Fred Bryant
Professor Emeritus
Education
National Science Foundation Post-Doctorate Fellowship: University of Michigan (1980-82)
Doctorate in Social Psychology: Ph.D., Northwestern University (1980)
Masters in Social Psychology: M.A., Northwestern University (1977)
Bachelors (with Honors in Psychology): B.A., Duke University (1974)
Research Interests
Within applied social psychology, my research interests include measuring and enhancing subjective life quality, meta-analyzing research on social interventions, and evaluating test validity. Related to this work, I have been involved in several large-scale research projects investigating quality of life in various populations and synthesizing quasi-experimental studies on the impact of federally-mandated educational programs. I have also served as an expert witness in several court cases involving theory, methodology, and statistics in social and industrial-organizational psychology.
Within basic social psychology, my primary research interests are in the field of positive psychology and involve the study of processes underlying positive emotions. I am currently investigating the dynamics of savoring—that is, cognitive and behavioral processes through which people regulate (intensify or prolong) positive experiences.
Within the domain of personality psychology, my research interests include aggression, Type A behavior, personality-related processes underlying psychological well-being, and the conceptualization and measurement of cognition and emotion.
Within the statistical realm, I specialize in structural equation modeling, nonlinear classification tree analysis, psychometrics, instrument development, and construct validation. I am currently involved in several large-scale, multidisciplinary federally funded research grant projects, including work on neurobiological, genetic, environmental, and psychosocial determinants of quality of life and psychological functioning.
In 2005, I was recognized as the Loyola Faculty Member of the Year.
Courses Taught
Social Psychology
Statistics
Structural Equation Modeling
Publications/Research Listings
Bryant, F. B. (2000). Assessing the validity of measurement. In L. G. Grimm & P. R. Yarnold (Eds.), Reading and understanding more multivariate statistics (pp. 99-146). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Bryant, F. B., & Smith, B. D. (2001). Refining the architecture of aggression: A measurement model for the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 35, 138-167.
Bryant, F. B., & Guilbault, R. L. (2002). "I knew it all along" eventually: The development of hindsight bias in reaction to the Clinton impeachment verdict. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 24, 27-41.
Bryant, F. B. (2003). Savoring Beliefs Inventory (SBI): A scale for measuring beliefs about savouring. Journal of Mental Health, 12, 175-196.
Guilbault, R. L., Bryant, F. B., Brockway, J. H., & Posavac, E. J. (2004). A meta-analysis of research on hindsight bias. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 26, 103-117.
Bryant, F. B., Smart, C. M., & King, S. P. (2005). Using the past to enhance the present: Boosting happiness through positive reminiscence. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6, 227-260.
Bryant, F. B., King, S. P., & Smart, C. M. (2006). Multivariate statistical strategies for construct validation in positive psychology. In A. G. Ong & M. van Dulmen (Eds.), Oxford handbook of methods in positive psychology (pp. 61-82). New York: Oxford University Press.
Bryant, F. B., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A new model of positive experience. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [ISBN: 0-8058-5119-4 (cloth); 0-8058-4120-8 (paper)]
Smart, C. M., Nelson, N. W., Sweet, J. J., Bryant, F. B., Berry, D. T .R., Granacher, R. P., & Heilbronner, R. L. (2008). Use of MMPI-2 to predict cognitive effort: A hierarchically optimal classification tree analysis. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 14, 842-852.
Bryant, F. B., & Siegel, E. K. B. (2010). Junk science, test validity, and the Uniform Guidelines for Personnel Selection Procedures: The case of Melendez v. Illinois Bell. Optimal Data Analysis, 1, 176-198.
Bryant, F. B., Chadwick, E. D., & Kluwe, K. (2011). Understanding the processes that regulate positive emotional experience: Unsolved problems and future directions for theory and research on savoring. International Journal of Well-Being, 1, 107-126.
Jose, P. E., Lim, B. T., & Bryant, F. B. (2012). Does savoring increase happiness? A daily diary study. Journal of Positive Psychology, 7, 176-187.
Bryant, F. B., Kastrup, H., Udo, M., Hislop, N., Sheffner, R., & Mallow, J. (2013). Science anxiety, science attitudes, and constructivism: A bi-national study. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 22, 432-448.
Smith, J. L., Harrison, P. R., Kurtz, J. L., & Bryant, F. B. (2014). Nurturing the capacity to savor: Interventions to enhance the enjoyment of positive experiences. In A. C. Parks & S. Schueller (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychological interventions (pp. 42-65). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Bryant, F. B., & Smith, J. L. (2015). Appreciating life in the midst of adversity: Savoring in relation to mindfulness, reappraisal, and meaning. Psychological Inquiry, 26, 315-321.
Bryant, F. B., & Jöreskog, K. G. (2016). Confirmatory factor analysis of ordinal data using full-information adaptive quadrature. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics, 58, 173-196.
Smith, J. L., & Bryant, F. B. (2017). Savoring and well-being: Mapping the cognitive-emotional terrain of the happy mind. In M. D. Robinson & M. Eid (Eds.), The happy mind: Cognitive contributions to well-being (pp.139-156). New York: Springer.
Recent Funding
Funding Institution: Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging (Evanston, IL)
Name of Grant: “Impact of Savoring on Perceptions of Aging”
Dates: January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016
Role: Principal Investigator