Steven J. Breckler is executive director of the American Psychological Association's Science Directorate. He oversees programs that support advanced training for scientists, science policy and government relations, testing and assessment, research regulations and workforce analysis. Breckler was appointed to this post in 2004.

Before joining APA, Breckler directed the National Science Foundation's Social Psychology Program. He also helped to design NSF’s Science of Learning Centers program, which bring together scientists of various disciplines to advance understanding of learning.

Breckler was formerly associate professor of psychology at Johns Hopkins University. He is author or coauthor of more than 60 published or conference papers on topics ranging from attitude development to jury functioning, and his research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense. Breckler was also the recipient of an NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award.

Primary Interests:

Applied Social Psychology
Attitudes and Beliefs
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Persuasion, Social Influence
Research Methods, Assessment
Social Cognition

Applied Social Psychology
Attitudes and Beliefs
Emotion, Mood, Affect

Persuasion, Social Influence
Research Methods, Assessment
Social Cognition

Books:

Journal Articles:

Breckler, S. J. (1994). A comparison of numerical indexes for measuring attitude ambivalence. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 54, 350-365.
Breckler, S. J. (1994). Memory for the experience of donating blood: Just how bad was it? Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 15, 467-488.
Breckler, S. J. (1990). Applications of covariance structure modeling in psychology: Cause for concern? Psychological Bulletin, 107, 260-273.
Breckler, S. J. (1984). Empirical validation of affect, behavior, and cognition as distinct components of attitude. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 1191-1205.
Breckler, S. J., & Fried, H. (1993). On knowing what you like and liking what you smell: Attitudes depend on the form in which the object is represented. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19, 228-240.
Breckler, S. J., & Wiggins, E. C. (1991). Cognitive responses in persuasion: Affective and evaluative determinants. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 27, 180-200.
Breckler, S. J., & Wiggins, E. C. (1989). Affect versus evaluation in the structure of attitudes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 253-271.

Other Publications:

Breckler, S. J. (in press). Hold still while I measure your attitude: Assessment in the throes of ambivalence. In G. Haddock & G. Maio (Eds.), Theoretical Perspectives on Attitudes for the 21st Century: The Gregynog Symposium. London: Routledge.
Breckler, S. J. (1999). Persuasion. Entry in D. Levinson, J. Ponzetti, & P. Jorgensen (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Human Emotions. New York, NY: Macmillan Reference.
Breckler, S. J. (1993). Emotion and attitude change. In M. Lewis & J. Haviland (Eds.), Handbook of Emotions (pp. 461-473). New York: Guilford Publications.
Wiggins, E. C., & Breckler, S. J. (1992). Management of complex civil litigation. In D. K. Kagehiro & W. S. Laupher (Eds.), Handbook of Psychology and Law (pp. 77-94). New York: Springer-Verlag.

Courses Taught:

Attitudes and Social Influence
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
Introduction to Social Psychology
Laboratory Methods in Social Psychology
Multivariate Statistical Methods

Attitudes and Social Influence
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
Introduction to Social Psychology

Laboratory Methods in Social Psychology
Multivariate Statistical Methods

Steven Breckler
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
United States

Phone: (202) 336-5938
Fax: (202) 336-5953