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Dr. Thomas M. Hess

Research Interests

Social cognition and aging; decision making in later life; aging and memory in context, including the impact of affect and stereotype threat on performance;  aging effects on cortical responses to threat.

Recent Publications

  • Emery, L., & Hess, T.M. (in press). Expressive flexibility and its impact on memory: Age and individual differences. Psychology and Aging.

    Queen, T.L., & Hess, T.M. (in press). Age differences in the effects of conscious and unconscious thought in decision-making. Psychology and Aging.

    Hess, T.M., Hinson, J.T., & Hodges, E.A. (2009). Moderators of and mechanisms underlying stereotype threat effects on older adults’ memory performance. Experimental Aging Research, 35, 153-177.

    Hess, T.M., Germain, C.M., E.L. Swaim, & Osowski, N.L. (2009). Aging and selective engagement: The moderating impact of motivation on older adults’ resource utilization. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 64B, 447-456.

     

    Hess, T.M., Emery, L., & Queen, T.L. (2009). Task demands moderate stereotype threat effects on memory performance. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 64B, 482-486.

    Hess, T.M., Leclerc, C.M., Swaim, E., & Weatherbee, S.R. (2009). Aging and everyday judgments: The impact of motivational and processing resource factors. Psychology and Aging, 24, 735-740.

    Emery, L., & Hess, T.M. (2008). Encoding instructions impact emotional memory differently in older and younger adults, Psychology and Aging, 23, 2-12.

    Peters, E., Diefenbach, M.A., Hess, T.M., & Västfjäll, D. (2008). Age differences in two information-processing modes:  Implications for cancer decision making. Cancer, 113, 3556-3567.

    Leclerc, C. M., & Hess, T.M. (2007). Age differences in the bases for social judgments: Tests of a social expertise perspective. Experimental Aging Research, 33, 95-120.

    Peters, E., Hess, T.M., Auman, C., & Västfjäll, D. (2007). Adult age differences in dual information processes and their influence on judgments and decisions: A review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2, 1-23.

    Germain, C.M., & Hess, T.M. (2007). Motivational influences on controlled processing: moderating distractibility in older adults. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 14, 462-486.

    Hess, T.M. (2006). Adaptive aspects of social cognitive functioning in adulthood: age-related goal and knowledge influences. Social Cognition, 24, 279-309.

    Hess, T.M., & Hinson, J.T. (2006). Age-related variation in the influences of aging stereotypes on memory in adulthood. Psychology and Aging, 21, 621-625.

    Hess, T.M. (2006). Attitudes toward aging and their effects on behavior. In J.E. Birren & K.W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging (6th edition; pp. 379-406). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Auman, C., Bosworth, H.B., & Hess, T.M. (2005). The Effects of Health-Related Stereotypes on Physiological Responses of Hypertensive Older Adults. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 60B, P3-P10.

    Hess, T.M. (2005). Memory and aging in context. Psychological Bulletin, 131, 383-406.

    Hess, T.M., Germain, C.M., Rosenberg, D.C., Leclerc, C.M., & Hodges, E.A. (2005). Aging-related selectivity and susceptibility to irrelevant affective information in the construction of attitudes. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 12, 149-174.

    Hess, T.M., Osowski, N.L., & Leclerc, C.M. (2005). Age differences in sensitivity to diagnostic cues and the flexibility of social judgments. Psychology and Aging, 20, 447-459.

    Hess, T.M., Hinson, J.T., & Statham, J.A. (2004). Explicit and Implicit Stereotype Activation Effects on Memory: Do Age and Awareness Moderate the Impact of Priming? Psychology and Aging, 19, 495-505.

    Hess, T.M., Auman, C.,  Colcombe, S.J., & Rahhal, T.A. (2003). The impact of stereotype threat on age differences in memory performance. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 58B, P3-P11.

    Follett, K.J., & Hess, T.M. (2002). Aging, cognitive complexity, and the fundamental attribution error. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 57B, P312-P323.

    Hess, T.M., & Auman, C. (2001). Aging and social expertise: The impact of trait-diagnostic information on impressions of others. Psychology and Aging, 16, 497-510.

    Hess, T.M. (2001).  Aging-related influences on personal need for structure.  International Journal of Behavioral Development, 25, 482-490. 

    Hess, T.M., Rosenberg, D.C., & Waters, S.J. (2001).  Motivation and representational processes in adulthood: The effects of social accountability and information relevance, Psychology and Aging, 16, 629-642.

    Hess, T.M., Waters, S.J., & Bolstad, S.A. (2000).  Motivational and cognitive influences on affective priming in adulthood. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 55B, P193-P204.

           

    Hess, T.M. (2000).  Aging-related constraints and adaptations in social information processing.  In U. Von Hecker, S. Dutke, & G. Sedek (Eds.), Generative Mental Processes and Cognitive Resources: Integrative research on adaptation and control (PP. 129-155). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer.

    Current Funded Projects:

    Title: Memory, Mood, and Aging. NIA Social and Behavioral Research Program. Project period: 3/1/08‑2/28/12. Amount awarded: $712,424. (PI: Hess)

    Title: Social cognition and aging.  NIA Social and Behavioral Research Program. Project period: 2/15/09‑2/14/14. Amount awarded: $1,731,329. (PI: Hess)

    Title: Social threat and aging: Neural mechanisms of emotion regulation. NIA Social and Behavioral Research Program. Project period: 7/1/09 – 6/30/14. Amount awarded: $1,295,000. (PI: Cabeza; Investigator: Hess)