Skip to main content

  • UQ Home
  • Contacts
  • Study
  • Maps
  • News
  • Events
  • Library
  • my.UQ
The University of Queensland

Health

 
Homepage Site menu Show Search
 
  • Home
  • About
    • Health at UQ
    • Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
    • Faculty of Medicine
  • Future Students
    • Undergraduate
    • Postgraduate
  • Research
    • Research strengths
    • Research areas
    • Research offices
    • Resources for researchers
  • Academic Title Holders
    • Eligibility
    • Benefits to Holding an Academic Title
    • Promotion
    • Applicant Resources
    • Staff Tasks
  • Contact Us
Home › Kim Peters

Kim Peters

Kim Peters
Is gossip a (pleasurable) waste of time, or does it play a valuable role in group cohesion and cooperation? I am currently using a number of methodologies (scenario questionnaires, behavioural experiments, experimental games) to investigate these ideas.

Dr Kim Peters examines the way in which our everyday gossip can, by arousing emotions, structure people‘s social relationships

 

How did you get into psychology?

I stumbled across psychology purely by chance. I initially enrolled in a Health Sciences Degree at the University of Otago, which was the first year of study for all aspiring doctors at that university. I decided to take psychology as one of my optional modules, and have never looked back.

What do you think makes a good psychology researcher?

Rigour and integrity. I have been following recent events in psychology with a great deal of interest, and while many things (Stapel et al) are profoundly disturbing, many other things (the reproducibility project, open science initiatives) provide a lot of hope.

What are you researching at the moment?

Is gossip a (pleasurable) waste of time, or does it play a valuable role in group cohesion and cooperation? I am currently using a number of methodologies (scenario questionnaires, behavioural experiments, experimental games) to investigate these ideas.

There is a common belief that role models are a key to occupational success and that a lack of role models may account for underachievement in underrepresented groups. However, while Governments and other organisations spend millions rolling out various role model interventions, there is almost no evidence that they have any lasting positive impact. I am currently exploring the nature and effect of role models in people's occupational lives to develop a better sense of when (and why) role model interventions make a difference.

Individuals' perceptions of similarity to others have been shown to affect many social outcomes. In this research, I am investigating whether one other way in which similarity perceptions matter is by shaping occupational motivation, and whether this can account for difficulties in attracting women into male dominated occupations.

Tell us something that people might be interested to know about you?

I have a very great weakness for fantasy novels.

Home › Kim Peters
The University of Queensland, Australia
Brisbane St Lucia, QLD 4072

+61 7 3365 1111

Other Campuses:
UQ Gatton, UQ Herston

Maps and Directions

© 2021 The University of Queensland

A Member of

Universities Australia Universitas 21 edX Group of Eight

Privacy & Terms of use | Feedback

ABN: 63 942 912 684
CRICOS Provider No: 00025B

Quick Links

  • For Media
  • Emergency Contact

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
  • LinkedIn

Explore

  • Giving to UQ
  • Faculties & Divisions
  • UQ Jobs
  • UQ Contacts
  • Login

EMERGENCY

Ph. 3365 3333