Dr. Susan Sprecher
Sociology Distinguished Professor
Sociology and Anthropology
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Office
Schroeder Hall - SCH 351
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Research
Current Courses
265.001Personal Relationships
398.002Professional Practice:Internship In Sociological Research
223.001Social Psychology
290.027Special Projects:Research Apprenticeship
291.001Undergraduate Teaching Experience In Sociology-Antropology
123.001Human Sexuality
400.004Independent Study
Teaching Interests & Areas
Susan Sprecher earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She has written on interpersonal attraction, intimacy, and human sexuality, and has had articles published in the Journal of Personal Relationships. She teaches courses on social psychology, human sexuality, marriage and the family, and personal relationships.
Research Interests & Areas
Social Psychology, Marriage and the Family, Close Relationships, Sexuality. Relationship initiation; love; compassionate love; equity and exchange; sexual attitudes; Internet dating services; relationship initiation
Ph D Sociology
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Kenneth Mary Ann Shaw Teaching Award
Illinois State University
2020
Book, Chapter
Sprecher, S., Russell, L., Su-Russell, C., & Schmeeckle, M. Social Networks and Extended Families. The Routledge Handbook of Family Communication. Routledge (2022): 277-293.
Sprecher, S., & Fehr, B. The Compassionate Love Scale. O. N. Medvedev et al. (EDs), Handbook of Assessment in Mindfulness. Springer (2022)
Sprecher, S. Creating Closeness and Interdependence: Results of Laboratory-Based Studies Involving Getting-Acquainted Dyads. L. Vanderdrift, C. Agnew, & X. Arriaga (EDs), Interdependence, Interaction, and Relationships. Cambridge Publishers (2020): 343-367.
Sprecher, S. Influence of Self-Disclosure in the Acquaintance Process on Changes in People's Self-Concept, How People Feel About Themselves, and How People Feel About Others. B. A. Mattingly, K. P. McIntyre, and G. W. Lewandowski (EDs), Interpersonal Relationships and Self-Concept (2020): 37-51.
Sprecher, S., Felmlee, D., Stokes, J., McDaniel, B., & . Social networks and relationship maintenance. Brian Ogolsky and Kale Monk (EDs), Relationship Maintenance: Theory, process, and Context. Cambridge University Press (2020): 152-177.
Encyclopedia
Fehr, B., & Sprecher, S. Love. J. Ponzetti et al. (EDs), Macmillan Encyclopedia of Intimate and Family Relationships (2021): 542-547.
Sprecher, S., Treger, S., & Hatfield, E. Love. Encyclopedia of Quality of Life Research and Well-being Research (2nd ed.). Springer (2021)
Sprecher, S., & O'Sullivan, L. Premarital sex. Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2nd edition) (2021)
Roberts, L., Sprecher, S., & Roberts, L. Marital sex. J. Ponzetti et al. (EDs), Macmillan Encyclopedia of Intimate and Family Relationships (2019): 551-554.
Sprecher, S., & Fehr, B. Relationship dissolution. J. Ponzetti et al. (EDs), Macmillan Encyclopedia of Intimate and Family Relationships (2019): 714-719.
Journal Article
Drouin, M., & Sprecher, S. Is Chatting with a Sophisticated Chatbox as Good as Chatting Online or Face to Face with a Stranger?. Computers in Human Behavior 128 (2022)
Sprecher, S. Acquaintanceships (Weak Ties): Their Role in People's Web of Relationships. Personal Relationships 29.3 (2022): 425-450.
Sprecher, S., Miller, R., Fehr, B., Kanter, J., Perlman, D., & Felmlee, D. Enhanced Mood after a Getting-Acquainted Interaction with a Stranger: Do Shy People Benefit Too? (2022)
Sprecher, S., O'Sullivan, L., Drouin, M., Verette-Lindenbaum, J., & Willetts, M. Perhaps It Was Too Soon: College Students' Reflections on the Timing of Their Sexual Debut. Journal of Sex Research 59.1 (2022): 39-52.
Sprecher, S., & Hatfield, E. Ratings of the Physical Attractiveness of an Interaction Partner After a Getting-Acquainted Interaction. Personal Relationships 29.2 (2022): 366-385.
Presentations
Reflections on IARR. The conference for the International Association for Relationship Research. (2021)
Kanter, J.B., Lannin, D.G., Yazedjian, A., Rauer, A., & Sprecher, S. (November, 2021). Investigating risk and resilience associated with couples’ longitudinal experiences in relationship education programming. [Paper Session]. National Council on Family Relations, Baltimore, MD. [Conference online]
Interdependence and Closeness in Getting-Acquainted Dyads. The International Association for Relationship Research. (2017)
Mate Preferences in Emerging Adulthood and Beyond: Cross-sectional and Retrospective Analyses to Examine Change. The International Association for Relationship Research. (2017)
Can I connect with both you and my social network?: Access to network-salient communication technology and get-acquainted interaction.. Mini-conference for the International Association for Relationship Research. (2015)
Heterosexual couples' perceptions of balance of the work of relationship initiation and maintenance. Society for the Personality and Social Psychology. (2015)
The Study of Get-Acquainted Interactions through the Social Interaction Paradigm. Department of Psychology; University of California - San Bernardino. (2015)
The Study of Get-acquainted Interactions Using the Social Interaction Paradigm. Department of Human and Community Development. (2015)
Elevating Positive Mood Through Getting-Acquainted Interactions: Results from Two Get-Acquainted Interaction Studies. Midwest Psychological Association Meeting. (2014)
"Self-Expansion in Initial Interactions: Effects of Perceived and Actual Similarity". Annual Conference for the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. (2014)
Grants & Contracts
How We See Ourselves: Self-Esteem, Perceived Physical Attractiveness and Perceptions of Being Overweight as a Function of Gender and Race. Department of Sociology & Anthropology. Illinois State University. (2022)