Paul Sparks
Honorary Senio Lecturer (Psychology)

Selected publications

Article

Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Sue and Sparks, Paul (2022) Perceived legitimacy can moderate the effect of proscriptive versus prescriptive injunctions on intentions to comply with UK government COVID-19 guidelines and reactance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. pp. 1-11. ISSN 0021-9029

Pavey, Louisa, Churchill, Susan and Sparks, Paul (2022) Proscriptive injunctions can elicit greater reactance and lower legitimacy perceptions than prescriptive injunctions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 48. pp. 676-689. ISSN 0146-1672

Farsides, Tom, Smith, Claire F and Sparks, Paul (2021) Beyond “Altruism motivates body donation”. Death Studies. pp. 1-9. ISSN 0748-1187

Aldoh, Alaa, Sparks, Paul and Harris, Peter R (2021) Dynamic norms and food choice: reflections on a failure of minority norm information to influence motivation to reduce meat consumption. Sustainability, 13 (15). a8315 1-17. ISSN 2071-1050

Becker, Sarah and Sparks, Paul (2020) "It never rains in California": constructions of drought as a natural and social phenomenon. Weather and Climate Extremes. a100257. ISSN 2212-0947

Gholamzadehmir, Maedeh, Sparks, Paul and Farsides, Tom (2019) Moral licensing, moral cleansing and pro-environmental behaviour: the moderating role of pro-environmental attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 65. a101334 1-9. ISSN 0272-4944

Graham-Rowe, Ella, Jessop, Donna C and Sparks, Paul (2019) Self-affirmation theory and pro-environmental behaviour: promoting a reduction in household food waste. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 62. pp. 124-132. ISSN 0272-4944

Churchill, Susan, Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul (2019) The impact of autonomy-framed and control-framed implementation intentions on snacking behaviour: the moderating effect of eating self-efficacy. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 11 (1). pp. 42-58. ISSN 1758-0846

Reid, Matthew, Sparks, Paul and Jessop, Donna C (2018) The effect of self-identity alongside perceived importance within the theory of planned behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48 (6). pp. 883-889. ISSN 0046-2772

Pavey, Louisa Jane, Sparks, Paul and Churchill, Sue (2018) Proscriptive vs. prescriptive health recommendations to drink alcohol within recommended limits: effects on moral norms, reactance, attitudes, intentions, and behaviour change. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 53 (3). pp. 344-349. ISSN 0735-0414

Becker, Sarah and Sparks, Paul (2018) Talking about climate change mitigation: people’s views on different levels of action. Sustainability, 10 (5). p. 1357. ISSN 1937-0695

Farsides, Tom, Sparks, Paul and Jessop, Donna (2018) Self-reported reasons for moral decisions. Thinking and Reasoning, 24 (1). pp. 1-20. ISSN 1354-6783

Carfora, V, Caso, D, Sparks, P and Conner, M (2017) Moderating effects of pro-environmental self-identity on pro-environmental intentions and behaviour: a multi-behaviour study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 53. pp. 92-99. ISSN 0272-4944

Becker, Sarah and Sparks, Paul (2016) Neither fair nor unchangeable but part of the natural order: orientations towards inequality in the face of criticism of the economic system. Social Justice Research, 29 (4). pp. 456-472. ISSN 0885-7466

Jessop, Donna, Sparks, Paul, Jessop, Laura, Dodds, Lauren and Lynch, Sarah (2016) Morality or competence? The importance of affirming the appropriate dimension of self-integrity. British Journal of Health Psychology, 21 (4). pp. 956-972. ISSN 1359-107X

Churchill, Susan, Pavey, Louisa, Jessop, Donna and Sparks, Paul (2016) Persuading people to drink less alcohol: the role of message framing, temporal focus and autonomy. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 51 (6). pp. 727-733. ISSN 0735-0414

Storr, Scarlett Marie and Sparks, Paul (2016) Does self-affirmation following ego-depletion moderate restrained eaters’ explicit preferences for, and implicit associations with, high-calorie foods? Psychology & Health, 31 (7). pp. 840-856. ISSN 0887-0446

Farsides, Tom and Sparks, Paul (2016) Buried in bullshit. Psychologist, 29. pp. 368-371. ISSN 0952-8229

Case, Philippa, Sparks, Paul and Pavey, Louisa Jane (2016) Identity appropriateness and the structure of the theory of planned behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 55 (1). pp. 109-125. ISSN 0144-6665

Sparks, Paul and Jessop, Donna C (2016) 'Spontaneity is a meticulously prepared art' (Oscar Wilde): commentary on Taber et al. (2016), associations of spontaneous self-affirmation with health care experiences and health information seeking in a national survey of US adults. Psychology & Health, 31 (3). pp. 310-312. ISSN 0887-0446

Conroy, Dominic, Sparks, Paul and de Visser, Richard (2015) Efficacy of a non-drinking mental simulation intervention for reducing student alcohol consumption. British Journal of Health Psychology, 20 (4). pp. 688-707. ISSN 1359-107X

Graham-Rowe, Ella, Jessop, Donna C and Sparks, Paul (2015) Predicting household food waste reduction using an extended theory of planned behaviour. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 101. pp. 194-202. ISSN 0921-3449

van Prooijen, Anne-Marie and Sparks, Paul (2014) Attenuating initial beliefs: increasing the acceptance of anthropogenic climate change information by reflecting on values. Risk Analysis, 34 (5). pp. 929-936. ISSN 0272-4332

Jessop, Donna C, Sparks, Paul, Buckland, Nicola, Harris, Peter R and Churchill, Sue (2014) Combining self-affirmation and implementation intentions: evidence of detrimental effects on behavioral outcomes. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 47 (2). pp. 137-147. ISSN 0883-6612

Sparks, Paul, Hinds, Joe, Curnock, Sue and Pavey, Louisa Jane (2014) Connectedness and its consequences: a study of relationships with the natural environment. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 44 (3). pp. 166-174. ISSN 0021-9029

Graham-Rowe, Ella, Jessop, Donna C and Sparks, Paul (2014) Identifying motivations and barriers to minimising household food waste. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 84. pp. 15-23. ISSN 0921-3449

Lockwood, Nina and Sparks, Paul (2013) When is risk relevant? A psychometric study of the characteristics mountain climbers associate with eight types of climbing. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43 (5). pp. 992-1001. ISSN 0021-9029

van Prooijen, Anne-Marie, Sparks, Paul and Jessop, Donna C (2012) Promoting or jeopardizing lighter carbon footprints? Self-affirmation can polarize environmental orientations. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4 (2). pp. 238-243. ISSN 1948-5506

Pavey, Louisa Jane, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul (2012) “I help because I want to, not because you tell me to”: empathy increases autonomously motivated helping. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38 (5). pp. 681-689. ISSN 0146-1672

Pavey, Louisa J and Sparks, Paul (2012) Autonomy and defensiveness: Experimentally increasing adaptive responses to health-risk information via priming and self-affirmation. Psychology and Health, 27 (3). pp. 259-276. ISSN 0887-0446

Brown, Rupert, deVisser, Richard, Dittmar, Helga, Drury, John, Farsides, Tom, Jessop, Donna and Sparks, Paul (2012) Social psychology and policy-making: past neglect, future promise. Public Policy Research, 18 (4). pp. 227-234. ISSN 1744-5396

Pavey, Louisa, Greitemeyer, Tobias and Sparks, Paul (2011) Highlighting relatedness promotes prosocial motives and behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37 (7). pp. 905-917. ISSN 0146-1672

Sparks, Paul and Farsides, Tom (2011) Social dimensions of judgments of integrity in public figures. British Journal of Social Psychology, 50 (1). pp. 170-179. ISSN 0144-6665

Hinds, Joe and Sparks, Paul (2011) The affective quality of human-natural environment relationships. Evolutionary Psychology, 9 (4). pp. 451-469.

Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul (2010) Autonomy and reactions to health-risk information. Psychology and Health, 25 (7). pp. 855-872. ISSN 0887-0446

Sparks, Paul, Jessop, Donna C, Chapman, James and Holmes, Katherine (2010) Pro-environmental actions, climate change, and defensiveness: do self-affirmations make a difference to people's motives and beliefs about making a difference? British Journal of Social Psychology, 49 (3). pp. 553-568. ISSN 0144-6665

Hinds, Joe and Sparks, Paul (2009) Investigating environmental identity, well-being, and meaning. Ecopsychology, 1 (4). pp. 181-186. ISSN 1942-9347

Pavey, Louisa and Sparks, Paul (2009) Reactance, autonomy and the paths to persuasion: examining perceptions of threats to freedom and informational value. Motivation and Emotion, 33 (3). pp. 277-290. ISSN 0146-7239

Jessop, Donna, Simmonds, L V and Sparks, P (2009) Motivational and behavioral consequences of self-affirmation interventions: A study of sunscreen use among women. Psychology and Health, 24 (5). pp. 529-544. ISSN 0887-0446

Sparks, Paul and Farsides, Tom (2009) The pub, the people, the place, the passions and the principles: the social and personal context of engagement in a collective action. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 1 (2). pp. 40-49.

Churchill, Sue, Jessop, Donna and Sparks, Paul (2008) Impulsive and/or planned behaviour: can impulsivity contribute to the predictive utility of the theory of planned behaviour? British Journal of Social Psychology, 47 (4). pp. 631-646. ISSN 0144-6665

Pavey, Louisa J and Sparks, Paul (2008) Threats to autonomy: Motivational response to health-risk information about smoking. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38 (5). pp. 852-865. ISSN 0046-2772

Hinds, Joe and Sparks, Paul (2008) Engaging with the natural environment: the role of affective connection and identity. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28 (2). pp. 109-120. ISSN 0272-4944

Conner, Mark and Sparks, Paul (2002) Ambivalence and attitudes. European Review of Social Psychology, 12 (1). pp. 37-70. ISSN 1479-227X

Book Section

Conner, Mark and Sparks, Paul (2015) Theory of planned behaviour and the reasoned action approach. In: Conner, Mark and Norman, Paul (eds.) Predicting and changing health behaviour: research and practice with social cognition models. Open University Press, pp. 142-188. ISBN 9780335263783

Sparks, Paul (2013) The psychology of sustainability: attitudes, identities, actions and engaging with the welfare of others. In: van Trijp, Hans C M (ed.) Encouraging sustainable behavior: psychology and the environment. Psychology Press, London, pp. 169-184. ISBN 9781848726499