Education
Ph.D., Social/Personality Psychology, University of Rochester
Awards
St. Lawrence University Greek Council, Faculty of the Year, 2011
SUNY Potsdam, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, Favorite Faculty of the Year (top five), 2009
University of Rochester, Helen and Vincent Nowlis Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring, 2007
Research Interests
My primary line of research centers on various aspects of achievement motivation. Most of my recent work has looked at patterns and mechanisms of achievement goal stability and change, with the aim of explicitly integrating the dynamic aspect of classic achievement motivation theory into the modern achievement goal approach. Repeated competence information may be particularly relevant to students making the transition from elementary school to middle school. The challenges of the middle school transition are likely to have an effect on the achievement goals that students choose, which can have a substantial effect on how successfully the student navigates this transition.
Achievement goals also depend heavily on other influences within the environment and within the person. Some of my previous work has examined the contextual factors that are important in forming perceptions of classroom context. I've been able to take research assistants into middle schools and high schools to code the physical structure of the classrooms, to provide an objective identification of the classroom goal structure, separate from the students' subjective assessments. Motive dispositions, such as fear of failure and need for achievement, are also very important antecedents of achievement goals. These motives are thought to be passed along from our environments, especially our parents. To look at the socialization processes associated with this intergenerational transmission, I've worked with many undergraduate research assistants on the coding of child drawings, videotaped mother-child interactions, and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) stories.
It is also important to consider the reasons behind the endorsement of achievement goals. For example, the same questionnaire item may be given identical ratings by different individuals, but the interpretation of the item can be vastly different. I've begun by combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the reasons individuals adopt achievement goals, as well as the effects of the goal-reason interactions on relevant achievement outcomes. I've been able to work with several undergraduates in developing coding schemes and working with free-response data.
Recently, my colleagues and I have started extending my work on achievement goals into health-related thoughts and behaviors. We all use various sources of information to determine how healthy we are, and differences in the usage of these sources of information are likely associated with differences in health behaviors, wellness outcomes, and thoughts about the self.
I'm also very interested in how we develop identity and create meaning through the construction of personal narratives, or life stories. Life stories consist of several episodes, or "scenes," that help individuals convey information about themselves beyond simple autobiographical facts. These episodes are not necessarily experienced as significant components of the life story as they occur, nor are the scenes necessarily important in an objective sense. Rather, construction of a personal narrative occurs largely through subjective interpretations, and in doing so, provides our stories with a sense of coherence. Some of my previous work has focused on how themes of redemption and contamination are used in turning point and peak experience scenes, and how these relate to outcomes such as revelation and need satisfaction.
Selected Publications
Thrash, T. M., Maruskin, L. A., Cassidy, S. E., Fryer, J. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). Mediating between the muse and the masses: Inspiration and the actualization of creative ideas. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98, 469-487.
Elliot, A. J., & Fryer, J. W. (2008). The goal construct in psychology. In J. Shah & W. Gardner (Eds.), Handbook of Motivational Science (pp. 235-250). New York: Guilford Press.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2007). Stability and change in achievement goals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 700-714.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2007). Self-regulation of achievement goal pursuit. In D. Schunk & B. Zimmerman (Eds.), Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning: Theory, Research, and Applications (pp. 53-76). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Selected Conference Presentations
Fryer, J. W., & Patnode, K. (2012, January). Staring into the waters at the Jersey Shore: Examining the foundations of narcissistic behaviors. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA.
O'Loughlin, R. E., & Fryer, J. W. (2012, January). Further validation a 2 x 2 measure of health-related goals. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2011, June). Stability and change in achievement goals across the middle school transition. Paper presented at the Sixth SELF Biennial International Conference, Quebec City, QC, Canada.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2011, January). The dynamics of achievement: Repeated competence-relevant events and patterns of achievement goal stability and change. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, TX.
O'Loughlin, R. E., & Fryer, J. W. (2011, January). Developing a 2 x 2 measure of goals for health behaviors. Poster presented to the annual meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, TX.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2010, April). Intraindividual stability in achievement goals across the middle school transition. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.
Fryer, J. W., Elliot, A. J., & Law, W. (2010, March). Classroom context, achievement goal stability, and academic performance. Invited talk; University of Maryland, Department of Human Development; College Park, MD.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2010, January). Achievement goals and self-handicapping excuses. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, NV.
Fryer, J. W., Elliot, A. J., & Law, W. (2009, April). The effect of classroom context on achievement goal stability and change. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2009, February). The role of goal valence and goal abstraction on subjective well-being: A personal goals analysis. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, Tampa, FL.
Fryer, J. W. (2008, March). Motivating self-regulated learners: Theory, research and applications. Panel presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2008, March). Resilience and vulnerability of achievement goals. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
Fryer, J. W., & Elliot, A. J. (2008, February). When to persist and when to desist: Predictors of intraindividual stability in achievement goals. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, Albuquerque, NM.
Fryer, J. W., & Thrash, T. M. (2007, May). Personal growth, revelation, and need satisfaction in life story episodes. Poster session presented at the Third International Conference on Self-Determination Theory, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Fryer, J. W., Zahn, I., & Elliot, A. J. (2007, April). The reasons behind achievement goal endorsement: A qualitative analysis. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.