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Clearing Study Experience Research Collaborate About us

Dr Louisa Pavey

Faculty of Business and Social Sciences
Department of Psychology
School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences
Penrhyn Road

Associate Professor

[email protected]

ORCID

About

I joined Kingston University after completing my PhD and postdoctoral research at the University of Sussex with a specialism in social and health psychology.

My broad research interests are in health behaviour change, message framing, and motivational responses to health risk information. In particular, I focus on implicit cognitive processes, message framing, choice and autonomy, reactance, planning and impulsivity. Interventions focus on behaviour change in areas such as diet, alcohol consumption, and exercise. I am a member of the Clinical and Applied Behavioural Research Group in the Department of Psychology.

I teach Behavioural Science, Business Psychology, Health Psychology, Positive Psychology, Research Methods, and Social Psychology at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I am currently co-Course Director for the BSc Psychology, BSc Psychology with Criminology, BSc Psychology with Sociology, and BSc Business Psychology courses.

Qualifications

DPhil Psychology (ESRC +3 competition funded), University of Sussex, 2008
MRes Psychological Methods (Distinction), University of Sussex, 2005
BA (Hons) Social Psychology (First Class), University of Sussex, 2003
PGCLTE Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Kingston University London, 2009

Domains

Publications

Exploring the effectiveness of yoga interventions in improving the well-being and productivity of desk-based workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Wadhen, Vipin, Pavey, Louisa and Vyas, Nora S., 2025, Applied Psychology (74), 6, Published

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Moral obligation, autonomous motivation and vaccine hesitancy: highlighting moral obligation increases reactance in hesitant individuals

Pavey, Louisa, Rotella, Amanda and Vallée-Tourangeau, Gaelle, 2024, Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, E-pub ahead of print

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Perceived legitimacy can moderate the effect of proscriptive versus prescriptive injunctions on intentions to comply with UK government COVID-19 guidelines and reactance

Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Sue and Sparks, Paul, 2023, Journal of Applied Social Psychology (53), 5 pp 432-442, Published

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Proscriptive injunctions can elicit greater reactance and lower legitimacy perceptions than prescriptive injunctions

Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Susan and Sparks, Paul, 2022, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (48), 5 pp 676-689, Published

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The impact of autonomy-framed and control-framed implementation intentions on snacking behaviour: the moderating effect of eating self-efficacy

Churchill, Susan, Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul, 2019, Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being (11), 1 pp 42-58, Published

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Proscriptive vs. prescriptive health recommendations to drink alcohol within recommended limits: effects on moral norms, reactance, attitudes, intentions, and behaviour change

Pavey, L., Sparks, P. and Churchill, S., 2018, Alcohol and Alcoholism (53), 3 pp 344-349, Published

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Perceived barriers and facilitators of exercise and healthy dietary choices: a study of employees and managers within a large transport organisation

Donaldson-Feilder, Emma, Lewis, Rachel, Pavey, Louisa, Jones, Bethan, Green, Melanie and Webster, Angela, 2017, Health Education Journal (76), 6 pp 661-675, Published

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Impulsivity and temporal frame: reducing frequency of snacking by highlighting immediate health benefits

Pavey, Louisa and Churchill, Sue, 2017, Eating Behaviors (26) pp 1-5, Published

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Psychological rumination and recovery from work in Intensive Care Professionals: associations with stress, burnout, depression, and health

Vandevala, Tushna, Pavey, Louisa, Chelidoni, Olga, Chang, Nai Feng, Creagh-Brown, Ben and Cox, Anna, 2017, Journal of Intensive Care (5), 16, Published

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Persuading people to drink less alcohol: the role of message framing, temporal focus and autonomy

Churchill, Susan, Pavey, Louisa, Jessop, Donna and Sparks, Paul, 2016, Alcohol and Alcoholism (51), 6 pp 727-733, Published

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Identity appropriateness and the structure of the theory of planned behaviour

Case, Philippa, Sparks, Paul and Pavey, Louisa, 2016, British Journal of Social Psychology (55), 1 pp 109-125, Published

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Promoting the avoidance of high-calorie snacks: the role of temporal message framing and eating self-efficacy

Churchill, Susan, Good, Anna and Pavey, Louisa, 2014, Appetite (80) pp 131-136, Published

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Promoting the avoidance of high-calorie snacks: priming autonomy moderates message framing effects

Pavey, Louisa and Churchill, Sue, 2014, PLoS ONE (9), 7, Published

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Connectedness and its consequences: a study of relationships with the natural environment

Sparks, Paul, Hinds, Joe, Curnock, Susan and Pavey, Louisa, 2014, Journal of Applied Social Psychology (44), 3 pp 166-174, Published

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Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption: the role of message framing and autonomy

Churchill, Sue and Pavey, Louisa, 2013, British Journal of Health Psychology (18), 3 pp 610-622, Published

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"I help because I want to, not because you tell me to": Empathy increases autonomously motivated helping

Pavey, Louisa, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul, 2012, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (38), 5 pp 681-689, Published

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Autonomy and defensiveness: experimentally increasing adaptive responses to health-risk information via priming and self-affirmation

Pavey, Louisa J. and Sparks, Paul, 2012, Psychology & Health (27), 3 pp 259-276, Published

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Highlighting relatedness promotes prosocial motives and behavior

Pavey, Louisa, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul, 2011, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (37), 7 pp 905-917, Published

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Autonomy and reactions to health-risk information

Pavey, Louisa Jane and Sparks, Paul, 2010, Psychology and Health (25), 7 pp 855-872, Published

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Contextual modulation of biases in face recognition

Felisberti, Fatima Maria and Pavey, Louisa, 2010, PLoS ONE (5), 9, Published

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Reactance, autonomy and paths to persuasion: Examining perceptions of threats to freedom and informational value

Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul, 2009, Motivation and Emotion (33), 3 pp 277-290, Published

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Threats to autonomy: motivational responses to risk information

Pavey, Louisa J. and Sparks, Paul, 2008, European Journal of Social Psychology (38), 5 pp 852-865, Published

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Barriers and facilitators of vaccination uptake for neurodivergent children and young people: A systematic narrative literature review

Pavey, Louisa(2026). [Published]

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Perceived legitimacy can moderate the effect of proscriptive versus prescriptive injunctions on intentions to comply with UK government COVID-19 guidelines and reactance

Pavey, Louisa and Churchill, Susan(2023). [Published]

View this conference item

Moral obligation, autonomous motivation, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: Highlighting moral obligation increases reactance in hesitant individuals

Pavey, Louisa(2022). [Published]

View this conference item

Occupational stress and health during the Covid-19 pandemic: mediating effects of work-related rumination

Pavey, Louisa(2021). [Published]

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Occupational stress and health during the Covid-19 pandemic: the role of work-related rumination, intolerance of uncertainty, and financial concern

Pavey, Louisa(2021). [Published]

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Proscriptive vs prescriptive messages: perceived legitimacy and reactance effects

Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Susan and Sparks, Paul(2019). [Published]

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Proscriptive vs. prescriptive health recommendations to drink alcohol within recommended limits: effects on moral norms, attitudes, intentions, and behaviour change

Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Susan and Sparks, Paul(2017). [Published]

View this conference item

Temporal frame and the consumption of high calorie snacks: moderating effects of impulsivity

Pavey, Louisa and Churchill, Susan(2014). [Published]

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Promoting healthy dietary behaviour: the role of message framing and autonomy.

Pavey, Louisa and Churchill, Susan(2012). [Published]

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Motivating employees to take part in health promotion programmes: review of the literature

Pavey, Louisa(2012). [Published]

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Self-affirmation and social behavior: enhancing feelings of connectedness to others

Pavey, Louisa(2011). [Published]

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Highlighting relatedness promotes prosocial motivation and behaviour

Pavey, Louisa, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul(2010). [Published]

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Self-determination and altruism: priming relatedness needs promotes prosocial motives and behaviour

Greitemeyer, Tobias, Sparks, Paul and Pavey, Louisa(2010). [Published]

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Autonomy affirmation: experimentally increasing adaptive responses to risk information

Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul(2009). [Published]

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