Dr Peter Harris's Publications\Journal Articles Books Book Chapters Journal ArticlesGriffin, D. W., & HARRIS, P. (in press). Calibrating the Response to Health Warnings: Limiting both overreaction and underreaction with self-affirmation. . Psychological Science.
HARRIS, P., & EPTON, T. (2010). The impact of self-affirmation on health-related cognition and health behaviour: Issues and prospects. . Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4, 439-454.
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Klein, W. M. P., Lipkus, I. M., Scholl, S. M., McQueen, A., Cerully, J. L., & HARRIS, P. (2010). Self-affirmation moderates effects of unrealistic optimism and pessimism on reactions to tailored risk feedback. . Psychology and Health, 25, 1476-8321.
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Payne, N., Jones, F., & HARRIS, P. (2010). A daily diary investigation of the impact of work stress on exercise intention realisation: Can planning overcome the disruptive influence of work? Psychology and Health, 25, 111-129.
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Hall, K. E., ISAAC, C., & HARRIS, P. (2009). Memory complaints in epilepsy: an accurate reflection of memory impairment or an indicator of poor adjustment? A Review of the Literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 354-367.
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Hall, K. E., ISAAC, C. L., & HARRIS, P. R. (2009). Memory complaints in epilepsy: an accurate reflection of memory impairment or an indicator of poor adjustment? A Review of the Literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 354-367.
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HARRIS, P., & EPTON, T. (2009). The impact of self-affirmation on health cognition, health behaviour and other health-related responses: A narrative review. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 3, 962-978.
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HARRIS, P., Sillence, E., & Briggs, P. (2009). The effect of credibility-related design cues on responses to a web-based message about the breast cancer risks from alcohol. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 11(e37).
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Klein, W. M. P., & HARRIS, P. R. (2009). Self-affirmation enhances attentional bias toward threatening components of a persuasive message. Psychological Science, 12, 1463-1467.
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Napper, L., HARRIS, P., & EPTON, T. (2009). Developing and testing a self-affirmation manipulation. Self and Identity, 8, 45-62.
We developed a new manipulation of self-affirmation that is simple to use, can be employed when circumstances prevent pre-screening or using essay-based methods, and has a highly equivalent control task. In the process, we addressed theoretical and empirical questions highlighted in a recent review as requiring attention. In comparison to five controls, the manipulation promoted positive changes on measures designed to test whether people are self-affirmed. It produced a similar pattern on these measures to an existing self-affirmation manipulation. The matched control also performed well. There was no evidence of mediation by mood or state self-esteem or moderation by trait self-esteem. We discuss the potential of the method and associated dependent measures in future self-affirmation research.
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Napper, L., HARRIS, P., & EPTON, T. (2009). Developing and testing a self-affirmation manipulation. Self and Identity, 8, 45-62.
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ARMITAGE, C. J., HARRIS, P. R., Hepton, G., & Napper, L. (2008). Self-affirmation increases acceptance of health-risk information among adult smokers with low socioeconomic status. Psychology of Addictive Behaviours.
This study reports an experiment designed to test whether self-affirmation can overcome defensive processing of risk information in a sample of UK adult smokers with low socioeconomic status. Participants (N = 57) were randomized to either a self-affirmation or control condition before reading a government-sponsored antismoking leaflet and completing measures of message acceptance, intention, and self-efficacy. Participants' subsequent behavior (taking leaflets) was recorded surreptitiously. Results showed that the manipulation significantly increased message acceptance, intention and behavior, and that the effects of the manipulation on behavior were mediated through message acceptance and intention. The practical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed in relation to the possible use of self-affirmation manipulations to enhance the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions.
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EPTON, T., & HARRIS, P. R. (2008). Self-affirmation promotes health behavior change. Health Psychology, 27(6), 746-752.
OBJECTIVE: Evidence shows that self-affirmation has a positive effect on message acceptance and other variables that motivate health behavior change; however, this has not been translated into actual behavioral change. We propose that particular features of the previous studies may account for this failure; the current study addresses this. It is designed to test whether a self-affirmation manipulation can increase a health-promoting behavior (fruit and vegetable consumption). It also explores the extent to which efficacy variables mediate the self-affirmation and behavior relationship.
DESIGN: Women (N = 93) were randomly allocated to a self-affirmation or control task prior to reading a message regarding the health-promoting effects of fruit and vegetables.
MAIN OUTCOME-MEASURES: Response-efficacy, self-efficacy, and intention measures were taken immediately after exposure to the message, followed by a 7-day diary record of fruit and vegetable consumption.
RESULTS: Self-affirmed participants ate significantly more portions of fruit and vegetables, an increase of approximately 5.5 portions across the week, in comparison to the control group. This effect was mediated by response-efficacy.
CONCLUSION: Self-affirmation interventions can successfully influence health-promoting behaviors.
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HARRIS, P., Griffin, D. W., & Murray, S. (2008). Testing the Limits of Optimistic Bias: Event and Person Moderators in a Multi-Level Framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1225-1237.
N. D. Weinstein (1980) established that optimistic bias, the tendency to see others as more vulnerable to risks than the self, varies across types of event. Subsequently, researchers have documented that this phenomenon, also known as comparative optimism, also varies across types of people. The authors integrate hypotheses originally advanced by Weinstein concerning event-characteristic moderators with later arguments that such optimism may be restricted to certain subgroups. Using multilevel modeling over 7 samples (N = 1,436), the authors found that some degree of comparative optimism was present for virtually all individuals and events. Holding other variables constant, higher perceived frequency and severity were associated with less comparative optimism, higher perceived controllability and stereotype salience with more comparative optimism. Frequency, controllability, and severity were associated more with self-risk than with average-other risk, whereas stereotype salience was associated more with average-other risk than with self-risk. Individual differences also mattered: comparative optimism was related negatively to anxiety and positively to defensiveness and self-esteem. Interaction results imply that both individual differences and event characteristics should jointly be considered in understanding optimistic bias (or comparative optimism) and its application to risk communication.
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Moore, T. J., NORMAN, P., & HARRIS, P. (2008). An interpretative phenomenological analysis of adaptation to recurrent venous thrombosis and heritable thrombophilia: The importance of multi-causal models and perceptions of primary and secondary control. Journal of Health Psychology, 13(6), 776-784.
Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) is a serious, life-threatening condition and a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Heritable thrombophilia increases risk of recurrent VTE. The present study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore adaptation to recurrent VTE and heritable thrombophilia in six female patients. Three main themes were identified focusing on: (1) patients' multi-causal models of VTE and the maintenance of; (2) primary control; and (3) secondary control as facilitators of adjustment. Overall, genetic testing following recurrent VTE did not have a negative impact on patients. One area of concern, however, related to passing on the susceptibility to children.
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HARRIS, P. R. (2007). The impact of perceived experience on likelihood judgments for self and others: An experimental approach. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 141-152.
This study examines the effect of an experimental manipulation of perceived experience on self and others' likelihood ratings for a set of relatively commonplace misfortunes. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition in which they were asked whether they had ever experienced the events (designed to induce higher perceived experience) or whether they had done so frequently, typically, etc. (designed to induce lower perceived experience). The manipulation led to increases in ratings of both perceived self-likelihood and others' likelihood, in ease of imagining the outcome and recall of a past occurrence, and to decreases in perceived control over the events in the higher perceived experience condition. The increases in ease of imagining mediated the impact of manipulated experience on comparative likelihood whereas the decreases in perceived control did not. There was little evidence that event controllability moderated the impact of experience on comparative likelihood for these events.
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HARRIS, P. R., Mayle, K., Mabbott, L., & Napper, L. (2007). Self-affirmation reduces smokers' defensiveness to graphic on-pack cigarette warning labels. Health Psychology, 26, 437-446.
OBJECTIVE:
Little is known about how smokers respond to graphic images depicting the health consequences of smoking. The authors tested whether smokers respond defensively to such images and whether allowing them to self-affirm reduces their defensiveness.
DESIGN:
Young smokers (N = 87) were randomly allocated to self-affirm or perform a control task prior to viewing 4 images intended for future use on cigarette packs in the European Union. Measures were taken immediately postexposure and after 1 week.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Participants rated each image for threat and personal relevance. Once all 4 images had been viewed, they completed measures of intentions, self-efficacy, and perceived behavioral control for reducing cigarette consumption, negative thoughts and feelings about smoking, personal vulnerability to 6 smoking-related diseases, desire to quit, and plans to quit. At the 1-week follow-up, measures of self-reported smoking and desire to reduce consumption were taken.
RESULTS:
Relative to controls, self-affirmed participants rated the images as more threatening and personally relevant, and they reported more negative thoughts and feelings and higher levels of control, self-efficacy, and intentions. Risk level moderated the effect of self-affirmation on relevance and intentions:
Self-affirmation increased ratings on both measures among those who smoked more. In addition, self-affirmation moderated the threat-intention relationship, which was weaker in the self-affirmed group. At follow-up, motivation to reduce consumption remained higher in self-affirmed participants, but there were no differences in reported consumption.
CONCLUSION:
Self-affirmation can promote less defensive responding even to visual material about well-established health risks such as smoking.
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Sillence, E., Briggs, P., HARRIS, P. R., & Fishwick, L. (2007). How do patients evaluate and make use of online health information? Going online for health advice: changes in usage and trust practices over the last five years, Interacting with Computers(19), 397-406.
Increasing numbers of people are turning to the Internet for health advice despite reports that sites vary in terms of their quality. How do they decide whether or not to trust the advice they find online? A staged model of trust development is proposed and tested here in a longitudinal study in which fifteen women faced with decisions concerning the menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were observed while searching the Internet for information and advice over four consecutive weeks and then kept diaries over a six-month follow-up period. The women were all resident in the North-East of England and were recruited through advertisements in the local media. The study provided general support for a three-stage model of trust in which participants firstly engaged in rapid heuristic processing of information, efficiently sifting and rejecting general sales sites and portals but sometimes rejecting high-quality content because of poor design. Well-designed sites were then effectively interrogated for credible and personalized content before being designated trustworthy. The women appeared to act much like ‘scientists’ using web material to generate and test hypotheses and theories about HRT, although their capacity to deal with certain forms of risk information was limited. They subsequently reported integrating online advice with offline advice from friends, family and physicians in order to be fully confident in their final decisions. Women felt that the Internet influenced their decision-making and improved communications with physicians. Personalized stories from like-minded others improved trust perceptions. Despite the use of the Internet the physician was still seen as the primary source of information and advice.
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Sillence, E., Briggs, P., HARRIS, P. R., & Fishwick, L. (2007). Health websites that people can trust - the case of Hypertension. Interacting with Computers, Special Issue on 'Moving Face-to-Face Communication to Web-based Systems', 19, 32-42.
Traditionally health advice has been anchored in face-to-face settings but increasingly patients are using the Internet for their health advice needs. This means that patients are now offered inconsistent advice from a range of sources and must determine which sites to trust and which to reject. To understand how consumers make these choices, 13 participants diagnosed with hypertension took part in a longitudinal study in which they searched for information and advice relevant to their condition. A content analysis of the group discussions revealed support for a staged model of trust in which mistrust or rejection of Websites is based on design factors and trust or selection of Websites is based on content factors such as source credibility and personalization. Based on this model, a set of guidelines for developing trust in health Websites is proposed and key differences between face-to-face communication and web-based systems are discussed.
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White, M. P., EISER, J. R., HARRIS, P. R., & Pahl, S. (2007). Who reaps the benefits, who bears the risks? Comparative optimism, comparative utility and regulatory preferences for mobile phone technology. Risk Analysis, 27, 741-753.
Although the issue of risk target (e.g., self, others, children) is widely acknowledged in risk perception research, its importance appears underappreciated. To date, most research has been satisfied with demonstrating comparative optimism, i.e., lower perceived risk for the self than others, and exploring its moderators, such as perceived controllability and personal exposure. Much less research has investigated how the issue of target may affect benefit perceptions or key outcomes such as stated preferences for hazard regulation. The current research investigated these issues using data from a public survey of attitudes toward mobile phone technology (N= 1,320). First, results demonstrated comparative optimism for this hazard, and also found moderating effects of both controllability and personal exposure. Second, there was evidence of comparative utility, i.e., users believed that the benefits from mobile phone technology are greater for the self than others. Third, and most important for policy, preferences for handset regulation were best predicted by perceptions of the risks to others but perceived benefits for the self. Results suggest a closer awareness of target can improve prediction of stated preferences for hazard regulation and that it would be profitable for future research to pay more attention to the issue of target for both risk and benefit perceptions.
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ARMITAGE, C. J., & HARRIS, P. R. (2006). The Influence of Adult Attachment on Symptom Reporting: Testing a Mediational Model in a Sample of the General Population. Psychology and Health, 21, 351-366.
Moore, T., NORMAN, P., HARRIS, P., & Makris, M. (2006). Cognitive appraisals and psychological distress following venous thromboembolic disease: An application of the theory of cognitive adaptation. Social Science and Medicine, 63, 2395-2406.
Venous thrombosis is a common and life-threatening disease that has received little attention in health psychology. The present study applied the theory of cognitive adaptation (TCA) to examine patients’ reactions to venous thrombosis. Patients (N=123) aged 16–84 recruited from anticoagulation units in the north of England completed measures of TCA constructs (meaning, mastery, self-esteem and optimism) and various outcome variables (anxiety, depression, thrombosis worries and quality of life) within 1 month of their thrombosis. The TCA explained large and significant amounts of variance in the outcome variables. In line with expectations, mastery, self-esteem and optimism were associated with positive adjustment. However, meaning was associated with elevated levels of distress. The results are discussed in relation to the search for meaning and the use of different control strategies in the early phases of adaptation to thrombosis.
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Moore, T. J., NORMAN, P., & HARRIS, P. R. (2006). Cognitive appraisals as predictors of psychological distress following venous thromboembolic disease: An application of the theory of cognitive adaptation. Social Science and Medicine, 63, 2395-2406.
Sillence, E., Briggs, P., HARRIS, P. R., & Fishwick, L. (2006). A framework for understanding trust factors in web based health advice. International Journal of Human Computer Studies, 64, 697-713.
HARRIS, P. R., & Napper, L. (2005). Self-affirmation and the biased processing of threatening health-risk information. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 1250-1263.
HARRIS, P. R., & Smith, V. (2005). When the risks are low: the impact of absolute and comparative information on disturbance and understanding in US and UK samples. Psychology and Health, 20, 319-330.
Jones, F., HARRIS, P. R., Waller, H., & Coggins, A. (2005). Adherence to an exercise prescription scheme: the role of expectations, self efficacy, stage of change and psychological well-being. British Journal of Health Psychology, 10, 359-378.
Pahl, S., HARRIS, P. R., Todd, H. A., & Rutter, D. R. (2005). Comparative optimism for environmental risks. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 1-11.
Payne, N., Jones, F., & HARRIS, P. R. (2005). The impact of job strain on the predictive validity of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: An investigation of exercise and healthy eating. British Journal of Health Psychology, 10, 115-132.
Sillence, E., Briggs, P., Fishwick, L., & HARRIS, P. R. (2005). Do health web sites offer patients personalised information and advice? He@lth Information on the Internet, 48(December 2005), 9-10.
Payne, N., Jones, F., & HARRIS, P. R. (2004). The role of perceived need within the theory of planned behaviour: a comparison of intentions to exercise and intentions to eat healthily. British Journal of Health Psychology, 9, 489-504.
Sillence, E., Briggs, P., Fishwick, L., & HARRIS, P. R. (2004). Trust and mistrust of online health websites. "Proceedings of CHI'2004. Vienna, Austria", 663-670.
Sillence, E., Briggs, P., Fishwick, L., & HARRIS, P. R. (2004). What Parents Make of MMR and the Internet. He@lth Information on the Internet, 39, 5-6.
Sparks, P., HARRIS, P. R., & Lockwood, N. (2004). Predictors and predictive effects of ambivalence. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 371-384.
Sparks, P., HARRIS, P. R., & Raats, M. (2003). Imagining and explaining hypothetical scenarios: Mediational effects on the subjective likelihood of health-related outcomes. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33, 869-887.
White, M. P., EISER, J. R., & HARRIS, P. (2003). Risk perceptions of mobile phone use while driving. Risk Analysis, 24, 323-334.
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HARRIS, P., Sparks, P., & Raats, M. (2002). Theoretical and applied issues in the provision of absolute and comparative risk information. Risk, Decision and Policy, 7, 153-163.
Payne, N., Jones, F., & HARRIS, P. (2002). The impact of working life on health behaviour: the effect of job strain on the cognitive predictors of exercise. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7, 342-353.
Jones, F., Abraham, C., HARRIS, P., Schulz, J., & Chrispin, C. (2001). From knowledge to action regulation: Modeling the cognitive prerequisites of sun screen use in Australian and UK samples. Psychology and Health, 16, 191-206.
HARRIS, P., Middleton, W., & Joiner, R. (2000). The typical student as an in group member: Eliminating optimistic bias by reducing social distance. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 30, 235-255.
Jones, F., HARRIS, P., & Chrispin, C. (2000). Catching the sun: an investigation of sun exposure and skin protective behaviour. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 5, 131-141.
Smith, M. D., Wiseman, R., & HARRIS, P. (2000). The relationship between "luck" and Psi. The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 94, 25-36.
Hoorens, V., & HARRIS, P. (1998). Distortions in reports of health behaviors: The Time Span Effect and illusory superiority. Psychology and Health, 13, 451-466.
Jones, F., HARRIS, P., & Waller, H. (1998). Expectations of an exercise prescription scheme: A repertory grid study. British Journal of Health Psychology, 3, 277-289.
Richards, A., French, C., & HARRIS, P. (1997). Mistakes around the clock: Errors in memory for the orientation of numerals. Journal of Psychology, 132, 42-46.
Smith, M. D., Wiseman, R., & HARRIS, P. R. (1997). Perceived luckiness and the UK National Lottery. "Proceedings of Presented Papers, The Parapsychological Association/Society for Psychical Research Joint Conference".
Smith, M. D., Wiseman, R., Machin, D., HARRIS, P., & Joiner, R. (1997). Luckiness, competition, and performance on a psi task. Journal of Parapsychology, 61, 33-43.
HARRIS, P. (1996). Sufficient grounds for optimism? The relationship between perceived controllability and optimistic bias. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 15, 9-52.
March, P., & HARRIS, P. (1996). Beliefs about stories: Parents' and therapists' explanations of childhood difficulties. Contemporary Family Therapy, 18, 291-304.
Middleton, W., HARRIS, P., & Surman, M. (1996). Give 'em enough rope: Perception of health and safety risks in bungee jumpers. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 15, 68-79.
Richards, A., French, C., & HARRIS, P. (1996). Does clock-watching make you clock wise? Memory, 4, 49-58.
Smith, M. D., Wiseman, R., HARRIS, P., & Joiner, R. (1996). On being lucky: The psychology and parapsychology of luck. European Journal of Parapsychology, 12, 35-43.
HARRIS, P. R., & Middleton, W. (1994). Unrealistic optimism about health and the illusion of control: On being less at risk but no more in control than others. British Journal of Social Psychology, 33, 369-386.
Middleton, W., HARRIS, P. R., & Hollely, C. (1994). Condom use in heterosexual students: Justifications for unprotected intercourse. Health Education Journal, 53, 147-154.
Wiseman, R., HARRIS, P., & Middleton, W. (1994). Luckiness and psi: An initial study. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 60, 1-15.
HARRIS, P., & Wilshire, P. (1988). Estimating the prevalence of shyness in the 'Global Village': Pluralistic ignorance or false consensus? Journal of Personality, 56, 405-415.
HARRIS, P., & Stobart, J. (1986). Sex role stereotyping in British television advertisements at different times of the day: An extension and refinement of Manstead and McCulloch (1981). British Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 155-164.
HARRIS, P. (1985). Asch's data and the 'Asch Effect': A critical note. British Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 229-230.
HARRIS, P. (1984). Shyness and Psychological Imperialism; On the dangers of ignoring the ordinary language roots of the terms we deal with. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 14, 169-181.
HARRIS, P. (1984). The hidden face of shyness: A message from the shy for researchers and practitioners. Human Relations, 37, 1079-1094.
BooksHARRIS, P. R. (In Press). Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
HARRIS, P. R. (2002). Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
HARRIS, P. (1986). Designing and Reporting Experiments: Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
Book ChaptersSillence, E., Briggs, P., HARRIS, P. R., & Fishwich, L. (2007). Developing trust practices for e-health. In R. Song, K. Korba & G. Yee (Eds.), Trust in E-services: Technologies, Practices and Challenges (pp. 235-258).
Scaife, V., Miles, S., & HARRIS, P. R. (2006). The impact of optimistic bias on dietary behaviour. In R. Shepherd & M. Raats (Eds.), The Psychology of Food Choice (pp. 311-327).
Middleton, W., Clyne, A., & HARRIS, P. R. (1999). Risk assessment and decision making. In D. Messer & F. Jones (Eds.), Psychology and Social Care. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Jones, F., HARRIS, P. R., & Waller, H. (1998). Adherence to prescribed exercise. In L. B. Myers & K. Midence (Eds.), Adherence to treatment in medical conditions (pp. 311-342). Amsterdam: Harwood Press.
Jones, F., HARRIS, P. R., & Waller, H. (1998). Adherence to prescribed exercise. In L. B. Myers & K. Midence (Eds.), Adherence to treatment in medical conditions. (pp. 311- 342): Amsterdam: Harwood Press.
Jones, F., & HARRIS, P. R. (1996). The use of repertory grid technique in exercise psychology. In C. Robson, B. Cripps & H. Steinberg (Eds.), Quality and Quantity: Research methods in sport and exercise psychology (pp. 3-9). Leicester: British Psychological Society.
Jones, F., & HARRIS, P. R. (1996). The use of repertory grid technique in exercise psychology. In C. Robson, B. Cripps & H. Steinberg (Eds.), Quality and Quantity: Research methods in. (pp. 3-9): British Psychological Society: Leicester.
HARRIS, P. R., & Middleton, W. (1995). Social cognition and health behaviour. In D. Messer & C. Meldrum (Eds.), Psychology for Nurses and Health Care Professionals (pp. 107-130). London: Prentice Hall.
HARRIS, P. (1990). Shyness and embarrassment in psychological theory and ordinary language. In R. Crozier (Ed.), Shyness and Embarrassment: Perspectives from Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Last update: 10 Nov 2011
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