Keith Markman

Keith Markman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences, where he conducts research and teaches in social psychology. He holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University and a B.A. from the University of Michigan, and he is actively mentoring Ph.D. students in the department.

• Ph.D., Social Psychology, Indiana University (1994)
• B.A. in Psychology, University of Michigan (1989)

Dr. Markman's research focuses on mental simulation, particularly counterfactual thinking, regret, nostalgia, and psychological momentum. His Reflection and Evaluation Model (REM) provides a framework for understanding how people compare realities and construct meaning through imagination. He investigates how upward and downward counterfactuals influence emotions like regret and relief, and how psychological momentum affects performance expectations across domains like sports and creative work.

His recent publications span topics such as meaning perception, creativity under uncertainty, and the phenomenology of momentum. These works appear in leading journals including Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Social and Personality Psychology Compass. The trend in his research shows a growing integration of cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes in understanding human judgment and behavior.

Dr. Markman has held significant editorial roles, including Editor-in-Chief of Social and Personality Psychology Compass and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Imagination, Cognition, and Personality. He has also served on editorial boards for top journals such as Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

He has advised numerous Ph.D. students, many of whom now hold academic positions at institutions such as Marshall University, Baruch College, and Florida State College. He has received no explicitly listed scientific awards in the provided text but is highly active in professional service, organizing preconferences, chairing symposia, and serving on university committees related to graduate studies and faculty evaluation.

Dr. Markman has delivered invited colloquia at institutions including the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and the University of Toronto. His work is supported by his editorial leadership and extensive peer-review contributions to journals and funding agencies like the National Science Foundation.