Education Background
Ph.D. - 2009 University of Ottawa
Courses Taught
- Introduction to Psychology
- Human Motivation
- Advanced Topics in Social Psychology
- Experimental Psychology
Research Interests
My research integrates motivation science, prejudice and intergroup relations, and social cognitive neuroscience. Broadly, I am interested in how the source of motivation (i.e., is motivation internal/autonomous or externally pressured/controlled?) underlying beliefs, attitudes, and behavior shapes the successful self-regulation of those beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. I have examined the effects of motivation on attitudes and behavior in various domains – including intergroup dynamics, pro-environmental behavior, and education.
In one line of research, I explore the motivational factors that reduce prejudice and promote positive intergroup perceptions and interactions. My work suggests that when the social context is controlling and prescriptive regarding prejudice reduction and diversity practices, prejudice and negative intergroup attitudes ironically rise. On the other hand, social contexts that promote personal choice and autonomous motivation toward diversity appreciation tend to be effective in improving intergroup attitudes.
In a related line of work, I investigate how motivational factors influence not only outgroup perception, but ingroup perception and group identity. Some of my recent work has shown that individual differences in motivational orientation shape the manner in which people identify with their social groups (e.g, being male, being black, being German). I also assess the role of motivational orientation in the capacity to integrate conflicting aspects of one’s social identity, and its role in improving intergroup attitudes and reducing prejudice and discrimination.
In a third, more general line of research, I take a closer look at the basic mechanisms underlying the link between motivation and self-control. My work suggests that personal autonomy (as opposed to social coercion) actually improves executive control processes, such as response inhibition and error monitoring. Moreover, using a neuroscientific approach, I demonstrate that these effects are mediated by increased activity of the anterior cinglulate cortex – a neural structure that regulates bodily states of arousal in order to execute effective control and self-regulation.
Finally, I am actively involved in the design and implementation of a long-term field experiment that investigates the impact of motivation and goal-setting interventions on university students’ pro-environmental behavior, including daily energy and resource use measured using sensor technology in green student housing.
Publications
(last 5 years; students in boldface)
- Bustamante, C., Bird, S., *Legault, L. & Powers, S.E. (revise and resubmit). Energy hogs and misers: Magnitude and variability of individuals’ household electricity consumption. Sustainability.
- *Legault, L. (2023). The “what” and the “why” of proenvironmental deeds: How values and self-determined motivation interact to predict environmentally protective behavior. In R.M. Ryan (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Self-Determination Theory. London: Oxford.
- Weinstein, N., Wolf, L., *Legault, L., Atsizelti, S., & Legate, N., (2023). Will outgroup members satisfy my need for autonomy? The role of need expectations in outgroup attitudes. Journal of Social and Political Psychology.
- *Legault, L. & Sago, A. (2022). When body positivity falls flat: Divergent effects of body acceptance messages that support vs. undermine basic psychological needs. Body Image, 41, 225-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.02.013
- Legate, N., Nguyen, T., Weinstein, N., Moller, A., *Legault, L., & Psychological Science Accelerator Self-Determination Theory Collaboration (2022). A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 119 (22). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.211109111
- Nguyen, T. V. T., Legate, N., Weinstein, N., Moller, A. C., *Legault, L., & Ebersole, C. R. (2022). A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Autonomy support vs. control in 89 countries. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 56 (1), S217.
- *Legault, L., Coleman, D., Jurchak, K., & Scaltsas, M.N. (2022). Reducing prejudice by enhancing the other rather than the self. Self and Identity, 21(6), 687-709. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2021.1965016
- *Legault, L. (2022). Can thinking about other people’s positive traits reduce racial bias? Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s Character in Context.
- Al-Khouja, M., Weinstein, N., Moin, T., Legate, N., Moller, A., *Legault, L. (2021). How to Deliver Effective & Engaging Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Training in Policing. University of Reading.
- *Legault, L., Bird, S., Powers, S.E., Sherman, A., Schay, A., Hou, D., & Janoyan, K. (2020). Impact of a motivational intervention and interactive feedback on electricity and water consumption: A smart housing field experiment. Environment and Behavior, 52(6), 666-692. DOI: 10.1177/0013916518811433
- Bird, S., & *Legault, L. (2018). Feedback and behavioral intervention in residential energy and resource use: A review. Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40518-018-0106-8.
- *Legault, L., Weinstein, N., Mitchell, J., Inzlicht, M., Pyke, K., & Upal, A. (2017). Owning up to negative ingroup traits: How personal autonomy promotes the integration of group identity. Journal of Personality, 5, 687-701. DOI: 10.1111/jopy.1227
- *Legault, L., Ray, K., Hudgins, A., Pelosi, M., & Shannon, W. (2017). Assisted vs. asserted autonomy satisfaction: Their unique associations with wellbeing, integration of experience, and conflict negotiation. Motivation and Emotion, 41, 1-21. DOI: 10.1007/s11031-016-9593-3.
- Legault, L. (2017). Self-determination theory. In V. Zeigler-Hill and T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. New York, NY: Springer. http://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1162-1
- Legault, L. (2017). The need for competence. In V. Zeigler-Hill and T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. New York, NY: Springer. http://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1120-1
Conference Presentations
(last 5 years; students in boldface)
Legault, L. (2023, invited). Self-determination and public messaging: Evidence in Favor of Autonomy Supportive Communication across Domains. Invited keynote, 8th International Self-Determination Theory Conference, Orlando, FL. [Keynote talk]
Page, R., Huang, W., Mallery-Winegard, C., & Legault, L. (2023, May). Comparing Internally and Externally Motivating Diversity Messages: What Works Best for Whom? To be presented at the 8th International Self-Determination Theory Conference, Orlando, FL.
Palmer, P., Reynolds, M., & Legault, L. (2023, May). Understanding the Relationship between Autonomous Functioning and Racial Attitudes: The Roles of Empathy, Humility, and Perspective-Taking. To be presented at the 8th International Self-Determination Theory Conference, Orlando, FL.
Legault, L., & Sago, A (2022, April). When Body Positivity Falls Flat: Divergent Effects of Body Acceptance Messages that Support vs. Undermine Basic Psychological Needs. Talk presented at the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley Gender, Sex & Sexualities Conference, Potsdam, NY.
Nguyen, T. T., Legate, N., Weinstein, N., Moller, A. C., Legault, L., Moshontz, H., & the Psych Science Accelerator (April 2022). A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Autonomy Support vs. Control in 89 countries. Talk presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Legault, L., Weinstein, N., Legate, N., & Al-Khouja, M. (2022, February). On Becoming Pro-Outgroup: Moving Away from the Control of Prejudice and Toward the Enhancement of Diverse Others. Symposium talk in N. Isenberg and M. Brauer, ‘Promoting Diversity: Potential Pitfalls and How to Do It Right’ at the 23rd Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Reynolds, M., Page, R., Mallery-Winegard, C., & Legault, L. (2022, February). Empathizing with the Outgroup vs. Condemning Prejudice of the Ingroup: Complementary Roles of Empathy and Humility in Outgroup Affect and Antiprejudiced Intentions. Presented at the 23rd Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
Humiston, S., Mielke, A., & Legault, L. (2021, February). Mindfulness and Prejudice: Does Being More Aware of Bias Predict Less Bias? Paper to be presented at the 22nd Society for Personality and Social Psychology Virtual Convention.
Pidgeon, K., Scensny, T., & Legault, L. (2021, February). The Link between Human Autonomy and Egalitarian Ideals: The Mediating Role of Humility. Paper to be presented at the 22nd Society for Personality and Social Psychology Virtual Convention.
Legault, L. (2020, May). Autonomous motivation and the acknowledgment of negative identity: Implications for implicit intergroup attitudes. Talk accepted at the Society for the Science of Motivation, Chicago (accepted; conference cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic).
Legault, L. (2020, February). “I Might Be Wrong”: Emerging Perspectives on Humility. Symposium presented at the 21stSociety for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Legault, L. Jurchak, K., Scaltsas, N., & Coleman, D. (2020, February). Inducing Humility through Negative Identity Introspection: Effects on Implicit Bias. Talk presented at the 21st Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Scaltsas, N., Patel, H., Jurchak, K., & Legault, L. (2020, February). Humility mediates the link between autonomy and prejudice. Poster presented at the 21st Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Bird, S., Hou, D., Legault, L., Powers, S.E., and York, E. (2019, January). Data, Motivation, Feedback, Engagement, and Individuation: Next Step Challenges in Smart Housing Implementation. Presentation at National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Coordination Network (RCN) in Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) International Workshop: Putting Sustainability into Convergence: Connecting Data, People, and Systems, Singapore.
Legault, L., Bird, S., & Powers, S.E. (2018, June). Impact of a motivational intervention and real-time feedback on electricity and water consumption: A smart campus field experiment. Paper presented at the International Congress on Applied Psychology, Montreal, Canada.
Powers, S.E., Sherman, A.K., Schay, A.E.S., Legault, L., Bird, S., Hou, D. (2018, January). Smart housing project: Building systems and student motivation to save energy and hot water in campus apartments. Seminar presented at IIT Madras, Chennai India (invited).
Legault, L., Bird, S., Powers, S.E., Sherman, A.K., & Schay, A.E.S. (2017, October). Impact of a motivational intervention and real-time feedback on electricity and water consumption: A smart campus field experiment. Paper presented at the Behavior, Energy, & Climate Change Conference, Sacramento, CA.
Legault, L. & Weinstein, N. (2017, July). Recognizing ingroup flaws: How a balanced organization of group identity improves ingroup and outgroup attitudes. Symposium presented at the 18th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology, Granada, Spain.
Weinstein, N., Wolfe, L., Legate, N., & Legault, L. (2017, July). Autonomy expectations in an intergroup context: Implications for prejudice and liking. Symposium presented at the 18th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology, Granada, Spain.
Raymond, C., Jurchak, K., & Legault, L. (2017, March). The role of humility in race bias. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
Hartwell, M. & Legault, L. (2017, March). Dynamics of sociostructural beliefs: How identity management shapes intergroup perception. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
Coffin, Z., Helfgott, A., & Legault, L. (2017, March). A social and motivational model of psychopathy. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
Legault, L. (2017, January). Owning up to negative ingroup traits: How group identity integration enhances both ingroup and outgroup attitudes. Data Blitz Symposium talk presented at the 18th Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas.
Sherman, A.K., Legault, L., Bird, S., Powers, S.E., & Schay, A. (2017, January). Impact of a motivational intervention & real-time feedback on resource consumption: A smart campus field experiment. Talk presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s Sustainability Pre-Conference, San Antonio. TX.
Legault, L., Hudgins, A., & Ray, K. (2016, June). Assisted vs. asserted autonomy satisfaction: Two unique pathways to wellbeing and adaptive coping. Symposium presented at the 6th International Self-Determination Theory Conference, Victoria, British Columbia.
Helfgott, A., Weinstein, N., & Legault, L. (2016, June). Owning up to negative group traits: Personal autonomy promotes the integration of group identity. Poster presented at the 6th International Self-Determination Theory Conference, Victoria, British Columbia.
Legault, L. (2016, February). Reducing prejudice by enhancing self-determination. Shaping Student Mindsets: Promoting Academic Attitudes, Persistence and Performance, Learning and the Brain Conference Series, San Francisco, CA.
Legault, L. (2016, January). Toward better non-discrimination practices: Why social support matters more than social control. Talk presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s Social Psychology and the Law Pre-Conference, San Diego, CA.
Gibbons, A., Knack, J.M., & Legault, L (2016, January). Lacking vs. wanting social support: Their unique roles in mediating the link between peer victimization and health. 17th Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
Legault, L. (2015, March). Mind, body, control: Physical, psychological, and interpersonal influences on self-regulation.Symposium presented at the inaugural International Convention for Psychological Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Legault, L., & Coleman, D. (2015, June). Personal autonomy reduces implicit prejudice by increasing awareness. In K. Spencer (Chair), Controlling implicit bias: Roles of autonomy, motivation, and strategic interventions. Meeting of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Washington, D.C.
Powers, S.E., Hou, D., Janoyan, K., Bird, S., Legault, L., Sherman, A., Schay, A.E.S., Nikdel, L., & Rowe, A (2015, June). Clarkson’s Smart Housing Project: Highly-granular utility helps us to understand student utility use, Presented at the North Country-Mohawk Valley Clean Energy Economy Conference, Utica NY.
Sherman, A., Bird, S., Powers, S., Rowe, A., & Legault. L. (2015, June). Sociopolitical and motivational precursors to pro-environmental attitudes and behavior: Implications of political ideology for smart housing, efficiency, and energy modernization. Paper presented in “The Modernization of Energy Systems: Policy Opportunities and Challenges”. Canadian Political Science Association, Ottawa, Canada.
Coleman, D., & Legault, L. (2015, May). Examining the Interplay of Autonomy Support and Mindfulness in Prejudice Reduction. Presented at the 27th Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, NY, NY.
Legault, L. (2015, March). The interplay of motivation and mindfulness in the implicit self-control of prejudice. In L. Legault (Chair), Mind, body, control: Physical, psychological, and interpersonal influences on self-regulation, inaugural International Convention for Psychological Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Powers, S.E., Hou, D., Janoyan, K., Bird, S., Legault, L., Sherman, A.K., Schay, A.E.S., Nikdel, L., & Rowe, A. (2015, March). Clarkson’s Smart Housing Project: Highly-granular utility use data for Smart Buildings and Smart Residents.Presentation at the 13th Annual New York State Green Building Conference, Liverpool, NY.