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May 2016
A. Timur Sevincer,Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Institute of Psychology
Educational Psychology and Motivation
University of Hamburg, Hamburg
Von-Melle-Park 5
D-20146 Hamburg
Phone: +49-(0)40-42838-5475
Email:
EDUCATION
Habilitation University of Hamburg (committee: Prof. B. Röder, Prof. G. Oettingen, Prof. R. Mielke, Prof. J. Degner, Prof. J. Wacker), 2015, Psychology
Ph.D.Summa cum laude, University of Hamburg (advisor: Prof.G.
Oettingen), 2008, Psychology
M.A.University of Hamburg (advisor: Prof. B. Recki), 2004, Philosophy
(Minors: Psychology and American Studies)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Alcohol and Goal Pursuit
How does acute alcohol intake affect the motivation to attain personal goals? I investigate whether alcohol leads people to commit to their goals despite low feasibility of attaining them, due to an increased focus on the goals’ desirability rather than feasibility.
Motivational Energization and Goal Pursuit
How can people energize themselves to attain their goals? Using cardiovascular measures of energization, I examine whether the self-regulation strategy of mentally contrasting a desired future with reality instigates motivational energization.
Self-Regulation of Goal Pursuit in Everyday Life
How do people regulate their everyday goal pursuits? I investigate motivational strategies that people employ in their daily life to regulate their goal pursuits according to the feasibility of attaining their goals.
Migration and Goal Pursuit
How does migration influence which goals people pursue and how they pursue them? In this project I examine whether migration to cosmopolitan cities fosters independent goal pursuit.
PUBLICATIONS IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
Sevincer, A. T., Kitayama, S., & Varnum, M.E.W. (2015). Cosmopolitan cities: The frontier
in the 21st century? Frontiers in Psychology,6:1459.
Sevincer, A. T, Schlier, B.*, & Oettingen, G. (2015). Ego depletion and the use of mental
contrasting. Motivation and Emotion,39, 876-891.
Sevincer, A. T., Wagner, G.*, Kalvelage, J.*, & Oettingen, G. (2014). Positive thinking
about the future in presidential addresses and newspaper articles predicts economic downturn. Psychological Science, 25, 1010-1017.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2014). Alcohol myopia and goal commitment. Frontiers in
Psychology, 5, 169.
Sevincer, A. T.,Busatta, P. D.*, & Oettingen, G. (2014). Mental contrasting and transfer of
energization. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40, 139-152.
Sevincer, A. T., Kluge, L., & Oettingen, G. (2014). Implicit theories and motivational
focus: Desired future versus present reality. Motivation and Emotion, 38, 36-46.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2013). Alcohol leads people to focus on desirability rather
than feasibility.Motivation and Emotion, 37, 165-176.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2013). Spontaneous mental contrasting and selective goal
pursuit. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 1240-1254.
Sevincer, A. T., Oettingen, G., & Lerner, T.* (2012). Alcohol affects goal commitment by
explicitly and implicitly induced myopia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 121, 524-
529.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2009). Alcohol breeds empty goal commitments.Journal
of Abnormal Psychology, 118, 623-633.
Kitayama, S., Park, H., Sevincer, A. T., Karasawa, M., & Uskul, A. (2009). A cultural task
analysis of implicit independence: Comparing North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 236-255.
Oettingen, G., Mayer, D., Sevincer, A. T., Stephens, E. J., Pak, H., & Hagenah, M. (2009).
Mental contrasting and goal commitment: The mediating role of energization. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 608-622.
* indicates student co-author
BOOKCHAPTERS
Sevincer, A. T.,& Oettingen, G.(2015). Future thought and the self-regulation of
energization. In G. H. E. Gendolla, M. Tops, & S. Koole (Eds.),Handbook of biobehavioral approaches to self-regulation.New York, NY: Springer.
Kitayama, S., Varnum, M. E. W.,Sevincer, A. T. (2014). The frontier: Voluntary
settlement and cultural change. In A. B. Cohen (Ed.),Culture reexamined: Broadening our understanding of social and evolutionary influences(pp. 93-127).Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2009). Ziele [Goals]. In V. Brandstätter & J. H. Otto (Eds.),
Handbuch der Allgemeinen Psychologie: Motivation und Emotion(pp. 37-45).Göttingen, Germany: Hogrefe.
Gawrilow, C., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2009). Psychologie des Zukunftsdenkens
[Psychology of thinking about the future]. In V. Brandstätter & J. H. Otto (Eds.), Handbuch der Allgemeinen Psychologie: Motivation und Emotion(pp. 182-188).Göttingen, Germany: Hogrefe.
Oettingen, G., Sevincer, A. T., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2008). Goal pursuit in the context of
culture. In R. Sorrentino & S. Yamaguchi (Eds.), Handbook of motivation andcognition across cultures(pp. 191-211). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier.
AD HOC REVIEWER
Addiction
Emotion
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Social Psychology
Educational Psychology
RESEARCH GRANTS
Sachbeihilfe für das Projekt „Alkohol und Glückspielverhalten“ [Research grant: Alcohol and
gambling behavior]. Principal investigator. German Science Foundation 2016 (156.200 €)
Sachbeihilfe für das Projekt „Mentale Kontrastierung und Gesundheitsverhalten“ [Research
grant: Mental contrasting and health behavior]. Principal investigator. Landesforschungsförderung 2015 (11.500€)
Sachbeihilfe für das Projekt „Alkohol und Glückspielverhalten“ [Research grant: Alcohol and
gambling behavior]. Principalinvestigator. German Science Foundation 2012 (134.380 €)
Sachbeihilfe für das Projekt „Mechanismen der mentalen Kontrastierung von Zukunft und
Realität: Motivationale Energetisierung“ [Research grant: Mechanisms of mental contrasting and motivational energization]. Co-investigator. German Science Foundation 2009–2011 (144.800 €)
Sachbeihilfe für das Projekt „Die Kontrolle des Einflusses von Alkohol auf das Zielstreben“
[Research grant: The control of the effect of alcohol on goal pursuit]. Co-investigator.
German Science Foundation 2006–2008 (15.870 €)
AWARDS AND HONORS
Preis für gute Lehre [Outstanding teaching award]. Department of Psychology, University of
Hamburg 2010 (1.000 €)
Forschungsstipendium für promovierte Nachwuchswissenschaftler [Postdoctoral fellowship].
German Exchange Service 2009 (14.225 €)
Reisebeihilfe zur 10. Jahrestagung der Society for Personality and Social Psychology [Travel
fellowship]. University of Hamburg 2009 (620 €)
Stipendium zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Fortbildung [Stipend for continuing
scientific education]. Karl-Heinz-Ditze-Foundation 2007-2008 (3.000 €)
Reisebeihilfe zur Konferenz der European Health Psychology 2007 [Travel fellowship].
University of Hamburg 2007 (240 €)
Promotionsstipendium [Doctoral fellowship]. University of Hamburg 2005-2007 (20.470 €)
CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2013). Zielhierarchie [Goal hierarchy]. In M. Wirtz (Ed.),
Dorsch Psychologisches Wörterbuch.Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2013). Prozess Simulation [Process simulation]. In M. Wirtz
(Ed.), Dorsch Psychologisches Wörterbuch. Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
Oettingen, G., & Sevincer, A. T. (2013). Fantasierealisierung, Theorie [Fantasy realization
theory]. In M. Wirtz (Ed.), Dorsch Psychologisches Wörterbuch. Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
Klinger, E., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2013). Zielablösezyklus [Disengagement cycle].
In M. Wirtz (Ed.), Dorsch Psychologisches Wörterbuch.Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
Job, V., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2013). Lernzielorientierung [Learning goal
orientation]. In M. Wirtz (Ed.), Dorsch Psychologisches Wörterbuch.Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
Job, V., Oettingen, G., & Sevincer, A. T. (2013). Leistungszielorientierung [Performance
goal orientation]. In M. Wirtz (Ed.), Dorsch Psychologisches Wörterbuch.Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
Gawrilow, C., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2013). Construal level theory. In M. Wirtz
(Ed.), Dorsch Psychologisches Wörterbuch.Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
Gawrilow, C., Oettingen, G., & Sevincer, A. T. (2013). Mögliches Selbst [Possible self]. In M.
Wirtz (Ed.), Dorsch Psychologisches Wörterbuch. Bern, Switzerland: Huber.
CHAIREDSYMPOSIA
Oettingen, G., & Sevincer, A. T. (2015, May). Thinking about the future. Symposium chaired
at the 27th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY. Speakers: Daniel L. Schacter, A. Timur Sevincer, Peter M. Gollwitzer, Gary P. Latham.
Oettingen, G., Sevincer, A. T. (2015, February). Spontaneous thoughts and images.
Symposium chaired at the 16th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Long Beach, CA. Speakers: Jonathan W. Schooler, Roy F. Baumeister, A. Timur Sevincer, Özlem Ayduk.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2014, July). The psychophysiology of self-regulation.
Symposium chaired at the 17. General Meeting of the European Association of Social
Psychology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Speakers: Rex Wright, Guido H. E.
Gendolla, A. Timur Sevincer, Sander L. Koole, Brandon J. Schmeichel.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2012, May). Why have a drink? Emotional, cognitive, and
motivational mechanisms of acute alcohol consumption. Symposium chaired at the 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
Speakers: Michael A. Sayette, John J. Curtin, Özlem Korucuoglu, A. Timur Sevincer. Discussant:Jay G. Hull
TALKS AT CONFERENCES
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2015, May). Situational predictors of spontaneous mental
contrasting. In G. Oettingen & A. T. Sevincer (Chair), Thinking about the future.Symposium conducted at the 27th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2015, March). Mental contrasting and energization. In N.
Silvestrini & R. A. Wright (Chair), Determinants and cardiovascular correlates of effort. Symposium conducted at the Inaugural International Convention of Psychological Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Oettingen, G., & Sevincer, A. T. (2015, March). Situational predictors of mental contrasting.
In D. Berntson (Chair), Functions of future thought. Symposium conducted at the Inaugural International Convention of Psychological Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2015, February). Spontaneous mental contrasting:
Antecedents and consequences. In G. Oettingen, & A. T. Sevincer (Chair), Spontaneous thoughts and images. Symposium conducted at the 16th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Long Beach, CA.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2014, September). Mentale Kontrastierung und Transfer
von Energetisierung [Mental contrasting and transfer of energization]. In K. Brinkmann
& M. Richter (Chair), Physiologische Korrelate motivierten Verhaltens.[physiological correlates of motivated behavior]. Symposium conducted at the 49. Congress of the
German Psychological Society, Bochum, Germany.
Sevincer, A. T.,& Oettingen, G. (2014, July). Mental contrasting and transfer of energization.
In A. T. Sevincer & G. Oettingen (Chair), The psychophysiology of self-regulation.
Symposium conducted at the 17. General Meeting of the European Association of
Social Psychology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2014, May). Energization by mental contrasting persists
over time and fuels effort in unrelated tasks. In K. Brinkmann (Chair),
Psychophysiology of motivation in applied and clinical contexts. Symposium conducted at the 7th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Motivation, San Francisco, CA.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2012, October). Alcohol breeds empty goal commitments.
In G. Oettingen & P. M. Gollwitzer (Chair), Alcohol intake: Seduction and self-
regulation. Symposium conducted at the 2012 meeting of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, Austin, TX.
Sevincer, A. T., Oettingen, G., & Lerner, T. (2012, May). Alcohol myopia as a mechanism for
the effect of alcohol on goal commitment. In A. T. Sevincer & G. Oettingen (Chair), Why having a drink? Emotional, cognitive, and motivational mechanisms of acute alcohol consumption. Symposium conducted at the 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
Oettingen, G., Sevincer, A. T., Kappes, H. B., & Bosy, B. (2012, May). Positive future
fantasies reduce physiological energization instantly and over time. In S. L. Koole & G. H. E. Gendolla (Chair), Self-regulation of effort: Adaptive and maladaptive processes.Symposium conducted at the 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2010, September). Alkohol führt zu leeren Zielbindungen
[Alcohol breeds empty goal commitments]. In K. Epstude & A. Scholl (Chair), Misserfolge beim Zielstreben und ihre motivierende Wirkung [Failures in goal pursuit and their motivational effect]. Symposium conducted at the 47. Congress of the German Psychological Society, Bremen, Germany.
Wucherpfennig, A. Z.-R., Sevincer, A. T., & Kitayama, S. (2010, September). Warum
handelte sie so? Der fundamentale Attributionsfehler in Korea, Japan, Deutschland und den USA [Why did she act like this? The fundamental attribution error in Korea, Japan, Germany, and the U.S.]. In A. Rohmann (Chair), Einstellungen und Attribution [Attitudes and attribution]. Symposium conducted at the 47. Congress of the German Psychological Society, Bremen, Germany.
Oettingen, G., Sevincer, A. T., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2008, July). Goal pursuit in the context
of culture. In R. Sorrentino & S. Yamaguchi (Chair), The influence of motivation and cognition on culture. Symposium conducted at the 19th International Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, Bremen, Germany.
Uskul, A. K., Park, H., Sevincer, A. T., & Kitayama, S. (2008, July). The
frontier on my mind: Evidence from a United States-United Kingdom-Germany
triangulation.Paper presented at the 19th International Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, Bremen, Germany.
Sevincer, A. T., Pak, H., & Oettingen, G. (2007, September). Mentale Kontrastierung und
motivationale Energetisierung [Mental contrasting and motivational energization].Paper presented at the 27. Motivation Colloquium, Siegen, Germany.
Sevincer, A. T., Pak, H., & Oettingen, G. (2007, August). Motivational energization and its
role in the self-regulation of goal commitment.In J. Fleer (Chair), Goal theory in health psychology. Symposium conducted at the 22th Conference of the European Health Psychology Society, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Sevincer, A. T., Pak, H., & Oettingen, G. (2007, July). Instigating motivational energization by contrasting future and reality. Paper presented at international symposium on self-regulation “Limits of intentionality”, Konstanz, Germany.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2006, July). Alkohol und Selbstregulation: Der
Effekt von Alkohol auf die Erwartungsabhängigkeit der Zielbindung [Alcohol and self-regulation: The effect of alcohol on the expectancy-dependency of goal commitment] Paper presented at the 26. Motivation Colloquium, Dortmund, Germany.
INVITED TALKS
University of Geneva, November 2014
POSTERS
Wagner, G., Keim, R., Fähnrich, M., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2015, May). Alcohol
myopia and gambling behavior. Poster session presented at the 27th Annual
Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY.
Spies, M., & Sevincer, A. T. (2015, March). Woman outperform men in distinguishing
between real and fake smiles. Poster session presented at the 57th Conference of Experimental Psychologists, Hildesheim, Germany.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2013, January). Spontaneous mental contrasting: Situational
and person predictors. Poster session presented at the14thAnnual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, LA.
Pradel, S., Sevincer, A. T., & Kitayama, S. (2012, May). Cosmopolitan cities induce
independent mindsets. Poster session presented at the 24th Annual Convention of the
Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
Wagner, G., Kalvelage, J., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2012, May). Positive future
fantasies in cultural products predict economic recession. Poster session presented at
the 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago,
IL.
Kluge, L., Sevincer, A. T., Weinstein, N., & Oettingen, G. (2012, May). The impact of implicit
theories on the choice of self-regulation strategies of goal setting. Poster session presented at the 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
Schlier, B., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2012, May). Mental contrasting: Smart self-
regulation in the face of ego-depletion. Poster session presented at the 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
Lerner, T., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2011, July). Alcohol myopia as a mechanism for
the effect of alcohol on goal commitment. Poster session presented at the 16. General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2010, January). Regulating goal commitments in everyday
life by contrasting future with reality.Poster session presented at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, NV.
Wucherpfennig, A. Z.-R., Sevincer, A. T., Park, H., & Kitayama, S. (2010, January). Does
monkey go with panda or banana? Cultural differences in the categorization of objects.
Poster session presented at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, NV.
Sevincer, A. T., Kitayama, S., Park, H., & Singmann, H. (2009, May). Voluntary settlers have
a more independent goal orientation than natives. Poster session presented at the 21st Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
Wucherpfennig, A. Z.-R., Singmann, H., Sevincer, A. T., Karasawa, M., & Kitayama, S.
(2009, May). Attribution bias in South Korea, Japan, Germany, and the U.S.: Intercultural and intracultural differences. Poster session presented at the 21st Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
Sevincer, A.T., & Oettingen, G. (2009, February). Alcohol breeds empty goal commitments.
Poster session presented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Albuquerque, NM.
Singmann, H., Sevincer, A.T., Park, H., & Kitayama, S. (2009, February). Voluntary
settlement within cultures: Independence and interdependence in German settlers vs. natives. Poster sessionpresented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Tampa, FL.
Wucherpfennig, A. Z.-R., Singmann, H., Sevincer, A.T., & Wegscheider, K. (2009,
February). Attribution bias in cultural comparison: Dispositional versus situational
attribution in South Korea and Germany. Poster sessionpresented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Tampa, FL.
Sevincer, A. T., Pak, H., & Oettingen, G. (2008, February).Instigating motivational
energization by contrasting future and reality. Poster sessionpresented at the 9th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Albuquerque, NM.
Park, H., Sevincer, A. T., Karasawa, M., & Kitayama, S. (2007, January).Are Americans
really more independent than West Europeans? Testing some implications of the voluntary settlement hypothesis. Poster sessionpresented at the Cultural Psychology Pre-Conference at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Memphis, TN.
Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G. (2004, July). Alkohol und Zukunftsdenken [Alcohol and
future thought]. Poster sessionpresented at the 24. Motivation Colloquium, Hamburg, Germany.
INVITED WORKSHOPS
“Wie schreibe ich einen wissenschaftlichen Artikel?” [How to write an empirical journal
article]. Training workshop for doctoral students, University of Hamburg, September 2010
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Association for Psychological Science (APS)
German Psychological Society (DGPs)
International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP)
International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP)
Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
Society for the Study of Motivation (SSM)
UNIVERSITY AND DEPARTMENTAL SERVICE
Reviewer board for Masters and Diploma theses stipends, Department of Psychology,
University of Hamburg (2010-today)
Reviewer board for European Exchange Program ERASMUS, Department of Psychology,
University of Hamburg (2010-today)
Administrator, experiment management system, Department of Psychology, University of
Hamburg (2010-today)
Reviewer board for stay abroad and travel scholarships Hamburgglobal, German Exchange
Service, University of Hamburg (2010-2014)
Appointments committee for professor in social psychology (2011)
Student poster award committee, Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg (2011)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
University of Hamburg, Department of Psychology, Hamburg, Germany (2005-today)
- General psychology
- Educational psychology
- Social psychology
- Alcohol use and effects
- Self-regulation and motivation
- Cross-cultural psychology
- Research methods
- Scientific writing
- SPSS for introductory statistics
MASTERS AND DIPLOMA THESES (PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR)
Marén Fähnrich, Malin Chromik, Tina Pudack, Janine Kredel, Torben Böhm, Patrick Tessmann, Greta Wagner, Nina Janßen, Jessica Chan, Rebecca Keim, Maren Spies, Amica Ulrich, Simon Pradel, Tobias Lerner, Birger Bosy
BACHELOR THESES (PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR)
Carolin Bilawa, Philipp Mehl, Sarah Herzog, Daniel Gumz, Daniel Busatta, Annika Hanert, Johanna Kalvelage Anna Stiegler, Rabea Zuehlke, Greta Wagner, Marta Plonka