Paul A. O'Keefe
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Paul A. O’Keefe, Ph.D. is a social psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Yale-NUS College. He is also Director of the Mindsets & Motivation Lab, which focuses on research pertaining to goal pursuit with particular attention to motivational factors, including interest, implicit self-theories, and self-regulation.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and subsequently joined the Yale University Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise where he worked with Robert J. Sternberg as a research assistant. In 2009, he completed his doctoral training in social psychology at Duke University, after which he was awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Postdoctoral Fellowship, a position he held at Stanford University where he worked with Carol S. Dweck.
Primary Interests:
- Attitudes and Beliefs
- Causal Attribution
- Motivation, Goal Setting
- Organizational Behavior
- Social Cognition
Research Group or Laboratory:
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Thoughts on Wellness
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4:0 Thoughts on Wellness
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33:1 Climbing Out of Poverty: The Role of Implicit Theories of Opportunity
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1:13:42 The Benefits of Viewing Interests As Developed, Not Fixed
Books:
- O’Keefe, P. A. & Harackiewicz, J. M. (Eds.) (under contract). The psychology of interest: Perspectives, functions, development, and spectrum. Springer.
Journal Articles:
- Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., Middleton, M., Ciani, K. D., Easter, M. A., O’Keefe, P. A., & Zusho, A. (2012). Performance approach and avoidance goal orientations: Pressing theoretical and methodological concerns. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 281-301. doi: 10.1080/00461520.2012.722515
- O’Keefe, P. A., Ben-Eliyahu, A., & Linnenbrink-Garcia, L. (2013). Shaping achievement goal orientations in a mastery-structured environment and concomitant changes in related contingencies of self-worth. Motivation and Emotion, 37(1), 50-64. doi: 10.1007/s11031-012-9293-6
- O’Keefe, P. A., Letourneau, S., Milne, C., Homer, B. D., Schwartz, R., & Plass, J. L. (2014). Learning from multiple representations: An examination of fixation patterns in a science simulation. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 234-242. dol:10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.040
- O’Keefe, P. A., & Linnenbrink-Garcia, L. (2014). The role of interest in optimizing performance and self-regulation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 53, 70-78. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.02.004
- Plante, I., O’Keefe, P. A., & Théorêt, M. (2013). The relation between achievement goal and expectancy-value theories in predicting achievement-related outcomes: A test of four theoretical conceptions. Motivation and Emotion, 37(1), 65-78. doi: 10.1007/s11031-012-9282-9
- Plass, J., O’Keefe, P. A., Homer, B. D., Case, J., Hayward, E., Stein., M., & Perlin, K. (2013). The impact of individual, competitive, and collaborative mathematics game play on learning, performance, and motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(4), 1050-1066. doi: 10.1037/a0032688
Other Publications:
- Grigorenko, E. L., & O’Keefe, P. A. (2004). Dealing with change: Manifestations, measurements, and methods. In A. Demetriou & A. Raftopoulos (Eds.), Cognitive developmental change: Theories, models and measurement. New York: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511489938.012
- Grigorenko, E. L., & O’Keefe, P. A. (2004). What do children do when they cannot go to school? In R. J. Sternberg & E. L. Grigorenko (Eds.), Culture and competence: Contexts of life success. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/10681-002
- O’Keefe, P. A. (2014). Liking work really matters. New York Times, p. 12.
- O’Keefe, P. A. (2013). Mindsets and self-evaluation: How beliefs about intelligence can create a preference for growth over defensiveness. In S. B. Kaufman (Ed.), The complexity of greatness: Beyond talent or practice, 119-134. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199794003.003.0008
- O’Keefe, P. A. (2007). Social judgment theory. In W. Darity (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan Reference USA.
- O’Keefe, P. A. (2002). Teenager: A damaging and outdated label. [Review of T. Hine (Ed.), The rise and fall of the American teenager]. Contemporary Psychology, 47, 480-481.
Courses Taught:
- Applied Analysis of Variance
- Applied Correlation and Regression Analysis
- Introductory Psychology
- Measuring Engagement
- Social and Personality Psychology
- Social Psychology
Paul A. O'Keefe
Department of Social Sciences
Yale-NUS College
6 College Avenue East, #B1-01
138614 Singapore
Singapore
- Work: +65 6601 3698
- Mobile: +65 8245 8546
- Skype Name: Paul O'Keefe