I investigate group processes, especially those associated with being ostracized (excluded and ignored). I study the extent of ostracism’s impact on social pain, fundamental needs, affect, and aggression. I examine whether individual differences and situational factors can moderate ostracism’s immediate and delayed effects. I also investigate why individuals are ostracized. Using a variety of manipulations, I have found that the likelihood an individual will be ostracized increases as the individual is perceived as more burdensome to the group. In this work, I incorporate intergroup relations, non-verbal communication, and psychopathology.

Primary Interests:

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Applied Social Psychology
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Group Processes
Intergroup Relations
Interpersonal Processes
Personality, Individual Differences
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Research Methods, Assessment

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Applied Social Psychology
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Group Processes
Intergroup Relations

Interpersonal Processes
Personality, Individual Differences
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Research Methods, Assessment

Research Group or Laboratory:

Social Connections Laboratory
Interactive Map

Journal Articles:

Riva, P., Wirth, J. H., & Williams, K. D. (2011). The consequences of pain: The social and physical pain overlap on psychological responses. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 681-687.
Sacco, D. F., Wirth, J. H., Chen, Z., Hugenberg, K., & Williams, K. D. (2011). The world in black and white: Ostracism enhances the categorical perception of social information. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 836–842.
Schmitt, M. T., & Wirth, J. H. (2009). Evidence that gender differences in social dominance orientation result from gendered self-stereotyping and group-interested responses to patriarchy. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 33, 429-436.
Wesselmann, E. D., Wirth, J. H., Pryor, J. B., Reeder, G. D., & Williams, K. D. (in press). When do we ostracize? Social Psychology and Personality Science.
Wesselmann, E. D., Wirth, J. H., Williams, K. D., & Mroczek, D. K. (2012). A time-line of affective decline during an ostracism experience. Personality and Individual Differences, 53, 580–586.
Wirth, J. H., & Bodenhausen, G. V. (2009). The role of gender in mental-illness stigma: A national experiment. Psychological Science, 20, 169-173.
Wirth, J. H., Lynam, D. R., & Williams, K. D. (2010). When social pain isn’t automatic: Personality disorders buffer ostracism’s immediate negative impact. Journal of Research in Personality, 44, 397-401.
Wirth, J. H., Sacco, D. F., Hugenberg, K., & Williams, K. D. (2010). Eye gaze as relational evaluation: Averted eye gaze leads to feelings of ostracism and relational devaluation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 869-882.
Wirth, J. H., & Williams, K. D. (2009). “They don’t like our kind”: Consequences of being ostracized while possessing a group membership. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 12, 111-127.

Other Publications:

Bernstein, M. J., & Wirth, J. H. (in press). Inferential statistics: Truth finding tools. In E. V. Clemens, G. A. Nurse, & J. A. Benfield (Eds.), Designing and conducting research in psychology. National Social Science Press.
Williams, K. D., & Wirth, J. H. (2010). Social compensation. In J. M. Levine & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations (Vol. 2, pp. 766-768). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Williams, K. D., & Wirth, J. H. (2007). Stealing thunder. In R. F. Baumeister & K. D. Vohs (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Social Psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 938-939). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Wirth, J. H., Feldberg, F., Schouten, A., van den Hoof, B., & Williams, K. D. (2012). Using virtual game environments to study group behavior. In A. B. Hollingshead & M. S. Poole (Eds.), Research methods for studying groups and teams: A guide to approaches, tools, and technologies (pp. 173-198). New York: Routledge.

Courses Taught:

Experimental Social Psychology
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Social Psychology

Experimental Social Psychology
Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Social Psychology

James Wirth
Department of Psychology
University of North Florida
1 UNF Drive, Building 51
Jacksonville, FL 32224
United States

Phone: (904) 620-1613
Skype Name: jim.wirth31