My main research interests concern the interplay of automatic (impulsive) and controlled (reasoned) processes on the self-regulation of behavior. I am interested in understanding when and why impulsive versus reflective precursors influence self-regulatory behavior such as healthy eating and drinking, consumer choice, sexual interest behavior, anger expression, or interracial interaction. Recently, I investigated the role of individual differences in working memory capacity and behavioral inhibition, as well as situational influences such as ego depletion, alcohol, and mortality salience in shifting the relative weight of impulsive versus reflective influences on behavior. Furthermore, I am conducting research on the consistency between implicit and explicit mental representations, self-knowledge, and evaluative conditioning. In my methodological approach, I strive to combine the rigor of experimental research and social-cognitive measurement tools with the external validity of behavioral data from everyday life.

Primary Interests:

Attitudes and Beliefs
Health Psychology
Judgment and Decision Making
Motivation, Goal Setting
Personality, Individual Differences
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Research Methods, Assessment
Social Cognition

Attitudes and Beliefs
Health Psychology
Judgment and Decision Making
Motivation, Goal Setting
Personality, Individual Differences

Prejudice and Stereotyping
Research Methods, Assessment
Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

Center for Decision Research
Interactive Map

Journal Articles:

Friese, M., Bargas-Avila, J., Hofmann, W., & Wiers, R. W. (2010). Here’s looking at you, Bud: Alcohol-related memory structures predict eye movements for social drinkers with low executive control. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 1, 143-151.
Hofmann, W., Baumeister, R. F., Foerster, G., & Vohs, K. D. (in press). Everyday temptations: An experience sampling study of desire, conflict, and self-control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Hofmann, W., De Houwer, J., Perugini, M., Baeyens, F., & Crombez, G. (2010). Evaluative conditioning in humans: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 390-421.
Hofmann, W., Deutsch, R., Banaji, M. R., & Lancaster, K. (2010). Cooling the heat of temptation: Mental self-control and the automatic evaluation of tempting stimuli. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 17-25.
Hofmann, W. & Fisher, R. R. (in press). How guilt and pride shape subsequent self-control. Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Hofmann, W., Friese, M., & Roefs, A. (2009). Three ways to resist temptation: The independent contributions of executive attention, inhibitory control, and affect regulation to the impulse control of eating behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 431-435.
Hofmann, W., Friese, M., & Strack, F. (2009). Impulse and self-control from a dual-systems perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 162-176.
Hofmann, W., Friese, M., & Wiers, R. W. (2008). Impulsive versus reflective influences on health behavior: A theoretical framework and empirical review. Health Psychology Review, 2, 111-137.
Hofmann, W., Gawronski, B., Gschwendner, T., Le, H., & Schmitt, M. (2005). A meta-analysis on the correlation between the Implicit Association Test and explicit self-report measures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 1369-1385.
Hofmann, W., Gschwendner, T., Castelli, L., & Schmitt, M. (2008). Implicit and explicit attitudes and interracial interaction: The moderating role of situationally available control resources. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 11, 69-87.
Hofmann, W., Gschwendner, T., Friese, M., Wiers, R. W., & Schmitt, M. (2008). Working memory capacity and self-regulatory behavior: Toward an individual differences perspective on behavior determination by automatic versus controlled processes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 962-977.
Hofmann, W., Koningsbruggen, G. M., Stroebe, W., Ramanathan, S., & Aarts, H. (2010). As pleasure unfolds: Hedonic responses to tempting food. Psychological Science, 21, 1863-1870.
Hofmann, W., Rauch, W., & Gawronski, B. (2007). And deplete us not into temptation: Automatic attitudes, dietary restraint, and self-regulatory resources as determinants of eating behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 497-504.
Hofmann, W., Schmeichel, B. J., & Baddeley, A. D. (in press). Executive functions and self-regulation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
Hofmann, W., Vohs, K. D., & Baumeister, R. F. (in press). What people desire, feel conflicted about, and try to resist in everyday life. Psychological Science.
Luhmann, M., Hofmann, W., Eid, M., & Lucas, R. E. (in press). Subjective Well-Being and Adaptation to Life Events: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Nederkoorn, C., Houben, K., Hofmann, W., Roefs, A., & Jansen, A. (2010). Control yourself or just eat what you like? Weight gain over a year is predicted by an interactive effect of response inhibition and preference for snack foods. Health Psychology, 29, 389-393.

Other Publications:

Courses Taught:

Advanced Social Cognition
Applied Motivation Psychology
Applied Social Psychology
Automatic and Controlled Processes
Consumer Psychology
Impulsivity and Self-Control
Intelligence and Creativity
Managing in Organizations
Motivation and Emotion
Self-Regulation

Advanced Social Cognition
Applied Motivation Psychology
Applied Social Psychology
Automatic and Controlled Processes
Consumer Psychology
Impulsivity and Self-Control

Intelligence and Creativity
Managing in Organizations
Motivation and Emotion
Self-Regulation

Wilhelm Hofmann
Booth School of Business
5807 South Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Phone: (773) 834-4348
Fax: (773) 834-0458
Email: wilhelm.hofmann@chicagobooth.edu