Fredda Blanchard-Fields

	Fredda Blanchard-Fields	(404) 894-8903
	Cognitive Aging
	Ph.D. (1983) Developmental Psychology Wayne State University

Professor of Psychology

---

My current fields of interest involve two major research domains: social cognition in adulthood and aging and everyday problem solving from adolescence through older adulthood. The National Institute on Aging funds both of these projects. The social cognition and aging project examines age differences in social cognitive reasoning and attributional processes. We are particularly interested in how social values, attitudes, and beliefs influence social judgment biases in older adults. The everyday problem-solving project examines patterns of age-related differences in problem solving strategies and the influence of emotional salience, interpersonal involvement, controllability, and self-representation on problem solving strategies. The various studies associated with these projects are highlighted on my adult development lab page.

 

Affiliations
American Psychological Association (Fellow)
American Psychological Society
Gerontological Society of America (Fellow)
Society for Research in Child Development
Psychonomics Society

 

Selected Publications

• Blanchard-Fields, F., Hertzog, C., Stein, R., & Pak, R. (2001). Beyond a stereotyped view of older adults' traditional family values. Psychology and Aging.
• Chen, Y., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2000). Unwanted thought: Age differences in the correction of social judgments. Psychology and Aging, 15, 475-482.
• Blanchard-Fields, F. (1999). Social schematicity and causal attributions. In T.M. Hess, & F. Blanchard-Fields, F. (Eds.). Social Cognition and Aging. San Diego: Academic Press.
• Watson, T., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (1998). Thinking with your head and your heart: Age differences in everyday problem-solving strategy preferences. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 5, 225-240.
• Blanchard-Fields, F., Chen, Y., Schocke, M., & Hertzog, C. (1998). Evidence for content-specificity of causal attributions across the adult life span. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition 5, 241-263.
• Blanchard-Fields, F., Chen, Y., & Norris, L. (1997). Everyday problem solving across the adult life span: The influence of domain-specificity and cognitive appraisal. Psychology and Aging, 12, 684-693.
• Chen, Y., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (1997). Age differences in stages of attributional processing. Psychology and Aging, 12, 694-703.
• Blanchard-Fields, F. (1997). The role of emotion in social cognition across the adult life span. In K.W. Schaie & M.P. Lawton (Eds.), Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, (Vol. 17). N.Y.: Springer.
• Blanchard-Fields, F. & Abeles, R. (1996). Social cognition and aging. Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, 4th ed., J. Birren & K.W. Schaie (Eds.). San Diego: Academic Press.
• Blanchard-Fields, F., Jahnke, H.C., & Camp, C. (1995). Age differences in problem solving style: The role of emotional salience. Psychology and Aging, 10, 173-180.

 

Frequently Taught Courses
PSY 2103 Developmental psychology (Undergraduate)
PSY 6015 Life span developmental psychology (Graduate)
Seminar: Social Cognition and Aging

Contact Information

Dr. Fredda Blanchard-Fields School of Psychology Georgia Institute of Technology 654 Cherry Street Atlanta, GA 30332-0170

Telephone: (404) 894-8903 Fax: (404) 894-8905 E-mail: Office Location: 234 J.S. Coon Bldg. Lab Information: Adult Development Lab Homepage