WAUKESHA – A psychology faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Dan Stalder has made a study of hypocrisy and will give a Visions & Expressions presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha Friday, October 5, on “Humans and Hypocrisy: How We Deal with Getting Caught Saying One Thing and Doing Another.” The noon lecture in Commons Room 101 is free and open to the public.

Stalder recognizes that humans and other animals all need to exert control, but only humans need consistency. Yet, they do not always exhibit it in their behavior. When people, for example, eat foods not allowed on their diets, smoke after vowing to quit, commit ethically questionable acts despite an ethical self-perception, or criticize others for similar inconsistencies, they tend to feel what Stalder calls “cognitive dissonance.” This discomfort motivates them to employ tactics to restore their sense of consistency.

Stalder will review those behavioral and cognitive tactics, which include misremembering, rationalizing, and otherwise distorting one’s perceptions. He’ll use classic and recent research and apply the findings to multiple domains, including politics.

A graduate of Northwestern University, Stalder went on for an MS in math from UW-Milwaukee before focusing on psychology. He holds both an MA and PhD in psychology from the University of Iowa, where he concentrated on personality and social psychology.

UW-Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 freshman-sophomore University of Wisconsin Colleges campuses. For information about UW-Waukesha admission, financial aid, programs, or policies, contact the Student Services office 888 2UW-WAUK (289-9285) or visit the Web at waukesha.uwc.edu.

###