Dr Louisa Pavey
Faculties, departments and locations
- Faculty of Business and Social Sciences
- Department of Psychology
- School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences
- Penrhyn Road
Associate Professor
- Email:
- [email protected]
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
I was appointed as co-Course Director for BSc Psychology, BSc Psychology with Criminology, BSc Psychology with Sociology, and BSc Business Psychology in 2024. Please get in touch if you would like to find out more about the Psychology undergraduate programmes at Kingston University. I also contribute to teaching on the MSc Clinical Applications of Psychology and MSc Psychology programmes.
Course director
Courses taught
I completed my PhD and postdoctoral research at the University of Sussex. My ESRC funded PhD examined the role of autonomy in health communication and health behaviour change, and my postdoctoral research work applied Self-determination Theory to the promotion of prosocial behaviours. Since joining Kingston University, my research has examined the role of reactance, temporal framing, impulsivity, prescriptive vs. proscriptive messaging, and implementation intentions in health behaviour change, exploring both conscious and nonconscious processes. My broad research interests are in behaviour change, message framing, and motivational responses to persuasion, and I supervise PhD students in these areas. I am a member of the Clinical and Applied Behavioural Research Group in the Department of Psychology.
Please contact me if you are interested in applying for a PhD in the areas of health psychology or behavioural science.
Specialisms
- Health Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Communication and Persuasion
- Behaviour Change
- Message Framing
Scholarly affiliations
- British Psychological Association
- European Health Psychology Society
- European Association of Social Psychology
- Behavioural Science and Public Health Network
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
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
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), 5pp 432-442, Published
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), 5pp 676-689, Published
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), 1pp 42-58, Published
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), 3pp 344-349, Published
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), 6pp 661-675, Published
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
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
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), 6pp 727-733, Published
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), 1pp 109-125, Published
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
Promoting the avoidance of high-calorie snacks: priming autonomy moderates message framing effects
Pavey, Louisa and Churchill, Sue, 2014, PLoS ONE (9), 7, Published
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), 3pp 166-174, Published
Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption: the role of message framing and autonomy
Churchill, Sue and Pavey, Louisa, 2013, British Journal of Health Psychology (18), 3pp 610-622, Published
"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), 5pp 681-689, Published
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), 3pp 259-276, Published
Highlighting relatedness promotes prosocial motives and behavior
Pavey, Louisa, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul, 2011, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (37), 7pp 905-917, Published
Autonomy and reactions to health-risk information
Pavey, Louisa Jane and Sparks, Paul, 2010, Psychology and Health (25), 7pp 855-872, Published
Contextual modulation of biases in face recognition
Felisberti, Fatima Maria and Pavey, Louisa, 2010, PLoS ONE (5), 9, Published
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), 3pp 277-290, Published
Threats to autonomy: motivational responses to risk information
Pavey, Louisa J. and Sparks, Paul, 2008, European Journal of Social Psychology (38), 5pp 852-865, Published
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]
Moral obligation, autonomous motivation, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: Highlighting moral obligation increases reactance in hesitant individuals
Pavey, Louisa(2022). [Published]
Occupational stress and health during the Covid-19 pandemic: mediating effects of work-related rumination
Pavey, Louisa(2021). [Published]
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]
Proscriptive vs prescriptive messages: perceived legitimacy and reactance effects
Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Susan and Sparks, Paul(2019). [Published]
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]
Temporal frame and the consumption of high calorie snacks: moderating effects of impulsivity
Pavey, Louisa and Churchill, Susan(2014). [Published]
Promoting healthy dietary behaviour: the role of message framing and autonomy.
Pavey, Louisa and Churchill, Susan(2012). [Published]
Motivating employees to take part in health promotion programmes: review of the literature
Pavey, Louisa(2012). [Published]
Self-affirmation and social behavior: enhancing feelings of connectedness to others
Pavey, Louisa(2011). [Published]
Highlighting relatedness promotes prosocial motivation and behaviour
Pavey, Louisa, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul(2010). [Published]
Self-determination and altruism: priming relatedness needs promotes prosocial motives and behaviour
Greitemeyer, Tobias, Sparks, Paul and Pavey, Louisa(2010). [Published]
Autonomy affirmation: experimentally increasing adaptive responses to risk information
Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul(2009). [Published]