معرفی
Lisa Legault is a Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at Clarkson University, affiliated with the Lewis School of Health & Life Sciences and the Institute for a Sustainable Environment. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa (2009). Her research integrates motivation science, prejudice reduction, and social cognitive neuroscience, focusing on how autonomy-driven motivation influences intergroup relations, pro-environmental behaviors, and self-regulation. Major contributions include studies on the ironic effects of coercive diversity messaging, the role of humility in prejudice reduction, and global experiments on pandemic social distancing compliance. She leads a long-term field experiment on energy consumption in green student housing.
Research Interests
- Autonomy and self-determination theory applications
- Prejudice mitigation through motivational framing
- Sustainable behavior interventions
- Cross-cultural behavioral psychology
- Neuroscience of self-regulation
Key Contributions
Her work demonstrates that autonomy-supportive messages outperform controlling ones in fostering positive intergroup attitudes and pro-environmental behaviors. Neuroscientific studies reveal links between motivation and anterior cingulate cortex activity in self-control processes. Recent publications address pandemic response strategies and solar energy adoption motivations.
Advising & Grants
- Advises over 20 graduate students across psychology and environmental studies
- Recipient of grants funding long-term sustainability experiments and global behavioral studies
Labs & Teams
Leads the Motivation and Social Behavior Lab, collaborating with the Institute for a Sustainable Environment on interdisciplinary projects.
