Aaron Charles Kay
J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Professor of International Management
Aaron C. Kay (PhD 2005, Stanford University) is the J Rex Fuqua Professor of Management and Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. His research focuses on the relation between motivation, implicit social cognition, and social issues. He has a particular interest in how basic motivations and needs manifest as specific social and societal beliefs. These include (but are not limited to) the causes and consequences of stereotyping and system justification, religious belief, political ideology, and the attitudes people hold towards their organizations and institutions.
For this research, Aaron Kay has been awarded the Janet T. Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Society, the SAGE Young Scholar Award from the Foundation of Personality and Social Psychology (2010), the Early Career Contribution Award from the International Society of Justice Researchers (2010), the Early Researchers Award from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (2009), and Dissertation Awards from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (2006) and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (runner-up; 2006). He has been named a Fellow of the American Psychological Society as well as the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, and Dr. Kay's research is widely covered in national and international news and media outlets. Dr. Kay is a past President of the International Society of Justice Research.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Professor of International Management, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University 2019
- Professor of Business Administration, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University 2016
- Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2016
- Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, Duke Science & Society, Initiatives 2014
Contact Information
- Background
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Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Stanford University 2005
- B.S., McGill University (Canada) 1999
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Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2010 - 2016
- Associate Professor of Business Administration, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University 2012 - 2016
- Associate Professor of Business Administration in Fuqua School of Business, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University 2010 - 2012
- Recognition
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In the News
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NOV 10, 2021 Duke Government Relations -
APR 21, 2021 Fuqua School of Business -
FEB 28, 2020 Fuqua School of Business -
MAY 7, 2019 -
APR 30, 2019 Fuqua School of Business -
MAR 14, 2016 -
MAR 14, 2016 Duke Today -
OCT 14, 2015 Triangle Business Journal -
OCT 14, 2015 Triangle Business Journal -
OCT 13, 2015 -
OCT 13, 2015 Duke Today -
SEP 23, 2015 Pacific Standard -
JUN 4, 2015 Huffington Post -
NOV 18, 2014 -
NOV 10, 2014 The Washington Post -
NOV 7, 2014 Newport News Daily Press -
NOV 6, 2014 -
SEP 25, 2014 Los Angeles Times
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Awards & Honors
- Research
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External Relationships
- Amazon, Inc
- TalVista Inc
- Publications & Artistic Works
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Selected Publications
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Books
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Gaucher, D., A. C. Kay, and K. Laurin. The Power of the status quo: Consequences for maintaining and perpetuating inequality, 2011. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203837658.Full Text
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Ramona Bobocel, D., A. C. Kay, M. P. Zanna, and J. M. Olson. The psychology of justice and legitimacy: The Ontario symposium. Vol. 11, 2011. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203837658.Full Text
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Thorisdottir, H., J. T. Jost, and A. C. Kay. On the Social and Psychological Bases of Ideology and System Justification, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320916.003.001.Full Text
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Academic Articles
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Proudfoot, Devon, and Aaron C. Kay. “Communal expectations conflict with autonomy motives: The western drive for autonomy shapes women's negative responses to positive gender stereotypes.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 124, no. 1 (January 2023): 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000311.Full Text
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Ma, Anyi, Krishna Savani, Fangzhou Liu, Kenneth Tai, and Aaron C. Kay. “The mutual constitution of culture and psyche: The bidirectional relationship between individuals' perceived control and cultural tightness-looseness.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, October 2022. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000327.Full Text
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Stanley, M. L., and A. C. Kay. “Belief in divine moral authority satisfies the psychological need for structure and increases in the face of perceived injustice.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 101 (July 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104302.Full Text
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Gibbs, W. C., H. S. Kim, A. C. Kay, and D. K. Sherman. “Who needs control? A cultural perspective on the process of compensatory control.” Social and Personality Psychology Compass, January 1, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12722.Full Text
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Goya-Tocchetto, D., A. C. Kay, H. Vuletich, A. Vonasch, and K. Payne. “The partisan trade-off bias: When political polarization meets policy trade-offs.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 98 (January 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104231.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., and W Connor Gibbs. “Inequality, Military Veteran Transitions, and Beyond: Compensatory Control Theory and Its Application to Real World Social Justice Problems.” Social Justice Research 35, no. 1 (January 2022): 56–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-021-00385-w.Full Text
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Shepherd, Steven, David K. Sherman, Alair MacLean, and Aaron C. Kay. “The Challenges of Military Veterans in Their Transition to the Workplace: A Call for Integrating Basic and Applied Psychological Science.” Perspectives on Psychological Science : A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science 16, no. 3 (May 2021): 590–613. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620953096.Full Text
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Brown-Iannuzzi, Jazmin L., Kristjen B. Lundberg, Aaron C. Kay, and B Keith Payne. “A Privileged Point of View: Effects of Subjective Socioeconomic Status on Naïve Realism and Political Division.” Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin 47, no. 2 (February 2021): 241–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220921043.Full Text
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Ponce de Leon, R., S. Wingrove, and A. C. Kay. “Scientific skepticism and inequality: Political and ideological roots.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 91 (November 1, 2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104045.Full Text
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Stanley, Matthew L., Elizabeth J. Marsh, and Aaron C. Kay. “Structure-seeking as a psychological antecedent of beliefs about morality.” Journal of Experimental Psychology. General 149, no. 10 (October 2020): 1908–18. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000752.Full Text
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Ponce de Leon, R., and A. C. Kay. “Political ideology and compensatory control mechanisms.” Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 34 (August 1, 2020): 112–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.02.013.Full Text
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Axt, Jordan R., Mark J. Landau, and Aaron C. Kay. “The Psychological Appeal of Fake-News Attributions.” Psychological Science 31, no. 7 (July 2020): 848–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620922785.Full Text
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Kim, Jae Yun, Troy H. Campbell, Steven Shepherd, and Aaron C. Kay. “Understanding contemporary forms of exploitation: Attributions of passion serve to legitimize the poor treatment of workers.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 118, no. 1 (January 2020): 121–48. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000190.Full Text
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Ma, A., J. Axt, and A. C. Kay. “A control-based account of stereotyping.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 84 (September 1, 2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103819.Full Text
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Ma, A., S. Tang, and A. C. Kay. “Psychological reactance as a function of thought versus behavioral control.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 84 (September 1, 2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103825.Full Text
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Shepherd, S., A. C. Kay, and K. Gray. “Military veterans are morally typecast as agentic but unfeeling: Implications for veteran employment.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 153 (July 1, 2019): 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.06.003.Full Text
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Shepherd, S., and A. C. Kay. “‘Jesus, take the wheel’: the appeal of spiritual products in satiating concerns about randomness.” Journal of Marketing Management 35, no. 5–6 (March 24, 2019): 467–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2018.1556225.Full Text
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Kim, Jae Yun, Gráinne M. Fitzsimons, and Aaron C. Kay. “Lean in messages increase attributions of women's responsibility for gender inequality.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 115, no. 6 (December 2018): 974–1001. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000129.Full Text
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Laurin, K., A. C. Kay, and M. J. Landau. “Structure and Goal Pursuit: Individual and Cultural Differences.” Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science 1, no. 4 (December 1, 2018): 491–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245918797130.Full Text
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Fath, S., and A. C. Kay. ““If hierarchical, then corrupt”: Exploring people's tendency to associate hierarchy with corruption in organizations.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 149 (November 1, 2018): 145–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2018.10.004.Full Text
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Hoogeveen, S., E. J. Wagenmakers, A. C. Kay, and M. Van Elk. “Compensatory control and religious beliefs: a registered replication report across two countries.” Comprehensive Results in Social Psychology 3, no. 3 (September 2, 2018): 240–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/23743603.2019.1684821.Full Text
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Friesen, Justin P., Kristin Laurin, Steven Shepherd, Danielle Gaucher, and Aaron C. Kay. “System justification: Experimental evidence, its contextual nature, and implications for social change.” The British Journal of Social Psychology, September 2018. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12278.Full Text
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Proudfoot, D., and A. C. Kay. “How perceptions of one's organization can affect perceptions of the self: Membership in a stable organization can sustain individuals' sense of control.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 76 (May 1, 2018): 104–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.01.004.Full Text
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Landau, M. J., J. Khenfer, L. A. Keefer, T. J. Swanson, and A. C. Kay. “When and why does belief in a controlling God strengthen goal commitment?” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 75 (March 1, 2018): 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.11.012.Full Text
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Tang, S., M. King, and A. C. Kay. “Fate as a motivated (and de-motivating) belief: Evidence for a link from task importance to belief in fate to effort.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 144 (January 1, 2018): 74–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2017.08.003.Full Text
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Shepherd, S., and A. C. Kay. “Guns as a source of order and chaos: Compensatory control and the psychological (dis)utility of guns for liberals and conservatives.” Journal of the Association for Consumer Research 3, no. 1 (January 1, 2018): 16–26. https://doi.org/10.1086/695761.Full Text
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Fath, S., D. Proudfoot, and A. C. Kay. “Effective to a fault: Organizational structure predicts attitudes toward minority organizations.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 73 (November 1, 2017): 290–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.10.003.Full Text
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Shepherd, S., R. P. Eibach, and A. C. Kay. ““One Nation Under God”: The System-Justifying Function of Symbolically Aligning God and Government.” Political Psychology 38, no. 5 (October 1, 2017): 703–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12353.Full Text
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Ma, Anyi, Mark J. Landau, Jayanth Narayanan, and Aaron C. Kay. “Thought-control difficulty motivates structure seeking.” Journal of Experimental Psychology. General 146, no. 8 (August 2017): 1067–72. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000282.Full Text
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Ma, A., and A. C. Kay. “Compensatory control and ambiguity intolerance.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 140 (May 1, 2017): 46–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2017.04.001.Full Text
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Khenfer, J., K. Laurin, E. Tafani, E. Roux, and A. C. Kay. “Interventionist external agents make specific advice less demotivating.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 73 (January 1, 2017): 189–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.07.003.Full Text
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Laurin, K., and A. C. Kay. “The Motivational Underpinnings of Belief in God” 56 (January 1, 2017): 201–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aesp.2017.02.004.Full Text
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Leander, N. P., A. C. Kay, T. L. Chartrand, and B. K. Payne. “An affect misattribution pathway to perceptions of Intrinsic reward.” Social Cognition 35, no. 2 (January 1, 2017): 163–80. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2017.35.2.163.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., and M. J. Brandt. “Ideology and intergroup inequality: emerging directions and trends.” Current Opinion in Psychology 11 (October 1, 2016): 110–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.07.007.Full Text
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Rahinel, R., N. B. Amaral, J. J. Clarkson, and A. C. Kay. “On incidental catalysts of elaboration: Reminders of environmental structure promote effortful thought.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 64 (May 1, 2016): 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.01.001.Full Text
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Proudfoot, Devon, Aaron C. Kay, and Christy Z. Koval. “A Gender Bias in the Attribution of Creativity: Archival and Experimental Evidence for the Perceived Association Between Masculinity and Creative Thinking.” Psychological Science 26, no. 11 (November 2015): 1751–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615598739.Full Text
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Proudfoot, D., A. C. Kay, and H. Mann. “Motivated employee blindness: The impact of labor market instability on judgment of organizational inefficiencies.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 130 (July 14, 2015): 108–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2015.06.008.Full Text
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Czopp, Alexander M., Aaron C. Kay, and Sapna Cheryan. “Positive Stereotypes Are Pervasive and Powerful.” Perspectives on Psychological Science : A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science 10, no. 4 (July 2015): 451–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615588091.Full Text
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Landau, Mark J., Aaron C. Kay, and Jennifer A. Whitson. “Compensatory control and the appeal of a structured world.” Psychological Bulletin 141, no. 3 (May 2015): 694–722. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038703.Full Text
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Tullett, Alexa M., Aaron C. Kay, and Michael Inzlicht. “Randomness increases self-reported anxiety and neurophysiological correlates of performance monitoring.” Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 10, no. 5 (May 2015): 628–35. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsu097.Full Text
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Friesen, Justin P., Troy H. Campbell, and Aaron C. Kay. “The psychological advantage of unfalsifiability: the appeal of untestable religious and political ideologies.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 108, no. 3 (March 2015): 515–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000018.Full Text
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Toorn, J. van der, M. Feinberg, J. T. Jost, A. C. Kay, T. R. Tyler, R. Willer, and C. Wilmuth. “A sense of powerlessness fosters system justification: Implications for the legitimation of authority, hierarchy, and government.” Political Psychology 36, no. 1 (February 1, 2015): 93–110. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12183.Full Text
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Brown-Iannuzzi, Jazmin L., Kristjen B. Lundberg, Aaron C. Kay, and B Keith Payne. “Subjective status shapes political preferences.” Psychological Science 26, no. 1 (January 2015): 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614553947.Full Text
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Kay, A., and J. Napier. “The justice motive as a driver of religious experience.” Religion, Brain and Behavior 5, no. 3 (January 1, 2015): 238–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2014.910262.Full Text
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Whitson, J. A., A. D. Galinsky, and A. Kay. “The emotional roots of conspiratorial perceptions, system justification, and belief in the paranormal.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 56 (January 1, 2015): 89–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2014.09.002.Full Text
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Campbell, T., and A. Kay. “Solution Aversion: On the Relation Between Ideology and Motivated Disbelief.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 107, no. 5 (November 6, 2014): 809–24. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037963.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Callan, Mitchell J., Aaron C. Kay, and Rael J. Dawtry. “Making sense of misfortune: deservingness, self-esteem, and patterns of self-defeat.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 107, no. 1 (July 2014): 142–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036640.Full Text
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Friesen, Justin P., Aaron C. Kay, Richard P. Eibach, and Adam D. Galinsky. “Seeking structure in social organization: compensatory control and the psychological advantages of hierarchy.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 106, no. 4 (April 2014): 590–609. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035620.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., Kristin Laurin, Gráinne M. Fitzsimons, and Mark J. Landau. “A functional basis for structure-seeking: exposure to structure promotes willingness to engage in motivated action.” Journal of Experimental Psychology. General 143, no. 2 (April 2014): 486–91. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034462.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., and John T. Jost. “Theoretical integration in motivational science: System justification as one of many "autonomous motivational structures".” The Behavioral and Brain Sciences 37, no. 2 (April 2014): 146–47. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x13002057.Full Text
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Tang, Simone, Steven Shepherd, and Aaron C. Kay. “Do difficult decisions motivate belief in fate? A test in the context of the 2012 U.S. presidential election.” Psychological Science 25, no. 4 (April 2014): 1046–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613519448.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., and D. Proudfoot. “Reactance of Rationalization? Predicting Public Responses to Government Policy.” Policy Insights From the Behavioral and Brain Sciences 1 (2014): 256–62.
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Proudfoot, D., and A. C. Kay. “System justification in organizational contexts: How a Motivated preference for the status quo can affect organizational attitudes and behaviors.” Research in Organizational Behavior 34 (January 1, 2014): 173–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2014.03.001.Full Text
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Shepherd, S., and A. C. Kay. “When government confidence undermines public involvement in modern disasters.” Social Cognition 32, no. 3 (January 1, 2014): 206–16. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2014.32.3.206.Full Text
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Yeung, A. W. Y., A. C. Kay, and J. M. Peach. “Anti-feminist backlash: The role of system justification in the rejection of feminism.” Group Processes &Amp; Intergroup Relations 17, no. 4 (January 1, 2014): 474–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430213514121.Full Text
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Kugler, M. B., F. Funk, J. Braun, M. Gollwitzer, A. C. Kay, and J. M. Darley. “Differences in punitiveness across three cultures: A test of American exceptionalism in justice attitudes.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 103, no. 4 (December 12, 2013): 1071–1114.
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Laurin, K., A. C. Kay, D. Proudfoot, and G. J. Fitzsimons. “Response to restrictive policies: Reconciling system justification and psychological reactance.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 122, no. 2 (November 1, 2013): 152–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.06.004.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., and R. P. Eibach. “Compensatory Control and Its Implications for Ideological Extremism.” Journal of Social Issues 69, no. 3 (September 1, 2013): 564–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12029.Full Text
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Zhu, L. L., A. C. Kay, and R. P. Eibach. “A test of the flexible ideology hypothesis: System justification motives interact with ideological cueing to predict political judgments.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 49, no. 4 (July 1, 2013): 755–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2013.03.007.Full Text
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Laurin, K., D. Gaucher, and A. Kay. “Stability and the justification of social inequality.” European Journal of Social Psychology 43, no. 4 (June 1, 2013): 246–54. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.1949.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., M. V. Day, M. P. Zanna, and A. D. Nussbaum. “The insidious (and ironic) effects of positive stereotypes.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 49, no. 2 (March 1, 2013): 287–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.11.003.Full Text
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Sullivan, D., M. J. Landau, and A. C. Kay. “Toward a comprehensive understanding of existential threat: Insights from paul tillich.” Social Cognition 30, no. 6 (December 1, 2012): 734–57. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2012.30.6.734.Full Text
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Sullivan, Daniel, Mark J. Landau, Aaron C. Kay, and Zachary K. Rothschild. “Collectivism and the meaning of suffering.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 103, no. 6 (December 2012): 1023–39. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030382.Full Text
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Laurin, Kristin, Azim F. Shariff, Joseph Henrich, and Aaron C. Kay. “Outsourcing punishment to God: beliefs in divine control reduce earthly punishment.” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 279, no. 1741 (August 2012): 3272–81. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0615.Full Text
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Laurin, Kristin, Aaron C. Kay, and Gavan J. Fitzsimons. “Reactance versus rationalization: divergent responses to policies that constrain freedom.” Psychological Science 23, no. 2 (February 2012): 205–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611429468.Full Text
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Shepherd, Steven, and Aaron C. Kay. “On the perpetuation of ignorance: system dependence, system justification, and the motivated avoidance of sociopolitical information.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 102, no. 2 (February 2012): 264–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026272.Full Text
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Laurin, Kristin, Aaron C. Kay, and Gráinne M. Fitzsimons. “Divergent effects of activating thoughts of God on self-regulation.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 102, no. 1 (January 2012): 4–21. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025971.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., and J. Friesen. “On social stability and social change: Understanding when system justification does and does not occur.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 20, no. 6 (December 1, 2011): 360–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411422059.Full Text
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Shepherd, S., A. C. Kay, M. J. Landau, and L. A. Keefer. “Evidence for the specificity of control motivations in worldview defense: Distinguishing compensatory control from uncertainty management and terror management processes.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 47, no. 5 (September 1, 2011): 949–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.03.026.Full Text
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Day, Martin V., Aaron C. Kay, John G. Holmes, and Jaime L. Napier. “System justification and the defense of committed relationship ideology.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 101, no. 2 (August 2011): 291–306. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023197.Full Text
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Laurin, K., A. C. Kay, and S. Shepherd. “Self-stereotyping as a route to system justification.” Social Cognition 29, no. 3 (July 11, 2011): 360–75. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2011.29.3.360.Full Text
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Gaucher, Danielle, Justin Friesen, and Aaron C. Kay. “Evidence that gendered wording in job advertisements exists and sustains gender inequality.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 101, no. 1 (July 2011): 109–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022530.Full Text
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Wheeler, S. C., D. Smeesters, and A. C. Kay. “Culture modifies the operation of prime-to-behavior effects.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 47, no. 4 (July 1, 2011): 824–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.02.018.Full Text
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Cutright, K. M., E. C. Wu, J. C. Banfield, A. C. Kay, and G. J. Fitzsimons. “When your world must be defended: Choosing products to justify the system.” Journal of Consumer Research 38, no. 1 (June 1, 2011): 62–77. https://doi.org/10.1086/658469.Full Text
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Banfield, J. C., A. C. Kay, K. M. Cutright, E. C. Wu, and G. J. Fitzsimons. “A person by situation account of motivated system defense.” Social Psychological and Personality Science 2, no. 2 (March 1, 2011): 212–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550610386809.Full Text
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Bobocel, D. R., A. C. Kay, M. P. Zanna, and J. M. Olson. “The psychology of justice and legitimacy: The Ontario symposium.” The Psychology of Justice and Legitimacy 11 (2011): 1–350. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203837658.Full Text
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Laurin, Kristin, Gráinne M. Fitzsimons, and Aaron C. Kay. “Social disadvantage and the self-regulatory function of justice beliefs.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 100, no. 1 (January 2011): 149–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021343.Full Text
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Anderson, Joanna E., Aaron C. Kay, and Gráinne M. Fitzsimons. “In search of the silver lining: the justice motive fosters perceptions of benefits in the later lives of tragedy victims.” Psychological Science 21, no. 11 (November 2010): 1599–1604. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610386620.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., Steven Shepherd, Craig W. Blatz, Sook Ning Chua, and Adam D. Galinsky. “For God (or) country: the hydraulic relation between government instability and belief in religious sources of control.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 99, no. 5 (November 2010): 725–39. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021140.Full Text
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Laurin, Kristin, Steven Shepherd, and Aaron C. Kay. “Restricted emigration, system inescapability, and defense of the status quo: system-justifying consequences of restricted exit opportunities.” Psychological Science 21, no. 8 (August 2010): 1075–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610375448.Full Text
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Callan, M. J., A. C. Kay, J. M. Olson, N. Brar, and N. Whitefield. “The effects of priming legal concepts on perceived trust and competitiveness, self-interested attitudes, and competitive behavior.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 46, no. 2 (March 1, 2010): 325–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.12.005.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., Danielle Gaucher, Ian McGregor, and Kyle Nash. “Religious belief as compensatory control.” Personality and Social Psychology Review : An Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc 14, no. 1 (February 2010): 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868309353750.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., David A. Moscovitch, and Kristin Laurin. “Randomness, attributions of arousal, and belief in god.” Psychological Science 21, no. 2 (February 2010): 216–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797609357750.Full Text
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Gaucher, Danielle, Carolyn L. Hafer, Aaron C. Kay, and Nicolas Davidenko. “Compensatory rationalizations and the resolution of everyday undeserved outcomes.” Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin 36, no. 1 (January 2010): 109–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209351701.Full Text
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Smeesters, D., S. C. Wheeler, and A. C. Kay. “Chapter Five: Indirect prime-to-behavior effects: The role of perceptions of the self, others, and situations in connecting primed constructs to social behavior.” Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 42 (January 1, 2010): 259–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(10)42005-5.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., J. A. Whitson, D. Gaucher, and A. D. Galinsky. “Compensatory control: Achieving order through the mind, our institutions, and the heavens.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 18, no. 5 (December 1, 2009): 264–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01649.x.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., Danielle Gaucher, Jennifer M. Peach, Kristin Laurin, Justin Friesen, Mark P. Zanna, and Steven J. Spencer. “Inequality, discrimination, and the power of the status quo: Direct evidence for a motivation to see the way things are as the way they should be.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 97, no. 3 (September 2009): 421–34. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015997.Full Text
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Bryan, C. J., C. S. Dweck, L. Ross, A. C. Kay, and N. O. Mislavsky. “Political mindset: Effects of schema priming on liberal-conservative political positions.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 45, no. 4 (July 1, 2009): 890–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.04.007.Full Text
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Callan, M. J., A. C. Kay, N. Davidenko, and J. H. Ellard. “The effects of justice motivation on memory for self- and other-relevant events.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 45, no. 4 (July 1, 2009): 614–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.02.013.Full Text
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Jost, J. T., A. C. Kay, and H. Thorisdottir. “Social and Psychological Bases of Ideology and System Justification.” Social and Psychological Bases of Ideology and System Justification, May 1, 2009, 1–552. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320916.001.0001.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., and M. P. Zanna. “A Contextual Analysis of the System Justification Motive and Its Societal Consequences,” May 1, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320916.003.007.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., S. Czapliński, and J. T. Jost. “Left-right ideological differences in system Justification following exposure to complementary versus noncomplementary stereotype exemplars.” European Journal of Social Psychology 39, no. 2 (March 1, 2009): 290–98. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.500.Full Text
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Smeesters, Dirk, S Christian Wheeler, and Aaron C. Kay. “The role of interpersonal perceptions in the prime-to-behavior pathway.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 96, no. 2 (February 2009): 395–414. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012959.Full Text
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Laurin, K., A. C. Kay, and D. A. Moscovitch. “On the belief in God: Towards an understanding of the emotional substrates of compensatory control.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 44, no. 6 (November 1, 2008): 1559–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2008.07.007.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., Danielle Gaucher, Jamie L. Napier, Mitchell J. Callan, and Kristin Laurin. “God and the government: testing a compensatory control mechanism for the support of external systems.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 95, no. 1 (July 2008): 18–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.18.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., S. C. Wheeler, and D. Smeesters. “The situated person: Effects of construct accessibility on situation construals and interpersonal perception.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 44, no. 2 (March 1, 2008): 275–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2007.05.005.Full Text
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Lau, Grace P., Aaron C. Kay, and Steven J. Spencer. “Loving those who justify inequality: the effects of system threat on attraction to women who embody benevolent sexist ideals.” Psychological Science 19, no. 1 (January 2008): 20–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02040.x.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., J. T. Jost, A. N. Mandisodza, S. J. Sherman, J. V. Petrocelli, and A. L. Johnson. “Panglossian Ideology In The Service Of System Justification: How Complementary Stereotypes Help Us To Rationalize Inequality.” Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 39 (April 26, 2007): 305–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)39006-5.Full Text
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Jost, John T., and Aaron C. Kay. “Exposure to benevolent sexism and complementary gender stereotypes: consequences for specific and diffuse forms of system justification.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 88, no. 3 (March 2005): 498–509. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.88.3.498.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., John T. Jost, and Sean Young. “Victim derogation and victim enhancement as alternate routes to system justification.” Psychological Science 16, no. 3 (March 2005): 240–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0956-7976.2005.00810.x.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., S. C. Wheeler, J. A. Bargh, and L. Ross. “Material priming: The influence of mundane physical objects on situational construal and competitive behavioral choice.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 95, no. 1 (September 1, 2004): 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2004.06.003.Full Text
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Fitzsimons, Gráinne M., and Aaron C. Kay. “Language and interpersonal cognition: causal effects of variations in pronoun usage on perceptions of closeness.” Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin 30, no. 5 (May 2004): 547–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167203262852.Full Text
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Kay, Aaron C., and John T. Jost. “Complementary justice: effects of "poor but happy" and "poor but honest" stereotype exemplars on system justification and implicit activation of the justice motive.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 85, no. 5 (November 2003): 823–37. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.5.823.Full Text
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Baldwin, M. W., and A. C. Kay. “Adult attachment and the inhibition of rejection.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 22, no. 3 (June 1, 2003): 275–93. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.22.3.275.22890.Full Text
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Mendelson, M. J., and A. C. Kay. “Positive feelings in friendship: Does imbalance in the relationship matter?” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 20, no. 1 (February 1, 2003): 101–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407503020001190.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., and L. Ross. “The perceptual push: The interplay of implicit cues and explicit situational construals on behavioral intentions in the prisoner's dilemma.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 39, no. 6 (January 1, 2003): 634–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1031(03)00057-X.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., M. C. Jimenez, and J. T. Jost. “Sour grapes, sweet lemons, and the anticipatory rationalization of the status quo.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 28, no. 9 (January 1, 2002): 1300–1312. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672022812014.Full Text
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Book Sections
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Axt, J. R., M. J. Landau, and A. C. Kay. “Fake news attributions as a source of nonspecific structure.” In The Psychology of Fake News: Accepting, Sharing, and Correcting Misinformation, 220–34, 2020. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429295379-15.Full Text
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Shepherd, S., and A. C. Kay. “Politics and religion: commutable, conflicting, and collaborative systems for satisfying the need for order.” In The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism, 421–34, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-817204-9.00030-5.Full Text
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Rutjens, B. T., and A. C. Kay. “Compensatory control theory and the psychological importance of perceiving order.” In Coping with Lack of Control in a Social World, 83–96, 2016. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315661452.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., J. E. Anderson, and G. M. Fitzsimons. “The motivated process of making meaning from negative experiences.” In The Psychology of Meaning. Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 2014.
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Kay, A. C., M. J. Landau, and D. L. Sullivan. “Agency and Control.” In APA Handbook of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition, edited by J. Bargh and E. Borgida. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2014.
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Banfield, J. C., S. Shepherd, and A. C. Kay. “Consequences of system defense motivations for individuals’ willingness to act sustainably.” In Encouraging Sustainable Behavior: Psychology and the Environment, 111–24, 2013. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203141182.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., and D. L. Sullivan. “Cultural unity and diversity in compensatory control.” In Advances in Culture and Psychology, edited by M. Gelfand, C. Yue, and Y. Hong. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
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Jost, J. T., and A. C. Kay. “System justification as an obstacle to the attainment of social justice.” In Social Thinking and Interpersonal Behavior, 277–96, 2012. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203139677.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., and M. J. Callan. “Associations between law, competitiveness, and the pursuit of self-interest.” In Psychology, Ideology, and Law, edited by J. Hanson. New York: Oxford University Press (OUP), 2012.
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Kay, A. C., and R. P. Eibach. “Ideological Processes.” In The Handbook of Social Cognition, edited by S. Fiske and N. MaCrae. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
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Kay, A. C., and R. P. Eibach. “The ideological toolbox: Ideologies as tools of motivated social cognition.” In The SAGE Handbook of Social Cognition, 495–515, 2012. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446247631.n25.Full Text
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Ramona Bobocel, D., A. C. Kay, M. P. Zanna, and J. M. Olson. “Preface,” vii–xiv, 2011. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203837658.Full Text
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Kay, A. C., D. Gaucher, and K. Laurin. “The power of the status quo: Consequences for maintaining and perpetuating inequality.” In The Psychology of Justice and Legitimacy: The Ontario Symposium (Vol. 11), edited by R. Bobocel, M. Kay, P. Zanna, and J. M. Olson, 109–18. Philadelphia: Psychology Press, 2010.
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Kay, A. C., J. Banfield, and K. Laurin. “Ideology and power.” In The Social Psychology of Power, edited by T. Vescio and A. Guinote. New York: Guilford Press, 2010.
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Kay, A. C., and J. T. Jost. “Social Justice: History, Theory, and Research.” In Handbook of Social Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, 2010.
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Kay, A. C., and M. P. Zanna. “A contextual analysis of the social and psychological consequences of system justification.” In Social & Psychological Bases of Ideology and System Justification, edited by J. T. Jost and H. Thoristtodor. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
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Kay, A. C., J. T. Jost, and G. M. Fitzsimons. “The Ideological Animal: On the Epistemic and Existential Bases of System Justification.” In Handbook of Experimental Existential Psychology, edited by J. Greenberg, S. L. Koole, and T. Pyszczynsk. New York: Guilford Press, 2004.
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