Current Institutional Address and Phone:

Positions Held:

Courses taught: Elementary Psychology (PSY 120), Child Psychology, (PSY 235), Human Development II: Adolescence (PSY 362), Adult Development and Aging (PSY 367), Death and Dying (PSY 371).

Education:

• Ph.D., Psychology (Developmental), 1997, Northern Illinois University, Dissertation: Concern over social evaluation during adolescence: Sensitivity to an "imaginary" audience? Kimberly K. Powlishta, director.
• Interdisciplinary Graduate Concentration, Gerontology, August, 1997, Northern Illinois University.
• M.A., Psychology (Developmental), December, 1993, Northern Illinois University, Thesis: The imaginary audience and personal fable: An alternative theoretical perspective, Kimberly K. Powlishta, advisor.
• B.A., Communications (additional major in psychology), June, 1990, Michigan State University, graduated with high honor.

Honors/Awards:

• Honorary Mention - Illinois Psychological Association Graduate Student Poster Competition, November, 1993.
• Outstanding Thesis Award - Midwest Association of Graduate Schools Distinguished Thesis Competition, January, 1994.
• Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, 1996 Edition.
• Dissertation Completion Fellowship, Northern Illinois University, 1996-97.
• University Friends Award, Northern Illinois University Center for Access-Ability Resources, Spring, 1996 (awarded by the center and the students with special needs it serves, to recognize particularly supportive faculty, instructors, and other unversity personnel).
• Herschel Thornburg Outstanding Dissertation Award, Society for Research on Adolescence, 1998,

runner-up.

Research Interests:

• Social, social-cognitive, and identity development during adolescence;
• Self-consciousness, self-perception, and the development of self-concept;
• Interpersonal relationships during adolescence and young adulthood

Publications:

• Vartanian, L. R. (in press). Adolescents' reactions to hypothetical peer group conversations: Evidence for an imaginary audience? Adolescence.
• Vartanian, L. R. (in press).Revisiting the imaginary audience and personal fable constructs of adolescent egocentrism: A conceptual review. Adolescence.
• Vartanian, L. R., Powlishta, K. K. (in press).Demand characteristics and self-report measures of imaginary audience sensitivity: Implications for interpreting age differences in adolescent egocentrism.Journal of Genetic Psychology.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1997). Separation-individuation, social support, and adolescent egocentrism: An exploratory study. Journal of Early Adolescence, 17, 245-270.
• Vartanian, L. R., & Powlishta, K. K. (1996). A longitudinal examination of the social-cognitive foundations of adolescent egocentrism. Journal of Early Adolescence, 16, 157-178.

Conference Presentations: (co-authors in italics are undergraduate students)

• Passino, R. M., Giant, C. L., & Vartanian, L. R. (2000, May). To be thin or to be “buff”: Relations among     appearance-related feedback and the body images concerns of females and males. Poster presented at  the Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
• Giant, C. L., Passino, R. M., & Vartanian, L. R. (2000, April). "Ally McBeal vs. Arnold Schwarzeneggar":    Gender differences in body image concerns, and the influences of mass media and appearance-related feedback on body esteem. Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the conference on Human Development, Memphis, TN.
• Vartanian, L. R., & Giant, C. L., & Passino, R. M. (2000, April). Body esteem, Body shape preferences,     and gender roles: Exploring relations among instrumentality, expressiveness, and susceptibility to appearance-related messages. Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Conference on Human Development, Memphis, TN.
• Vartanian, L. R., Dickerhoof, R. M., & Marlow, J. R. (2000, March). An exploratory analysis of daydream content, separation-individuation concerns, and self-concept during adolescence. Poster presented at the Eighth Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Chicago, IL.
• Vartanian, L. R. (2000, March). Reactions to an ambiguous hypothetical peer group: Evidence for an

adolescent imaginary audience?  Poster presented at the Eighth Biennial Meeting of the Society for
• Research on Adolescence, Chicago, IL.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1999, April). The imaginary audience and perception of social groups: Is social cognition during early adolescence egocentric? Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Albuquerque, NM.
• Powlishta, K. K., & Vartanian, L. R. (1999, April). Self-esteem and own-sex favoritism in middle childhood and early adolescence. Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Albuquerque, NM.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1998, March). A closer look at the imaginary audience construct of adolescent egocentrism.Paper presented at the Fifteenth Biennial Conference on Human Development, Mobile, AL.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1998, March). Concern over social evaluation during adolescence: Sensitivity to an "imaginary" audience? Poster presented at the Seventh Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, San Diego, CA.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1997, April). Object-relational ideation and imaginary audience sensitivity: A look at adolescents' daydreams.Poster presented at the 1997 Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Washington, D.C.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1997, April). Separation-individuation, social support, and adolescent egocentrism. Poster presented at the 1997 Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Washington, D.C.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1996, March). Adolescent egocentrism: A "new look" at "old" measures. Poster presented at the Fourteenth Biennial Conference on Human Development, Birmingham, AL.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1996, March). The effects of audience salience and evaluative nature on "imaginary" audience sensitivity. Poster presented at the Fourteenth Biennial Conference on Human Development, Birmingham, AL.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1996, March). An experimental approach to "imaginary" audience sensitivity. Poster presented at the 1996 Meetings of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Boston, MA.
• Vartanian, L. R., & Saarnio, D. A. (1995, March). Towards an understanding of the imaginary audience and personal fable. Poster presented at the 1995 Meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Indianapolis, IN.
• Vartanian, L. R., & Powlishta, K. K. (1995, March). A longitudinal investigation of personal fable sensitivity. Poster presented at the 1995 Meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Indianapolis, IN.
• Vartanian, L. R., & Powlishta, K. K. (1994, April). A social-cognitive model of adolescent egocentrism. Poster presented at the Thirteenth Biennial Conference on Human Development, Pittsburgh, PA.
• Vartanian, L. R. (1993, November). Adolescent egocentrism and social cognition: An interactive model. Poster presented at the Illinois Psychological Association Annual Convention, Lincolnwood, IL.
• DeCooke, P. A., & Vartanian, L. R. (1992, April). The influence of perceived social support on adolescent athletes' perceptions of athletic and performance competence. Paper presented at the Twelfth Biennial Conference on Human Development, Atlanta, GA.

Departmental / University Service

• Member, School of Arts & Sciences Student Affairs Committee, 1998-00, 2000-02.
• Member, Department of Psychology Educational Policy Committee, 1997-98, 2000-01.
• Chair, Department of Psychology Student Affairs Committee, 1998-99, 1999-00.
• United Way Representative - Department of Psychology, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00.
• Member, Department of Psychology Ad-Hoc Committee for PSY 120, Gen Ed issues, Fall, 1998.
• Research Mentor for high school student’s science fair project, Fall ‘97- Spring ‘98.
• Judge for Regional Science and Engineering Fair , social and behavioral sciences projects, (senior division; lead judge for junior division), Spring ‘98, Spring, ‘99.
• Organizer, Departmental Review Committee on PSY 120 Research Requirement Policies, Fall, 1997.
• Member, Department of Psychology Adhoc Committee to Review PSY 120 Research Requirement Policies and Procedures, 1997-98, 1998-99, 99-00.

Membership in Professional / Academic Organizations:

• Society for Research in Child Development  (SRCD)
• Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA)
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA)
• Psi Chi
• Golden Key National Honor Society
• Phi Kappa Phi