau E; Williams L; Karaskiewicz C, 2018, 'Evolution of Emotion in Social Context', in Shackelford TK; Weekes-Shackelford VA (ed.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science, Springer, Cham, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tme.12566
    Book Chapters | 2018
    Bliss-Moreau E; Williams LA; Karaskiewicz CL, 2018, 'Evolution of Emotion in Social Context', in Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science, Springer International Publishing, pp. 1 - 13, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2459-1
    Book Chapters | 2018
    Williams LA, 2018, 'Emotions of Excellence: Communal and Agentic Functions of Pride, Moral Elevation, and Admiration', in Lench H (ed.), The Function of Emotions When and Why Emotions Help Us, Springer, pp. 235 - 252, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77619-4_12
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Williams LA; Davies J, 2017, 'Beyond the self: Pride felt in relation to others', in Carter JA; Gordon EC (ed.), The moral psychology of pride, edn. Moral Psychology of the Emotions, Rowman & Littlefield International, London, pp. 43 - 68, https://www.rowmaninternational.com/book/the_moral_psychology_of_pride/3-156-796db39d-91b6-499e-ba0c-d487d0bb06bb
    Book Chapters | 2015
    Williams LA; Barrett-Cheetham E, 2015, 'Social psychological perspectives on compassion', in On compassion, Createspace Publishers
    Book Chapters | 2014
    Williams LA; DeSteno D, 2014, 'Building bonds, attaining ambitions, and establishing esteem: How positive emotions serve intrapersonal needs', in Gruber J; Moskowitz JT (ed.), Positive emotion: Integrating the light sides and dark sides, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 206 - 224, http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199926725.do
    Book Chapters | 2014
    Williams LA; DeSteno D, 2014, 'How Positive Social Emotions Motivate Actions for the Future Self', in Positive Emotion, Oxford University Press, pp. 206 - 224, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199926725.003.0012
  • Journal articles | 2023
    Thijsen A; Masser B; Davison TE; van Dongen A; Williams LA, 2023, 'Beyond fear: A longitudinal investigation of emotions and risk of a vasovagal reaction in first-time whole-blood donors', Transfusion, 63, pp. 163 - 170, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/trf.17169
    Journal articles | 2022
    Tzelios K; Williams LA; Omerod J; Bliss-Moreau E, 2022, 'Evidence of the unidimensional structure of mind perception', Scientific Reports, 12, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23047-6
    Journal articles | 2021
    Gruber J; Mendle J; Lindquist KA; Schmader T; Clark LA; Bliss-Moreau E; Akinola M; Atlas L; Barch DM; Barrett LF; Borelli JL; Brannon TN; Bunge SA; Campos B; Cantlon J; Carter R; Carter-Sowell AR; Chen S; Craske MG; Cuddy AJC; Crum A; Davachi L; Duckworth AL; Dutra SJ; Eisenberger NI; Ferguson M; Ford BQ; Fredrickson BL; Goodman SH; Gopnik A; Greenaway VP; Harkness KL; Hebl M; Heller W; Hooley J; Jampol L; Johnson SL; Joormann J; Kinzler KD; Kober H; Kring AM; Paluck EL; Lombrozo T; Lourenco SF; McRae K; Monin JK; Moskowitz JT; Natsuaki MN; Oettingen G; Pfeifer JH; Prause N; Saxbe D; Smith PK; Spellman BA; Sturm V; Teachman BA; Thompson RJ; Weinstock LM; Williams LA, 2021, 'The Future of Women in Psychological Science', Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16, pp. 483 - 516, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1745691620952789
    Journal articles | 2021
    Marey T; Baker S; Williams LA; Tzelios K, 2021, 'Equity and STEM in elite contexts: challenging institutional assumptions and critiquing student support', International Journal of Inclusive Education, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1904016
    Journal articles | 2021
    Tzelios K; Williams LA, 2021, 'The psychological impact of digital signatures: A multistudy replication.', Technology Mind and Behavior, 1, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000019
    Journal articles | 2021
    Van Dongen A; Williams LA; Masser BM; Briggs N; Thijsen A; Davison TE, 2021, 'The Impact of Temporal Trajectories of Emotional Experience on Blood Donor Return', Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 55, pp. 686 - 692, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaa067
    Journal articles | 2021
    Williams LA, 2021, 'From human wellbeing to animal welfare', Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 131, pp. 941 - 952, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.014
    Journal articles | 2020
    Bliss-Moreau E; Williams LA; Santistevan AC, 2020, 'The immutability of valence and arousal in the foundation of emotion', Emotion, 20, pp. 993 - 1004, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/emo0000606
    Journal articles | 2020
    France CR; France JL; Himawan LK; Jeitani A; Williams LA, 2020, 'Emotional mechanisms and format effects of motivational questions for blood donation', Transfusion, 60, pp. 1998 - 2009, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/trf.15942
    Journal articles | 2020
    Masser B; Ferguson E; Merz EM; Williams L, 2020, 'Beyond Description: The Predictive Role of Affect, Memory, and Context in the Decision to Donate or Not Donate Blood', Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy, 47, pp. 175 - 185, http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000501917
    Journal articles | 2020
    Tzelios K; Williams LA, 2020, 'Supplemental Material for The psychological impact of digital signatures: A multistudy replication.', Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 1, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000019.supp
    Journal articles | 2020
    Williams LA; Brosnan SF; Clay Z, 2020, 'Anthropomorphism in comparative affective science: Advocating a mindful approach', Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 115, pp. 299 - 307, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.014
    Journal articles | 2019
    Williams L; Sun J; Masser B, 2019, 'Integrating self‐determination theory and the theory of planned behaviour to predict intention to donate blood', Transfusion Medicine, 29, pp. 59 - 64, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tme.12566
    Journal articles | 2018
    Garg N; Williams LA; Lerner J, 2018, 'The Misery-Is-Not-Miserly Effect Revisited: Replication Despite Opportunities for Compensatory Consumption', PLoS ONE, 13, pp. e0199433, http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199433
    Journal articles | 2018
    Greenaway KH; Kalokerinos EK; Williams LA, 2018, 'Context is Everything (in Emotion Research)', Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 12, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12393
    Journal articles | 2018
    Klein RA; Vianello M; Hasselman F; Adams BG; Adams RB; Alper S; Aveyard M; Axt JR; Babalola MT; Bahník Š; Batra R; Berkics M; Bernstein MJ; Berry DR; Bialobrzeska O; Binan ED; Bocian K; Brandt MJ; Busching R; Rédei AC; Cai H; Cambier F; Cantarero K; Carmichael CL; Ceric F; Chandler J; Chang JH; Chatard A; Chen EE; Cheong W; Cicero DC; Coen S; Coleman JA; Collisson B; Conway MA; Corker KS; Curran PG; Cushman F; Dagona ZK; Dalgar I; Dalla Rosa A; Davis WE; de Bruijn M; De Schutter L; Devos T; de Vries M; Doğulu C; Dozo N; Dukes KN; Dunham Y; Durrheim K; Ebersole CR; Edlund JE; Eller A; English AS; Finck C; Frankowska N; Freyre MÁ; Friedman M; Galliani EM; Gandi JC; Ghoshal T; Giessner SR; Gill T; Gnambs T; Gómez Á; González R; Graham J; Grahe JE; Grahek I; Green EGT; Hai K; Haigh M; Haines EL; Hall MP; Heffernan ME; Hicks JA; Houdek P; Huntsinger JR; Huynh HP; Ijzerman H; Inbar Y; Innes-Ker ÅH; Jiménez-Leal W; John MS; Joy-Gaba JA; Kamiloğlu RG; Kappes HB; Karabati S; Karick H; Keller VN; Kende A; Kervyn N; Knežević G; Kovacs C; Krueger LE; Kurapov G; Kurtz J; Lakens D; Lazarević LB, 2018, 'Many labs 2: Investigating variation in replicability across samples and settings', Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 1, pp. 443 - 490, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2515245918810225
    Journal articles | 2017
    Crone DL; Williams LA, 2017, 'Crowdsourcing participants for psychological research in Australia: A test of Microworkers', Australian Journal of Psychology, 69, pp. 39 - 47, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12110
    Journal articles | 2017
    Williams LA; Masser B; Van Dongen A; Thijsen A; Davison T, 2017, 'The emotional psychology of blood donors: a time-course approach', ISBT Science Series, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/voxs.12385
    Journal articles | 2017
    Williams LA; Schofield TP; Whitford TJ, 2017, 'Romantic red: Testing the characteristics of color–attraction effects in a novel paradigm', Collabra: Psychology, 3, http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/collabra.54
    Journal articles | 2016
    Barrett-Cheetham E; Williams LA; Bednall TC, 2016, 'A differentiated approach to the link between positive emotion, motivation, and eudaimonic well-being', Journal of Positive Psychology, 11, pp. 595 - 608, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1152502
    Journal articles | 2016
    Williams LA; Bliss-Moreau E, 2016, 'Humans are ultrasocial and emotional', The Behavioral and brain sciences, 39, pp. e117, http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X15001211
    Journal articles | 2015
    Gooley SL; Zadro L; Williams LA; Svetieva E; Gonsalkorale K, 2015, 'Ostracizing for a Reason: A Novel Source Paradigm for Examining the Nature and Consequences of Motivated Ostracism', Journal of Social Psychology, 155, pp. 410 - 431, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2015.1060933
    Journal articles | 2015
    Williams LA; Masser B; Sun J, 2015, 'Revisiting the effect of anthropomorphizing a social cause campaign', PLoS ONE, 10, pp. e0138886, http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138886
    Journal articles | 2014
    Bliss-Moreau E; Williams LA, 2014, 'Tag, you're it: Affect tagging promotes goal formation and selection', Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37, pp. 138 - 139, http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X13001969
    Journal articles | 2014
    Masser B; Smith G; Williams LA, 2014, 'Donor Research in Australia: Challenges and Promise', Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy, 41, pp. 296 - 301, http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000365016
    Journal articles | 2014
    Williams LA; Bartlett MY, 2014, 'Warm Thanks: Gratitude Expression Facilitates Social Affiliation in New Relationships via Perceived Warmth.', Emotion, 15, pp. 1 - 5, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/emo0000017
    Journal articles | 2010
    Desteno D; Bartlett M; Baumann J; Williams L; Dickens L, 2010, 'Gratitude as moral sentiment: Emotion-guided cooperation in economic exchange', Emotion, 10, pp. 289 - 293, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0017883
    Journal articles | 2010
    Williams L; Desteno D, 2010, 'Pride in parsimony', Emotion Review, 2, pp. 180 - 181, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1754073909355015
    Journal articles | 2009
    Dasgupta N; Desteno D; Williams L; Hunsinger M, 2009, 'Fanning the Flames of Prejudice: The Influence of Specific Incidental Emotions on Implicit Prejudice', Emotion, 9, pp. 585 - 591, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0015961
    Journal articles | 2009
    Williams L; Desteno D, 2009, 'Pride: adaptive social emotion or seventh sin?', Psychological Science, 20, pp. 284 - 288, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02292.x
    Journal articles | 2008
    Williams L; Desteno D, 2008, 'Pride and Perseverance: The Motivational Role of Pride', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, pp. 1007 - 1017, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.94.6.1007
    Journal articles | 1998
    Prosser IP; Williams L, 1998, 'The effect of wildfire on runoff and erosion in native Eucalyptus forest', Hydrological Processes, 12, pp. 251 - 265, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1085(199802)12:2<251::AID-HYP574>3.0.CO;2-4

  • ARC Linkage Project (LP140100034) 2014-2016: The emotional psychology of blood donors: understanding and using the affective key to donor return
  • ARC Discovery Project (DP103102110) 2013-2015: To be or not to be proud: Identifying the functionality of pride in intergroup settings
  • ARC Discovery Project (DP130104468) 2013-2015: Emotional responses to comparisons in romantic relationships: Implications for relationship wellbeing

  • 2017 UNSW Faculty of Science June Griffith Fellowship for Women in Leadership
  • 2014 Australian Psychological Society UNSW Lecturer of the Year

Research Goals

  • To apply functional approaches to the empirical study of emotional experience
  • To identify how discrete positive emotional experience influences wellbeing, prosocial behaviour, and interpersonal accord
  • To understand the process via which socio-affective experience supports social interactions.

Research in Detail

The goal of my research is to uncover, via empirical methods, the nature of socio-affective experience and the myriad ways that such experience shapes and is shaped by social interactions. Specifically, I consider how emotions that appear to have functions that are adaptive for social interactions (e.g., pride, gratitude, compassion) shape behaviour. I also engage in research that applies the principles of affective science into applied domains, including the motivation that underlies blood donation. To achieve these goals, I employ a variety of methods, including interpersonal emotion inductions, experience sampling procedures, and psychophysiology. I collaborate extensively with colleagues at UNSW, at other Australian universities, and around the world.

Supervision Opportunities/Areas

I am open to supervising new postgraduate and/or Honours students in the areas listed above as well as other, related topics. Interested students should contact me via email to discuss these options.