Tara MacDonald
Professor
Department of Psychology
B.A.,(Hons.) University of Western Ontario, 1991
Ph.D., University of Waterloo, 1996
Research Interests
I am generally interested in studying situations in which people fail to attend to all of the relevant information in their environment, and the reasons for this neglect. In my primary area of study, I am currently assessing how the restriction of cognitive capacity associated with alcohol intoxication affects the decision to engage in risky behaviors. For example, I have been studying how alcohol affects attitudes and intentions to drink and drive or have sex without a condom. When asked about their intentions to drink and drive, or to have intercourse without a condom, university students typically report that they would not engage in these behaviours. Accordingly, one might expect that the incidence of these health-risk behaviours would be relatively low. Instead, the incidence continues to be alarmingly high. The goal of my research is to examine why people engage in these behaviours that contradict their attitudes and intentions, even when doing so can have powerful negative consequences. Other research interests include attitudinal ambivalence, and the influence of romantic relationship properties on health outcomes.
Selected Publications
Wood, V. M., MacDonald, T. K., Charbonneau, D., & Urban, S. (in press). Adult Attachment and Spousal Reactions to Military Deployment Separations and Reunion. Personal Relationships.
Wallace, L. E., Patton, K. M., Luttrell, A., Sawicki, V., Fabrigar, L. R., Teeny, J., MacDonald, T.K., Petty, R. E., & Wegener, D. T. (in press). Knowledge moderates the relation between ambivalence and attitude-behavior consistency. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Quickert, R. E., Vaughan-Johnston, T. I., & MacDonald, T. K. (in press). Experiential avoidance biases mood-relevant thinking. Personality and Individual Differences.
MacDonald, T. K., Wood, V. M., & Fabrigar, L. R. (2019). “Digging in” or “Giving in”: Attachment-related threat moderates the association between attachment orientation and reactions to conflict. European Journal of Social Psychology, 49, 1237-1254.
Smith, J. D., Corace, K. M., MacDonald, T. K., Fabrigar, L. R., Saedi, A., Chambers, A., MacFarlane, S., Valickis, D., & Garber, G. E. (2019). Application of the Theoretical Domains Framework to identify factors that influence hand hygiene compliance in long-term care. Journal of Hospital Infection, 101, 393-398.
Stone, R. C., Sweet, S., Perrier, M., MacDonald, T. K., Martin Ginis, K. A., & Latimer-Cheung, A. E. (2019). Exploring stereotypes of athletes with a disability: A Behaviours from Intergroup Affect and Stereotypes map comparison. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 39, 339-358.
Leung, P. C., & MacDonald, T. K. (2018). Attitudes toward condom carriers: The role of gender. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 27, 215-225.
Vaughan-Johnston, T., Quickert, R., & MacDonald, T.K. (2017). Psychological Flexibility Under Fire: Testing the Incremental Validity of Experiential Avoidance. Personality and Individual Differences, 105, 335-349.
MacDonald, T. K., McKenna, & C. Mouck, L. C. (2016). The Person and the Partner: Individual differences moderate the relationship between partner feedback and condom use. AIDS and Behavior, 20, 185-196.
Corace, K., Srigley, J. A., Hargadon, D. P., Yu, D., MacDonald, T. K., Fabrigar, L. R., & Garber, G. 2016). Using behavior change frameworks to improve healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates: A systematic review. Vaccine, 34, 3235–3242.
Cappel, J., MacDonald, T. K., & Pukall, C. F. (2016). For new mothers, the relationship matters: Relationship characteristics and postpartum sexuality. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 25, 126-137.
Karimiha, G., Rehman, U., & MacDonald, T. K (2015). The Individual and Relational Risks of Providing Support to an Inconsolable Partner. Personal Relationships, 22, 604-620.
Srigley, J. A., Corace, K., Hargadon, D. P., Yu, D., MacDonald, T. K., Fabrigar, L. R., & Garber, G. (2015). Applying psychological frameworks of behavior change to improve healthcare worker hand hygiene: A systematic review. Journal of Hospital Infection, 91, 202-210.
Carter, A. M., Fabrigar, L. R., MacDonald, T. K., & Monner, L. J. (2013). Investigating the Interface of the Investment Model and Adult Attachment Theory. European Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 661-672.
Refling, E. J., Calnan. C., Fabrigar, L. R., MacDonald, T. K., Johnson, V. C., & Smith, S. M. (2013). To Partition or Not to Partition Evaluative Judgments: Comparing Measures of Structural Ambivalence. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4, 387-394.
Ng, A., Hynie, M., & MacDonald, T. K. (2012). Culture Moderates the Pliability of Ambivalent Attitudes. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43, 1313-1324.
Ebel-Lam, A., Fabrigar, L., MacDonald, T. K., & Jones, S. (2010). Balancing causes and consequences: The proportionality principle in explanations for complex social events. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 32, 348-359.
Fabrigar, L.R., Wegener, D T., & MacDonald, T.K. (2010). Distinguishing between prediction and influence: Multiple processes underlying attitude-behavior consistency. In C.R. Agnew, D.E. Carlston, W.G. Graziano, & J.R. Kelly (Eds.), Then a miracle occurs: Focusing on behavior in social psychological theory and research. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
Waller, K., & MacDonald, T.K. (2010). Trait Self-Esteem Moderates the Effect of Initiator Status on Emotional and Cognitive Responses to Romantic Relationship Dissolution. Journal of Personality, 78, 1271-1299.
Ebel-Lam, A.P., MacDonald, T.K., Zanna, M.P., & Fong, G.T. (2009). An Experimental Investigation of the Interactive Effects of Alcohol and Sexual Arousal on Intentions to Have Unprotected Sex. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 31, 226-233
MacDonald, T.K., & Hynie, M. (2008). Ambivalence and Unprotected Sex: Failing to Predict Sexual Activity is associated with Decreased Condom Use. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 38, 1092-1107.
Klein, W. M.P., Geaghan, T.R., & MacDonald, T.K. (2007). Unplanned Sexual Activity as a Consequence of Alcohol Use: A Prospective Study of Risk Perceptions and Alcohol Use among College Freshmen. Journal of American College Health, 56, 317-323.
Hynie, M., MacDonald, T.K., & Marques, S. (2006). Self-conscious emotions and self-regulation in the promotion of condom use. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 1059-1071.
Starzyk, K.B., Holden. R.R., Fabrigar, L.R., & MacDonald, T.K. (2006). The Personal Acquaintance Measure: A Tool for Appraising One's Acquaintance with Any Person. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 833-947.
Ditto, P.H., Pizarro, D.A., Epstein, E., Jacobson, J.A., & MacDonald, T. K. (2006). Motivational Myopia: Visceral Influences on Risk Taking Behavior. Journal of Behavioral Decision-Making, 19, 99-113.
Dal Cin. S., MacDonald, T.K., Fong, G.T., Zanna, M. P., & Elton, T.E. (2006). Remembering the Message: Using a Reminder Cue to Increase Condom Use Following a Safer Sex Intervention. Health Psychology, 25, 448-443.
Fabrigar, L.R., MacDonald, T.K., & Wegener, D T. (2005). The origin and structure of attitudes. In D. Albarracin, B.T. Johnson, & M.P. Zanna (Eds.), Handbook of attitudes and attitude change. (pp. 79-124). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.