Faculty » Kate Sweeny

My research examines threat management: how people give news of, prepare for, and respond to negative life events. People often face the possibility or reality of undesirable outcomes in domains ranging from their health, career, and relationships to the most mundane arenas of life. The processes by which people anticipate the possibility of bad news, pass along bad news to others, and respond to the events that ultimately occur are the subjects of my diverse but interconnected research program. These lines of research incorporate the study of risk judgments, coping, decision-making, emotions, social cognition, health, and communication.

My current research projects fall into one of two broad areas: uncertainty navigation and health communication. Regarding uncertainty navigation, people frequently face difficult waiting periods when they anticipate uncertain news regarding their or their loved ones’ health, relationships, professional prospects, and academic outcomes. I have explored one aspect of the waiting experience in detail: bracing for bad news. As people get closer to the “moment of truth,” they tend to become more and more pessimistic about their likely outcomes in an effort to avoid disappointment in the case of bad news. I am now expanding my research on waiting to include a number of other strategies, and I have developed a model of uncertainty navigation to depict the process people go through during difficult waiting periods.

Regarding health communication, my lab has several ongoing projects related to communication between physicians and patients in medical settings. The quality of physician-patient relationships has significant consequences for patients’ adherence to treatment recommendations, satisfaction with care, and health outcomes. Several projects related to this topic examine the best ways to give bad news, including studies on the goals of bad news communication and the role of good news in bad news conversations. Other projects examine “doctorship” styles by drawing from the literature on leadership to make predictions about the most effective ways physicians can interact with patients to encourage positive health choices. Finally, we will soon be starting several projects to examine the effects of physical positioning in medical exam rooms (e.g., lying on a table vs. sitting in a chair). To help us study these topics, we have developed collaborations with the Department of Surgery at the Riverside County Regional Medical Center and with a local allergy and asthma clinic.

Selected Publications

Sweeny, K. (in press). Waiting well: Tips for navigating painful uncertainty. Social and Personality Psychology Compass.

Sweeny, K., & Vohs, K. D. (in press). On near misses and completed tasks: The nature of relief. Psychological Science.

Cavanaugh, A. G., & Sweeny, K. (in press). Hanging in the balance: The role of self-construal abstractness in navigating self-relevant uncertainty. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Sweeny, K., & Cavanaugh, A. G. (in press). Waiting is the hardest part: A model of uncertainty navigation in the context of health. Health Psychology Review.

Sweeny, K., & Miller, W. (in press). Predictors of information avoidance: When does ignorance seem most blissful? Self & Identity.

Sweeny, K., Shepperd, J. A., & Han, P. K. J. (in press). The goals of bad news communication: Do physicians and patients agree? Health Expectations.

Sweeny, K., Shepperd, J. A., & Howell, J. (in press). Do as I say (not as I do): Inconsistency in behaviors and values. Basic and Applied Social Psychology.

Sweeny, K., & Legg, A. M. (2011). Predictors of interest in direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Psychology & Health, 26, 1259-1272.

Sweeny, K., Melnyk, D., Miller, W., & Shepperd, J. A. (2010). Information avoidance: Who, what, when, and why. Review of General Psychology, 14, 340-353.

Sweeny, K., & Shepperd, J. A. (2010). The costs of optimism and the benefits of pessimism. Emotion, 10, 750-753.

Sweeny, K., & Shepperd, J. A. (2009). Responding to negative health events: A test of the Bad News Response Model. Psychology & Health, 24, 895-907.

Sweeny, K., Shepperd, J. A., & Carroll, P. J. (2009). Expectations for others’ outcomes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 160-171.

Sweeny, K. (2008). Crisis decision theory: Decisions in the face of negative events. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 61-76.

Carroll, P. J., Shepperd, J. A., Sweeny, K., Carlson, E., & Benigno, J. P. (2007). Disappointment for others. Cognition and Emotion, 11, 1565-1576.

Shepperd, J. A., Sweeny, K., & Cherry, L.C. (2007). Influencing audience satisfaction by manipulating expectations. Social Influence, 2, 98-111.

Sweeny, K., & Shepperd, J. A. (2007). Being the best bearer of bad tidings. Review of General Psychology, 11, 235-257.

Sweeny, K., & Shepperd, J. A. (2007). Do people brace sensibly? Risk judgments and risk prevalence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 1064-1075.

Carroll, P., Sweeny, K., & Shepperd, J. A. (2006). Forsaking optimism. Review of General Psychology, 10, 56-73.

Sweeny, K., Carroll, P. J., & Shepperd, J. A. (2006). Thinking about the future: Is optimism always best? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 302-306.