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I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at ³Ô¹ÏÍø. I received my B.Sc. in Psychology from Bishop’s University, and my M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology at Concordia University. I also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Emotion & Emotion Regulation Lab and the Berkeley Personality Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. I gratefully acknowledge funding from SSHRC and CFI.
My research interests are broad, spanning lifespan, social, personality, and health psychology. I explore the age-related structures, functions, and consequences of emotional experiences. In addition, I examine self-regulatory factors that protect older adults’ well-being and health well into advanced old age. Finally, I investigate experiences, beliefs, and definitions of well-being across the adult lifespan.
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- PhD Dissertation Award, Certificate of Academic Excellence, Canadian Psychological Association
- The Eileen Healy Prize for Leadership, Lampe Foundation
I am currently recruiting undergraduate students (honours thesis and research assistantships) and graduate students. Visit to find out more about the lab.
- Barlow, M. A., Wrosch, C., Hamm, J., *Sacher, T., Miller, G. E., & Kunzmann, U. (2022). Discrete Negative Emotions and Goal Disengagement in Older Adulthood: Context Effects and Associations with Emotional Well-Being. Emotion. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001091
- Hamm, J. M., Tan, J., Barlow, M. A., Delaney, R., & Duggan, K. (2022). Goal Adjustment Capacities in Uncontrollable Life Circumstances: Benefits for Psychological Well-Being During COVID-19. Motivation and Emotion. 46(3), 319-335. doi: 10.1007/s11031-022-09941-6
- Wrosch, C., *Borenstein-Laurie, J., Barlow, M. A., & Renaud, J. (2022). The importance of optimism for adaptive self-regulation: Associations with subjective well-being and physical health. In F. M. Sirois (Ed.), Palgrave Handbook of Positive Psychology and Health. Springer Nature.
- Martiniello, N., Barlow, M. A., & Wittich, W. (2021). Exploring correlates of braille reading performance in adults and older adults with visual impairment: A retrospective study. Scientific Studies on Reading. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/10888438.2021.1969402
- Hamm, J. M., Wrosch, C., Barlow, M. A., & Kunzmann, U. (2021). A tale of two emotions: The diverging salience and health consequences of calmness and excitement in old age. Psychology and Aging, 36, 626-641. doi: 10.1037/pag0000512.
- Scheier, M. F., Swanson, J. D., Barlow, M. A., Greenhouse, J. B., Wrosch, C., & Tindle, H. A. (2021). Optimism versus pessimism as predictors of physical well-being: A meta-analytic study of dispositional optimism. American Psychologist, 76, 529–548. doi: 10.1037/amp0000666
- Holding, A., Barlow, M. A., Koestner, R., & Wrosch, C. (2020). Why are we together? A dyadic longitudinal investigation of relationship motivation, goal progress and adjustment. Journal of Personality, 88, 464-477. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12503
- Barlow, M. A., Wrosch, C., & McGrath, J. (2020). Goal adjustment capacities and quality of life: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality, 88, 307-323. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12492
- Barlow, M. A., Wrosch, C., Gouin, J. P. & Kunzmann, U. (2019). Is anger, but not sadness, associated with chronic inflammation in older adulthood? Psychology and Aging, 34, 330-340. doi: 10.1037/pag0000348
- Wrosch, C., Barlow, M. A., & Kunzmann, U. (2018). Age-related changes in older adults’ anger and sadness: The role of perceived control. Psychology and Aging, 33, 350-360. doi: 10.1037/pag0000229
- Barlow, M. A., Wrosch, C., Heckhausen, J., & Schulz, R. (2017). Control strategies for managing physical health problems in old age: Evidence for the motivational theory of life-span development. In J. W. Reich & F. J. Infurna (Eds), Perceived control: Theory, research, and practice in the first 50 years. Oxford University Press.
- Barlow, M. A., Liu, S., & Wrosch, C. (2015). Chronic illness and loneliness in older adulthood: The role of self-protective control strategies. Health Psychology, 34, 870-879. doi: 10.1037/hea0000182
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