The Science of Psychology (5th Edition) – Laura King – PDF

About The Author

Laura A. King

Dr. Laura A. King earned her B.A at Kenyon College, where, as an English major, she declared a second major, in psychology, during the second semester of her junior year. Laura completed her A.B. in English with high honors and distinction and in psychology with distinction in 1986. She then did graduate work at Michigan State University and the University of California, Davis, earning her Ph.D. in personality psychology in 1991.

Dr. Laura King began her career at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, moving to the University of Missouri, Columbia, in 2001, where she is now a professor, teaching for over 20 years. In addition to seminars in social psychology, the development of character, and personality psychology, she has taught undergraduate lecture courses in introduction to personality psychology, introductory psychology, and social psychology. At SMU, she received 6 different teaching awards, including the "M" award for "sustained excellence". At the University of Missouri, she got the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity.

Her research, mostly funded by the National Institutes for Mental Health, has focused on a variety of topics relevant to the question of what it is that makes for a good life. Professor King has studied happiness, goals, well-being, life stories, and meaning in life. In general, Laura's work reflects an enduring interest in studying what is healthyand good in people. In 2001, her research accomplishments were recognized by a Templeton Prize in positive psychology. Her research (often in collaboration with undergraduate and graduate students) has been published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Cognition and Emotion, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the Journal of Personality, and other many publications. A new paper on the place of regrets in maturity is forthcoming in the American Psychologist. Currently, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Research in Personality, Dr. King has also served as associate editor of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, as well as on numerous grant panels. Laura has co-edited or edited special sections of the Journal of Personality and the American Psychologist.