Selected publications

Article

Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Sue and Sparks, Paul (2022) Perceived legitimacy can moderate the effect of proscriptive versus prescriptive injunctions on intentions to comply with UK government COVID-19 guidelines and reactance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. pp. 1-11. ISSN 0021-9029

Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Susan and Sparks, Paul (2022) Proscriptive injunctions can elicit greater reactance and lower legitimacy perceptions than prescriptive injunctions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 48. pp. 676-689. ISSN 0146-1672

Farsides, Tom, Smith, Claire F and Sparks, Paul (2021) Beyond “Altruism motivates body donation”. Death Studies. pp. 1-9. ISSN 0748-1187

Aldoh, Alaa, Sparks, Paul and Harris, Peter R (2021) Dynamic norms and food choice: reflections on a failure of minority norm information to influence motivation to reduce meat consumption. Sustainability, 13 (15). a8315 1-17. ISSN 2071-1050

Becker, Sarah and Sparks, Paul (2020) "It never rains in California": constructions of drought as a natural and social phenomenon. Weather and Climate Extremes. a100257. ISSN 2212-0947

Gholamzadehmir, Maedeh, Sparks, Paul and Farsides, Tom (2019) Moral licensing, moral cleansing and pro-environmental behaviour: the moderating role of pro-environmental attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 65. a101334 1-9. ISSN 0272-4944

Graham-Rowe, Ella, Jessop, Donna C and Sparks, Paul (2019) Self-affirmation theory and pro-environmental behaviour: promoting a reduction in household food waste. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 62. pp. 124-132. ISSN 0272-4944

Churchill, Susan, Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul (2019) The impact of autonomy-framed and control-framed implementation intentions on snacking behaviour: the moderating effect of eating self-efficacy. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 11 (1). pp. 42-58. ISSN 1758-0846

Reid, Matthew, Sparks, Paul and Jessop, Donna C (2018) The effect of self-identity alongside perceived importance within the theory of planned behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48 (6). pp. 883-889. ISSN 0046-2772

Pavey, Louisa Jane, Sparks, Paul and Churchill, Sue (2018) Proscriptive vs. prescriptive health recommendations to drink alcohol within recommended limits: effects on moral norms, reactance, attitudes, intentions, and behaviour change. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 53 (3). pp. 344-349. ISSN 0735-0414

Becker, Sarah and Sparks, Paul (2018) Talking about climate change mitigation: people’s views on different levels of action. Sustainability, 10 (5). p. 1357. ISSN 1937-0695

Farsides, Tom, Sparks, Paul and Jessop, Donna (2018) Self-reported reasons for moral decisions. Thinking and Reasoning, 24 (1). pp. 1-20. ISSN 1354-6783

Carfora, V, Caso, D, Sparks, P and Conner, M (2017) Moderating effects of pro-environmental self-identity on pro-environmental intentions and behaviour: a multi-behaviour study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 53. pp. 92-99. ISSN 0272-4944

Becker, Sarah and Sparks, Paul (2016) Neither fair nor unchangeable but part of the natural order: orientations towards inequality in the face of criticism of the economic system. Social Justice Research, 29 (4). pp. 456-472. ISSN 0885-7466

Jessop, Donna, Sparks, Paul, Jessop, Laura, Dodds, Lauren and Lynch, Sarah (2016) Morality or competence? The importance of affirming the appropriate dimension of self-integrity. British Journal of Health Psychology, 21 (4). pp. 956-972. ISSN 1359-107X

Churchill, Susan, Pavey, Louisa, Jessop, Donna and Sparks, Paul (2016) Persuading people to drink less alcohol: the role of message framing, temporal focus and autonomy. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 51 (6). pp. 727-733. ISSN 0735-0414

Storr, Scarlett Marie and Sparks, Paul (2016) Does self-affirmation following ego-depletion moderate restrained eaters’ explicit preferences for, and implicit associations with, high-calorie foods? Psychology & Health, 31 (7). pp. 840-856. ISSN 0887-0446

Farsides, Tom and Sparks, Paul (2016) Buried in bullshit. Psychologist, 29. pp. 368-371. ISSN 0952-8229

Case, Philippa, Sparks, Paul and Pavey, Louisa Jane (2016) Identity appropriateness and the structure of the theory of planned behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 55 (1). pp. 109-125. ISSN 0144-6665

Sparks, Paul and Jessop, Donna C (2016) 'Spontaneity is a meticulously prepared art' (Oscar Wilde): commentary on Taber et al. (2016), associations of spontaneous self-affirmation with health care experiences and health information seeking in a national survey of US adults. Psychology & Health, 31 (3). pp. 310-312. ISSN 0887-0446

Conroy, Dominic, Sparks, Paul and de Visser, Richard (2015) Efficacy of a non-drinking mental simulation intervention for reducing student alcohol consumption. British Journal of Health Psychology, 20 (4). pp. 688-707. ISSN 1359-107X

Graham-Rowe, Ella, Jessop, Donna C and Sparks, Paul (2015) Predicting household food waste reduction using an extended theory of planned behaviour. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 101. pp. 194-202. ISSN 0921-3449

van Prooijen, Anne-Marie and Sparks, Paul (2014) Attenuating initial beliefs: increasing the acceptance of anthropogenic climate change information by reflecting on values. Risk Analysis, 34 (5). pp. 929-936. ISSN 0272-4332

Jessop, Donna C, Sparks, Paul, Buckland, Nicola, Harris, Peter R and Churchill, Sue (2014) Combining self-affirmation and implementation intentions: evidence of detrimental effects on behavioral outcomes. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 47 (2). pp. 137-147. ISSN 0883-6612

Sparks, Paul, Hinds, Joe, Curnock, Sue and Pavey, Louisa Jane (2014) Connectedness and its consequences: a study of relationships with the natural environment. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 44 (3). pp. 166-174. ISSN 0021-9029

Graham-Rowe, Ella, Jessop, Donna C and Sparks, Paul (2014) Identifying motivations and barriers to minimising household food waste. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 84. pp. 15-23. ISSN 0921-3449

Lockwood, Nina and Sparks, Paul (2013) When is risk relevant? A psychometric study of the characteristics mountain climbers associate with eight types of climbing. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43 (5). pp. 992-1001. ISSN 0021-9029

van Prooijen, Anne-Marie, Sparks, Paul and Jessop, Donna C (2012) Promoting or jeopardizing lighter carbon footprints? Self-affirmation can polarize environmental orientations. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4 (2). pp. 238-243. ISSN 1948-5506

Pavey, Louisa Jane, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul (2012) “I help because I want to, not because you tell me to”: empathy increases autonomously motivated helping. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38 (5). pp. 681-689. ISSN 0146-1672

Pavey, Louisa J and Sparks, Paul (2012) Autonomy and defensiveness: Experimentally increasing adaptive responses to health-risk information via priming and self-affirmation. Psychology and Health, 27 (3). pp. 259-276. ISSN 0887-0446

Brown, Rupert, deVisser, Richard, Dittmar, Helga, Drury, John, Farsides, Tom, Jessop, Donna and Sparks, Paul (2012) Social psychology and policy-making: past neglect, future promise. Public Policy Research, 18 (4). pp. 227-234. ISSN 1744-5396

Pavey, Louisa, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul (2011) Highlighting relatedness promotes prosocial motives and behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37 (7). pp. 905-917. ISSN 0146-1672

Sparks, Paul and Farsides, Tom (2011) Social dimensions of judgments of integrity in public figures. British Journal of Social Psychology, 50 (1). pp. 170-179. ISSN 0144-6665

Hinds, Joe and Sparks, Paul (2011) The affective quality of human-natural environment relationships. Evolutionary Psychology, 9 (4). pp. 451-469.

Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul (2010) Autonomy and reactions to health-risk information. Psychology and Health, 25 (7). pp. 855-872. ISSN 0887-0446

Sparks, Paul, Jessop, Donna C, Chapman, James and Holmes, Katherine (2010) Pro-environmental actions, climate change, and defensiveness: do self-affirmations make a difference to people's motives and beliefs about making a difference? British Journal of Social Psychology, 49 (3). pp. 553-568. ISSN 0144-6665

Hinds, Joe and Sparks, Paul (2009) Investigating environmental identity, well-being, and meaning. Ecopsychology, 1 (4). pp. 181-186. ISSN 1942-9347

Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul (2009) Reactance, autonomy and the paths to persuasion: examining perceptions of threats to freedom and informational value. Motivation and Emotion, 33 (3). pp. 277-290. ISSN 0146-7239

Jessop, Donna, Simmonds, L V and Sparks, P (2009) Motivational and behavioral consequences of self-affirmation interventions: A study of sunscreen use among women. Psychology and Health, 24 (5). pp. 529-544. ISSN 0887-0446

Sparks, Paul and Farsides, Tom (2009) The pub, the people, the place, the passions and the principles: the social and personal context of engagement in a collective action. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 1 (2). pp. 40-49.

Churchill, Sue, Jessop, Donna and Sparks, Paul (2008) Impulsive and/or planned behaviour: can impulsivity contribute to the predictive utility of the theory of planned behaviour? British Journal of Social Psychology, 47 (4). pp. 631-646. ISSN 0144-6665

Pavey, Louisa J and Sparks, Paul (2008) Threats to autonomy: Motivational response to health-risk information about smoking. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38 (5). pp. 852-865. ISSN 0046-2772

Hinds, Joe and Sparks, Paul (2008) Engaging with the natural environment: the role of affective connection and identity. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28 (2). pp. 109-120. ISSN 0272-4944

Conner, Mark and Sparks, Paul (2002) Ambivalence and attitudes. European Review of Social Psychology, 12 (1). pp. 37-70. ISSN 1479-227X

Book Section

Conner, Mark and Sparks, Paul (2015) Theory of planned behaviour and the reasoned action approach. In: Conner, Mark and Norman, Paul (eds.) Predicting and changing health behaviour: research and practice with social cognition models. Open University Press, pp. 142-188. ISBN 9780335263783

Sparks, Paul (2013) The psychology of sustainability: attitudes, identities, actions and engaging with the welfare of others. In: van Trijp, Hans C M (ed.) Encouraging sustainable behavior: psychology and the environment. Psychology Press, London, pp. 169-184. ISBN 9781848726499