Samuel D Gosling
Professor — Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Contact
- E-mail: samg@austin.utexas.edu
- Phone: (512) 471-1628
- Office: SEA 3.224
- Campus Mail Code: A8000
Interests
Interpersonal perception, personality and temperament in non-human animals, and internet research methods
Courses
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology-Wb
41290 • Fall 2020
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM
Internet; Synchronous
E
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
41510 • Fall 2019
Meets TTH 1:00PM-2:30PM SEA 2.114
E
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
41515 • Fall 2019
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM
Two-way Interactive Video
E
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
43026 • Fall 2017
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM
Two-way Interactive Video
E
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
43032 • Fall 2017
Meets TTH 1:00PM-2:30PM SEA 2.114
E
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
42975 • Fall 2016
Meets TTH 1:00PM-2:30PM SEA 2.114
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
42980 • Fall 2016
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM
Two-way Interactive Video
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
42210 • Spring 2016
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM
Two-way Interactive Video
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
42165-42175 • Fall 2015
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM
Two-way Interactive Video
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
42509 • Spring 2015
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM
Hybrid/Blended
PSY 394V • Curr Tpcs In Social-Pers Psy
42955 • Spring 2015
Meets W 4:00PM-7:00PM SEA 1.332
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
43550-43558 • Fall 2014
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM
Two-way Interactive Video
SB
PSY 394V • Curr Tpcs In Social-Pers Psy
44375 • Spring 2014
Meets W 4:00PM-7:00PM SEA 3.250
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
43600 • Fall 2013
Meets TTH 4:00PM-5:30PM GAR 0.128
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
43152 • Fall 2012
Meets TTH 4:00PM-5:30PM
Hybrid/Blended
SB
PSY 341K • Personality Assessment
43300 • Spring 2012
Meets T 3:30PM-6:30PM SEA 2.108
Wr
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
43040 • Fall 2011
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM BUR 106
SB
PSY 341K • Personality Assessment
43790 • Spring 2011
Meets TH 3:30PM-6:30PM SEA 2.108
Wr
PSY 394V • Adv Tpcs In Personality Psych
44045 • Spring 2011
Meets T 6:00PM-9:00PM SEA 3.250
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
43000 • Fall 2010
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM BUR 106
SB
PSY 394V • Smnr In Socl & Personality Psy
44210 • Spring 2010
Meets W 4:00PM-7:00PM SEA 1.332
PSY 341K • Personality Assessment-W
44140 • Fall 2009
Meets T 3:30PM-6:30PM SEA 2.108
C2
PSY 385N • Fundmntls Of Personality Psy
44245 • Fall 2009
Meets W 1:00PM-4:00PM SEA 1.332
(also listed as PSY 394V)
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
44040 • Fall 2008
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM BUR 106
SB
PSY 394V • Smnr In Socl & Personality Psy
44480 • Fall 2008
Meets T 5:00PM-8:00PM SEA 3.250
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
44895 • Fall 2007
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM BUR 106
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
44665 • Fall 2006
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM BUR 106
SB
PSY 394V • Smnr In Socl & Personality Psy
45145 • Fall 2006
Meets W 5:00PM-8:00PM SEA 4.242
PSY 341K • Personality Assessment-W
43045 • Spring 2006
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM ETC 2.102
C2
PSY 394V • Smnr In Socl And Personlty Psy
43305 • Fall 2005
Meets W 5:00PM-8:00PM SEA 3.250
PSY 394V • Fundmntls Of Personality Psy
41815 • Spring 2005
Meets W 2:00PM-5:00PM SEA 3.430B
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
42365 • Fall 2004
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM ART 1.102
SB
PSY 341K • Personality Assessment-W
42620 • Fall 2004
Meets TTH 11:00AM-12:30PM PMA 5.112
C2
PSY 394V • Personality Thry And Research
40560 • Spring 2003
Meets T 2:00PM-5:00PM SEA 5.106
PSY 394V • Curr Tpcs In Social-Pers Psy
40575 • Spring 2003
Meets T 5:00PM-8:00PM SEA 5.106
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
40715 • Fall 2002
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM BUR 106
SB
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
39910 • Spring 2002
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM BAT 7
SB
PSY 394V • Curr Tpcs In Social-Pers Psy
40420 • Spring 2002
Meets TH 5:00PM-6:30PM BEN 318
PSY 341K • Personality Assessment-W
41170 • Fall 2001
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM SZB 422
C2
PSY 394V • Curr Tpcs In Social-Pers Psy
41385 • Fall 2001
Meets T 5:00PM-8:00PM BEN 422
PSY 301 • Introduction To Psychology
39705 • Spring 2001
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM UTC 2.112A
SB
PSY 341K • Personality Assessment-W
40885 • Fall 2000
Meets TTH 11:00AM-12:30PM GAR 5
C2
PSY 394V • Personality Thry And Research
41165 • Fall 2000
Meets TH 2:00PM-5:00PM BEN 422
Publications
- The Expression and Perception of Personality in Everyday Life
- Geographic/Spatial Distributions of Psychological Characteristics
- Personality in Non-Human Animals
- Internet Methods
- Personality and Political Orientation
- Scales and Measurement
- Historical Trends in Psychology
- Others
The Expression and Perception of Personality in Everyday Life
Back, M. D., Stopfer, J. M., Vazire, S., Gaddis, S., Schmukle, S. C., Egloff, B., & Gosling, S. D. (2010). Facebook profiles reflect actual personality not self-idealization. Psychological Science, 21, 372-374.
Carney, D. R., Jost, J. T., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2008). The secret lives of liberals and conservatives: Personality profiles, interaction styles, and the things they leave behind. Political Psychology, 29, 807-840.
Gebauer, J. E., Bleidorn, W., Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., Lamb, M. E., & Potter, J. (in press). Cross-Cultural Variations in Big Five Relations with Religiosity: A Socio-Cultural Motives Perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Gosling, S. D., Augustine, A. A., Vazire, S., Holtzman, N., & Gaddis, S. (2011). Manifestations of personality in Online Social Networks: Self-reported Facebook-related behaviors and observable profile information. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14, 483-488. [DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2010.0087]
Gosling, S. D., Gaddis, S., & Vazire, S. (2008). First impressions based on the environments we create and inhabit. In N. Ambady, & J. J. Skowronski (Eds.), First Impressions (pp. 334-356). New York: Guilford.
Gosling, S. D., Gifford, R., & McCunn, L. (2013). The selection, creation, and perception of interior spaces: An environmental psychology approach. In G. Brooker & L. Weinthal (Eds.), The Handbook of Interior Design (pp. 278-290). Oxford, UK: Berg.
Gosling, S. D., Ko, S. J., Mannarelli, T., & Morris, M. E. (2002). A Room with a cue: Judgments of personality based on offices and bedrooms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 379-398. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D., Sandy, C. J., & Potter, J. (2010). Personalities of self-identified “dog people” and “cat people.” Anthrozoös, 23, 213-222.
Graham, L. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2012). Impressions of World of Warcraft players’ personalities based on their usernames: Interobserver consensus but no accuracy.Journal of Research in Personality, 46, 599-603.
Graham, L. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Personality profiles associated with different motivations for playing World of Warcraft. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16, 189-193.
Graham, L. T., & Sandy, C. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2011). Manifestations of individual differences in physical and virtual environments. In T. Chamorro-Premuzic, S. von Stumm, & A. Furnham (Eds.), Handbook of Individual Differences (pp. 773-800). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Mehl, M. R., Gosling, S. D., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2006). Personality in its natural habitat: Manifestations and implicit folk theories of personality in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 862-877.
Naumann, L. P., Vazire, S., Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2009). Personality judgments based on physical appearance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1661-1671
Obschonka, M., Schmitt-Rodermund, E., Silbereisen, R. K., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2013). The regional distribution and correlates of an entrepreneurship-prone personality profile in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom: A socioecological perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 104-122. [DOI: 10.1037/a0032275]
Rentfrow, P. J., Goldberg, L. R., Stillwell, D. J., Kosinski, M., Gosling, S. D., & Levitin, D. J. (2012). The song remains the same: A replication and extension of the MUSIC model. Music Perception, 30,161-185. [DOI: 10.1525/MP.2012.30.2.161]
Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2003). The do re mi’s of everyday life: The structure and personality correlates of music preferences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1236-1256. [Available in pdf]
Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2006). Message in a Ballad: The role of music preferences in interpersonal perception. Psychological Science, 17, 236-242. [Available in pdf]
Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2007). The content and validity of music-genre stereotypes among college students. Psychology of Music, 35, 306-326.
Rentfrow, P. J., Gosling, S. D., Jokela, M., Stillwell, D. J., Kosinski, M., & Potter, J. (2013). Divided We Stand: Three Psychological Regions of the United States and their Political, Economic, Social, and Health Correlates. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 996-1012. [DOI: 10.1037/a0034434]
Rentfrow, P. J., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2008). A theory of the emergence, persistence, and expression of geographic variation in psychological characteristics. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3, 339-369.
Sandy, C. J., Gosling, S. D., & Durant, J. (2013). Predicting Consumer Behavior and Media Preferences: The Comparative Validity of Personality Traits and Demographic Variables. Psychology and Marketing, 30, 937-949. [DOI: 10.1002/mar.20657]
Swann, W. B., Jr., Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2003). The precarious couple effect: Verbally inhibited men + critical, disinhibited women = bad chemistry. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 1095-1106. [Available in pdf]
Vazire, S., Naumann, L. P., Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2009). Smiling reflects different emotions in men and women. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 403-405.
Vazire, S., Naumann, L. P., Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2008). Portrait of a narcissist: Manifestations of narcissism in physical appearance. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 1439-1447.
Vazire, S. & Gosling, S. D. (2004). e-perceptions: Personality impressions based on personal websites. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 123-132. [Available in pdf]
Wilson, R. E., Gosling, S. D., & Graham, L. T. (2012). A review of Facebook research in the social sciences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 203-220. [DOI 10.1177/1745691612442904]
Geographic/Spatial Distributions of Psychological Characteristics
Bleidorn, W., Klimstra, T. A., Denissen, J. J. A., Rentfrow, P. J., Potter, J. & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Personality Maturation Around the World: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Social Investment Theory. Psychological Science. [DOI: 10.1177/0956797613498396]
Bleidorn, W., Klimstra, T. A., Denissen, J. J. A., Rentfrow, P. J., Potter, J. & Gosling, S. D. (2014). Let the Data Speak – A Response to Terracciano (2014). Psychological Science. [DOI: 10.1177/0956797614521015]
de Vries, R., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2011). Income inequality and personality: Are less equal U.S. states less agreeable? Social Science and Medicine, 72, 1978-1985. [doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.03.046]
Gebauer, J. E., Bleidorn, W., Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., Lamb, M. E., & Potter, J. (in press). Cross-Cultural Variations in Big Five Relations with Religiosity: A Socio-Cultural Motives Perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Obschonka, M., Schmitt-Rodermund, E., Silbereisen, R. K., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2013). The regional distribution and correlates of an entrepreneurship-prone personality profile in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom: A socioecological perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 104-122. [DOI: 10.1037/a0032275]
Rentfrow, P. J., Gosling, S. D., Jokela, M., Stillwell, D. J., Kosinski, M., & Potter, J. (2013). Divided We Stand: Three Psychological Regions of the United States and their Political, Economic, Social, and Health Correlates. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 996-1012. [DOI: 10.1037/a0034434]
Rentfrow, P. J., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2008). A theory of the emergence, persistence, and expression of geographic variation in psychological characteristics.Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3, 339-369.
Rentfrow, P. J., Jost, J. T., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2009). Statewide differences in personality predict voting patterns in 1996-2004 U.S. presidential elections. In J. T. Jost, A. C. Kay, and H. Thorisdottir (Eds.) Social and Psychological Bases of Ideology and System Justification (pp. 314-347). Oxford University Press.
Personality in Non-Human Animals
Bensky, M. K., Gosling, S. D., & Sinn, D. L. (2013). The World from a Dog’s Point of View: A Review and Synthesis of Dog Cognition Research. Advances in the Study of Behavior, 45, 209-406. [DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-407186-5.00005-7]
Dall, S. R. X., Gosling, S. D., Brown, G. D. A., Dingermanse, N. J., Erev, I., Kocher, M., Schulz, L., Todd. P. E., Weissing, F. J., & Wolf, M. (2012). Variation in decision making. In P. Hammerstein & J. R. Stevens (Eds.), Evolution and the Mechanisms of Decision Making (pp. 243-272). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Fratkin, J. L., Sinn. D. L., Thomas, S., Hilliard, S., Olson, Z., & Gosling, S. D. (in press). Do you see what I see?: Can non-experts with minimal training reproduce expert ratings in behavioral assessments of working dogs? Behavioural Processes.
Fratkin, J. L., Sinn, D. L., Patall, E. A., & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Personality consistency in dogs: A meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 8, e54907. [DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054907]
Freeman, H. D., Brosnan, S. F., Hopper, L. M., Lambeth, S. P., Schapiro, S. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Developing a Comprehensive and Comparative Questionnaire for Measuring Personality in Chimpanzees using a Simultaneous Top-down/Bottom-up Design. American Journal of Primatology, 75, 1042–1053. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22168]
Freeman, H. D., & Gosling, S. D. (2010). Personality in nonhuman primates: A review and evaluation of past research. American Journal of Primatology, 71, 1-19.
Freeman, H. D., Gosling. S. D., & Schapiro, S. J. (2011). Comparison of methods for assessing personality in non-human primates. In A. Weiss, J. King, & L. Murray (Eds.),Personality and Behavioral Syndromes in Nonhuman Primates (pp. 17-40). New York: Springer.
Gosling, S. D. (1998). Personality dimensions in spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 112, 107-118. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D. (2001). From mice to men: What can we learn about personality from animal research? Psychological Bulletin, 127, 45-86. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D. (2008). Personality in non-human animals. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 985-1002.
Gosling, S. D., & Bonnenburg, A. V. (1998). An integrative approach to personality research in anthrozoology: Ratings of six species of pets and their owners. Anthrozoös, 11, 184-156. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D., & Graybeal, A. (2007). Tree Thinking: A New Paradigm for Integrating Comparative Data in Psychology. Journal of General Psychology, 134, 259-277.
Gosling, S. D. & Harley, B. A. (2009). Animal models of personality and cross-species comparisons. In P. Corr, & G. Matthews (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Personality Psychology (pp. 275-286). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Gosling, S. D., & John, O. P. (1999). Personality dimensions in non-human animals: A cross-species review. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 69-75. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D., Kwan, V. S. Y., & John, O. P. (2003). A dog’s got personality: A cross-species comparative approach to evaluating personality judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 1161-1169. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D., & Mehta, P. H. (2013). Personalities in comparative perspective: What do human psychologists glean from animal personality studies? In C. Carere & D. Maestripieri (Eds.), Animal personalities: Behavior, physiology, and evolution (pp. 124-145). Chicago, IL: University Chicago Press.
Gosling, S. D., & Mollaghan, D. M. (2006). Animal research in social psychology: A bridge to functional genomics and other unique research opportunities. In P. A. M. van Lange (Ed.), Bridging Social Psychology: Benefits of Transdisciplinary Approaches (pp. 123-128). Mahweh NJ: Erlbaum.
Gosling, S. D., Sandy, C. J., & Potter, J. (2010). Personalities of self-identified “dog people” and “cat people.” Anthrozoös, 23, 213-222.
Gosling, S. D., & Vazire, S. (2002). Are we barking up the right tree? Evaluating a comparative approach to personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 607-614. [Available in pdf]
Graham, L. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2009). Temperament and personality in working dogs. In W. S. Helton (Ed.), Canine ergonomics: The science of working dogs (pp. 63-81). Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Jones, A. C., & Gosling, S. D. (2005). Temperament and personality in dogs (Canis familiaris): A review and evaluation of past research. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 95, 1-53. [Available in pdf]
Jones, A. C., & Gosling, S. D. (2008). Individual differences in approach and avoidance motivation in animals. In A. J. Elliot (Ed.), Handbook of Approach and Avoidance Motivation (pp. 165-185). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Kubinyi, E., Gosling, S. D., & Miklósi, Á (in press). A comparison of rating and coding activity-impulsivity and inattention in dogs. Acta Biologica Hungarica, 66.
Kwan, V. S. Y., Gosling, S. D., & John, O. P. (2008). Anthropomorphism as a special case of social perception: A cross-species comparative approach and a new empirical paradigm. Social Cognition, 26, 129-142.
McGarrity, M. E., Sinn, D. L., & Gosling, S. D. (in press). Which personality dimensions do puppy tests measure? A systematic procedure for categorizing behavioral assays.Behavioural Processes
Mehta, P. H., & Gosling, S. D. (2008). Bridging human and animal research: A comparative approach to studies of personality and health. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22, 651-661.
Mehta, P. H., & Gosling, S. D. (2006). How can animal studies contribute to research on the biological bases of personality? In T. Canli (Ed.), Biology of Personality and Individual Differences (pp. 427-448). New York: Guilford. [email me for a reprint]
Rocznik, D., Sinn, D. L., Thomas, S., & Gosling, S. D. (in press). Criterion analysis and content validity for standardized behavioral tests in a detector-dog breeding program.Journal of Forensic Sciences.
Sinn, D. L., Gosling, S. D., & Hilliard, S. J. (2010). Personality and performance in military working dogs: reliability and predictive validity of behavioral tests. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 127, 51-65.
Sinn, D. L., Gosling, S. D., & Moltschaniwskyj, N. A. (2008). Development of shy/bold behaviour in squid: Context-specific phenotypes associated with developmental plasticity. Animal Behaviour, 75, 433-442.
Vazire, S., & Gosling, S. D. (2003). Bridging Psychology and Biology with animal research. American Psychologist, 58, 407-408. [Available in pdf]
Vazire, S., Gosling, S. D., Dickey, A. S., & Schaprio, S. J. (2007). Measuring personality in nonhuman animals. In R.W. Robins, R. C. Fraley, & R. F. Krueger (Eds.), Handbook of Research Methods in Personality Psychology (pp. 190-206). New York: Guilford.
Weinstein, T. A. R., Capitanio, J. P., & Gosling, S. D. (2008). Personality in Animals. In John, O. P., Robins, R. W., & Pervin, L. A. (Eds.), Handbook of Personality Theory and Research (pp. 328-348). New York: Guilford.
Internet Methods
Buhrmester, M., Kwang, T., & Gosling, S. D. (2011). Amazon’s Mechanical Turk: A new source of inexpensive, yet high-quality, data? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 3-5. [email Michael Buhrmester for a reprint]
Gosling, S. D., & Johnson, J. A. (Eds). (2010). Advanced Methods for Behavioral Research on the Internet. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Gosling, S. D., & Mason, W. (2015). Internet research in Psychology. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 877-902. [pdf available here]
Gosling, S. D., Sandy, C. J., John, O. P., & Potter, J. (2010). Wired but not WEIRD: The promise of the Internet in reaching more diverse samples. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33, 94-95.
Gosling, S. D., & Vazire, S., Srivastava, S., & John, O. P. (2004). Should we trust Web-based studies? A comparative analysis of six preconceptions about Internet questionnaires. American Psychologist, 59, 93-104. [Available in pdf]
Reis, H. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2010). Social psychological methods outside the laboratory. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey, (Eds.), Handbook of Social Psychology (5th ed., vol. 1, pp. 82-114). New York: Wiley.
Personality and Political Orientation
Carney, D. R., Jost, J. T., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2008). The secret lives of liberals and conservatives: Personality profiles, interaction styles, and the things they leave behind. Political Psychology, 29, 807-840.
Gosling, S. D., & Srivastava, S. (2011). Changes in perceptions of George W. Bush’s personality in the wake of the September 11 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Acta de Investigación Psicológica, 3, 486-490.
Jost, J. T., Napier, J. L., Thorisdottir, H., Gosling, S. D., Palfai, T. P., & Ostafin, B. (2007). Are Needs to Manage Uncertainty and Threat Associated with Political Conservatism or Ideological Extremity? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 989-1007.
Jost, J. T., Nosek, B. A., & Gosling, S. D. (2008). Ideology: Its resurgence in social, personality, and political psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3, 126-136.
Jost, J. T., & West, T. V., & Gosling, S. D. (2009). Personality and ideology as determinants of candidate preferences and “Obama conversion” in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Du Bois Review, 6, 103-124. [Reprinted in Spanish as Jost, J. T., West, T. V., & Gosling, S. D. (2010). La Conversión a Obama: Personalidad e ideología como determinantes de las preferencias de candidato en la elección presidencial americana de 2008. Psicología Política, 40, 31-60.]
Rentfrow, P. J., Jost, J. T., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2009). Statewide differences in personality predict voting patterns in 1996-2004 U.S. presidential elections. In J. T. Jost, A. C. Kay, and H. Thorisdottir (Eds.) Social and Psychological Bases of Ideology and System Justification (pp. 314-347). Oxford University Press.
Personality Change and Development
Bleidorn, W., Klimstra, T. A., Denissen, J. J. A., Rentfrow, P. J., Potter, J. & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Personality Maturation Around the World: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Social Investment Theory. Psychological Science. [DOI: 10.1177/0956797613498396]
Bleidorn, W., Klimstra, T. A., Denissen, J. J. A., Rentfrow, P. J., Potter, J. & Gosling, S. D. (2014). Let the Data Speak – A Response to Terracciano (2014). Psychological Science.[DOI: 10.1177/0956797614521015]
Robins, R. W., Trzesniewski, K. H., Tracy, J. L., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2002). Global self-esteem across the lifespan. Psychology and Aging, 17, 423-434. [Available in pdf]
Soto, C. J., John, O. P., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2008). The developmental psychometrics of Big Five self-reports: Acquiescence, factor structure, coherence, and differentiation from ages 10 to 20. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 718-737.
Soto, C. J., John, O. P., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2011). Age Differences in Personality Traits from 10 to 65: Big-Five Domains and Facets in a Large Cross-Sectional Sample.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 330-348.
Srivastava, S., John, O. P., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2003). Development of personality in early and middle adulthood: Set like plaster or persistent change? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1041-1053. [Available in pdf]
Scales and Measurement
Denissen, J. J. A., Geenen, R., van Aken, M. A. G., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2008). Development and validation of a Dutch translation of the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Journal of Personality Assessment, 90, 152-157.
Gosling, S. D., Craik, K. H., Martin, N. R., & Pryor, M. R. (2005). The Personal Living Space Cue Inventory: An analysis and evaluation. Environment and Behavior, 37, 683-705. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D., Craik, K. H., Martin, N. R., & Pryor, M. R. (2005). Material attributes of Personal Living Spaces. Home Cultures, 2, 51-88. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D., John, O. P., Craik, K. H., & Robins, R. W. (1998). Do people know how they behave? Self-reported act frequencies compared with on-line codings by observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1337-1349. [Available in pdf]
Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., & Swann, W. B., Jr. (2003). A Very Brief Measure of the Big Five Personality Domains. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 504-528. [Available in pdf]
Muck, P. M., Hell, B., & Gosling, S. D. (2007). Construct Validation of a short Five-Factor Model Instrument: A Self-Peer Study on the German Adaptation of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI-G). European Journal of Personality Assessment, 23, 166-175.
Oshio, A., Abe, S., Cutrone, P., & Gosling, S. D. (in press). Further validity of the Japanese version of the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI-J): Cross-language evidence for content validity. Journal of Individual Differences.
Oshio, A., Abe, S., Cutrone, P., & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Big Five content representation of the Japanese version of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory. Psychology, 4, 924-929. [DOI: 10.4236/psych.2013.412133]
Ramírez-Esparza, N., Gosling, S. D., Benet-Martínez, V., Potter, J. P., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2006). Do bilinguals have two personalities? A special case of cultural frame switching. Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 99-120.
Ramírez-Esparza, N., Gosling, S. D., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2008). Parodox lost: Unraveling the puzzle of Simpatia. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 39, 685-702.
Reis, H. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2010). Social psychological methods outside the laboratory. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey, (Eds.), Handbook of Social Psychology (5th ed., vol. 1, pp. 82-114). New York: Wiley.
Renau, V., Oberst, U., Gosling, S. D., Rusiñol, J., & Chamarro, A (2013). Translation and validation of the Ten-Item-Personality Inventory into Spanish and Catalan. Aloma. Revista de Psicologia, Ciències de l’Educació i de l’Esport, 31, 85-97.
Sandy, C. J., Gosling, S. D., & Koelkebeck, T. (in press). Psychometric Comparison of Automated vs. Rational Methods of Scale Abbreviation: An Illustration using a Brief Measure of Values. Journal of Individual Differences.
Soto, C. J., John, O. P., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2008). The developmental psychometrics of Big Five self-reports: Acquiescence, factor structure, coherence, and differentiation from ages 10 to 20. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 718-737.
Historical Trends in Psychology
Robins, R. W., Gosling, S. D., & Craik, K. H. (1998). Psychological science at the crossroads. The American Scientist, 86, 310-313. [Available in pdf]
Robins, R. W., Gosling, S. D., & Craik, K. H. (1999). An empirical analysis of trends in psychology. American Psychologist, 54, 117-128. [Available in pdf]
Others
Anderson, C. P., Ames, D. R., & Gosling, S. D. (2008) Punishing hubris: The perils of status self-enhancement in teams and organizations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 90-101.
Erdle, S., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2009). Does self-esteem account for the higher-order factors of the Big Five? Journal of Research in Personality, 43, 921-922.
Gosling, S. D., Sandy, C. J., & Potter, J. (2010). Personalities of self-identified “dog people” and “cat people.” Anthrozoös, 23, 213-222.
Gosling, S. D., & Srivastava, S. (2011). Changes in perceptions of George W. Bush’s personality in the wake of the September 11 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Acta de Investigación Psicológica, 3, 486-490.
Jost, J. T., Hawkins, C. B., Nosek, B. A., Hennes, E. P., Stern, C., Gosling, S. D., & Graham, J. (2014). Belief in a Just God (and a Just Society): A System Justification Perspective on Religious Ideology. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 34,56-81. [Translated to: Jost, J. T., Hawkins, C. B., Nosek, B. A., Hennes, E. P., Stern, C., Gosling, S. D., & Graham, J. (in press). Creencia en un dios justo: La Religión como una forma de Justificación del Sistema. Psicologia Politica, 47, 55-89.]
Mathieu, M. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2012). The accuracy or inaccuracy of affective forecasts depends on how the question is framed: A meta-analysis of past studies.Psychological Science, 23, 161-162. [DOI: 10.1177/0956797611427044]
Pennebaker, J. W., Gosling, S. D., & Ferrell, J. (2013). Daily online testing in large classes: Boosting college performance while reducing achievement gaps. PLOS ONE, 9,e79774. [doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0079774]
Ramírez-Esparza, N., Gosling, S. D., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2008). Paradox lost: Unraveling the puzzle of Simpatia. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 39, 685-702.
Robins, R. W., Tracy, J. L., Trzesniewski, K. H., Potter, J., & Gosling, S. D. (2001). Personality correlates of self-esteem. Journal of Research in Personality, 35, 463-482. [Available in pdf]
Vazire, S., Naumann, L. P., Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2009). Smiling reflects different emotions in men and women. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 403-405.
Wood, D., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2007). Normality evaluations and their relation to personality traits and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 861-879.
Research
Everyday Manifestations of Personality
This work explores how personality is revealed in real-world contexts in everyday life. I am especially interested in how individuals select and craft the environments in which they dwell to suit their personalities. I argue that individuals consciously and unconsciously leave traces of their individuality in the spaces around them. In turn, others may use these traces to form impressions about the occupants. Some of these impressions are accurate but others are not. I am becomingly increasingly interested in how individuals use their space to regulate their cognitive and emotional states (e.g., by sitting in certain parts of the room or going to particular neighborhoods); this last area of research is driving my interest in geographical analyses of psychological traits. My collaborators and I examine a number of different environments:
- Physical Environments
- Virtual Environments
- Aural Environments
- Social environments (e.g., the places and activities where you spend your time)
Animal Personality
This work examines personality or temperament in non-human animals. The ultimate goal of this work is to: (a) develop animal models to inform research in personality, social, and health psychology, (b) use perceptions of animal personality to understand general processes in personality perception, (c) apply our understanding of personality to promote animal and human welfare.
Methods for Collecting Data Useful for Research in the Social Sciences
Since 1996 we have been collecting data using the internet. In addition to reaping the benefits of Internet research (e.g., large and relatively diverse samples), we are also evaluating the costs and benefits of using the Internet to gather data in psychology.
People of Gosling Lab
Graduate Students
Recent Collaborators
- Daniel Ames (Columbia U.)
- Cameron Anderson (UC Berkeley)
- Mitja Back (Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz)
- Veronica Benet-Martinez (UC Riverside)
- John Capitanio (UC Davis)
- Dana Carney (Columbia U.)
- Ken Craik (UC Berkeley)
- Jaap Denissen (Humboldt University, Berlin)
- Oliver John (UC Berkeley)
- John Johnson (Penn State, Du Bois)
- John Jost (NYU)
- Virginia Kwan (Arizona State University)
- Matthias Mehl (U.Arizona)
- Pranj Mehta (Columbia U.)
- Laura Naumann (Sonoma State U.)
- Brian Nosek (U. Virginia)
- James Pennebaker (UT Austin)
- Jeff Potter (outofservice.com)
- Nairan Ramirez-Esparza (Washington U.)
- Jason Rentfrow (Cambridge U.)
- Steve Schapiro (UT MD Anderson Center)
- Chris Soto (Colby College)
- Sanjay Srivastava (U. Oregon)
- Bill Swann (UT Austin)
- Simine Vazire (Washington University at St. Louis)
- Tessa West (NYU)
- Dustin Wood (Wake Forest)
Lab Alumni
(keep in touch! Please drop me an email when you get a chance)
- Miles Bensky
- Steve DeBono
- Lindsay Graham
- Jamie Fratkin
- Hani Freeman
- Amanda Jones
- Monica McGarrity
- Diane Mollaghan
- Matthias Mehl (now at University of Arizona)
- Nairán Ramírez-Esparza (now at University of Connecticut)
- Jason Rentfrow (now at Cambridge University)
- Carson Sandy
- David Sinn
- Simine Vazire (now at Washington University in St. Louis)
Books
Advanced Methods for Conducting Online Behavioral Research

Samuel D. Gosling
Advanced Methods for Conducting Online Behavioral Research
January 2010
American Psychological Association