Yaacov Trope

Yaacov Trope is a Professor of Psychology at New York University's Department of Psychology, College of Arts & Science. His research examines cognitive and motivational processes underlying how people transcend immediate concerns to consider broader temporal, social, and hypothetical perspectives. Key areas include psychological distance, self-control mechanisms, and abstract vs. associative thinking in social judgment.

Education:

• B.A. summa cum laude, Tel Aviv University (1970)
• Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Michigan (1974)

Research Interests: Trope's work explores three core themes:
1. **Psychological Distance**: How people mentally broaden horizons to envision distant futures, cultures, and perspectives.
2. **Self-Control**: Mechanisms resolving conflicts between short-term desires and long-term goals.
3. **Cognitive Processes**: Analytical vs. associative thinking, wishful thinking, and stereotyping.

Labs/Teams: Directs the Trope Lab, studying expansive/contractive mental processes in social contexts. Research focuses on construal level theory and its implications for imitation, decision-making, and social perception.

Advising/Grants: While specific grants are not listed here, his extensive publications (216+ works) indicate sustained academic leadership. Advises graduate students in NYU's Psychology Department, though specific names are not provided in source texts.