After receiving his Ph.D. in 1989 from Stanford University (where he studied cognitive, personality, and social psychology), Ken taught at the State University of New York, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, University of Southern California, and Sonoma State University. While working as a research associate in the Stanford University School of Medicine, Ken completed a post-doctoral clinical training program and became licensed as a clinical psychologist. Ken finally found the right professional fit when he accepted a position as an assistant professor in the University of Idaho Department of Psychology in 1996.
At Idaho, Ken has developed several successful programs of research pertaining to interpersonal relationships and social cognition. Most recently, he has been conducting studies in Asia to examine the influence of culture on how people conceptualize themselves and others. Ken teaches popular undergraduate courses on personality and sexuality; indeed, his Human Sexuality course has been repeatedly voted the “best course” at the university, but he acknowledges that in this case the course material—not the course instructor—deserves the credit.
For more information on Ken's teaching and research, see his
personal website.
Seminal publications - Locke, K.D. (2003). Status and solidarity in social comparison: agentic and communal values and vertical and horizontal directions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 619-631.
- Locke, K.D. (2003). H as a measure of the complexity of social information processing. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7, 268-280.
Recent Publications
· Locke, K.D. (2011). Interpersonal moderators of the effects of upward comparisons on ability judgments. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 33, 37-46.
· Locke, K.D. (2009). Aggression, narcissism, self-esteem, and the attribution of desirable and humanizing traits to self versus others. Journal of Research in Personality, 43, 99-102.
· Locke, K.D., & Baik, K. (2009). Does an acquiescent response style explain why Koreans are less consistent than Americans? Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 40, 319-323.
· Locke, K.D., & Braun, C.C. (2009). Ambivalence versus valence: Analyzing the effects of opposing attitudes. Social Cognition, 27(1), 89-104.
· Locke, K.D. (2008). Attachment styles and interpersonal approach and avoidance goals in everyday couple interactions. Personal Relationships, 15, 359-374
*See CV for full listings of publications, research, outreach and awards.
