Russell Fazio

Russell Fazio is interested in the study of attitudes. The approach is heavily cognitive in nature. He has proposed a model of attitudes as associations in memory between the attitude object and one's evaluation of the object. His concern has been with the likelihood that such evaluations will be activated automatically from memory upon the individual's encountering the attitude object. The determinants and the consequences of such accessibility from memory are being investigated. In particular, the research has focused upon: (a)the influence that accessible attitudes have upon attention, categorization, judgment and, ultimately, behavior, and (b)the functional value of such attitudes.

The implications of this view of attitudes are currently being examined in the domain of prejudice. The role of both automatic and more motivated, controlled processes, on race-related judgments and behavior are under investigation. He also is conducting research on the implicit development of attitudes via classical conditioning, attitude formation via exploratory behavior, and implicit measures of attitude.

Current status
Dr. Fazio is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Ohio State University in Columbus OH, USA.