Keith Payne

Keith Payne, Assistant Professor of Psychology at UNC-CH, is a social psychologist. He studies social attitudes - the ways people evaluate people, objects, or issues. A special emphasis in his research is on the distinction between automatic responses - fast, immediate, sometimes unconscious - and controlled responses - more deliberate and carefully considered. These sometimes conflict with each other, leading to all sorts of interesting predicaments. Cross the street because the man walking past gives you a bad feeling? Or second-guess and stay put because the bad feeling might be biased by race? Buy extra insurance because you feel afraid of terrorism? Or do the math and realize it's not a good deal? People face these conflicts throughout their lives, but the relative impact of the automatic and controlled components may change as adults age. Identifying the factors that tip the balance in favor of one or the other can help people integrate automatic reactions with thoughtful considerations, and help make better decisions.