MIDUS Webpage - Susan T. Charles

Susan Turk Charles
Assistant Professor
Office: 3357 SEII
Phone: (949) 824-1450
Email: scharles@uci.edu

Education:

1997, Ph.D., Psychology, University of Southern California
1994, M.A., Psychology, University of Southern California
1991, A.B, Psychology, Stanford University

Summary of Research Interests:

Susan’s research examines emotional processes across the adult life span. Susan is interested in how subjective experience varies across the life course, and how differences in subjective experience may be related to differences in cognitive processes. And she also interested in the interplay between health and emotion, including the relationship between physical health factors (both health behavior and health status) and emotional processes, and how these relationships may vary as a function of age.

Selected Publications

Charles, S.T. (in press). Viewing Injustice: Age Differences in Emotional Experience. Psychology and Aging.

Charles, S.T., & Carstensen, L. L. (2004). A life-span view of emotional functioning in adulthood and old age. In P. Costa (Ed.), Advances in Cell Aging and Gerontology Series. New York: Elsevier.

Carstensen, L.L. & Charles, S.T. (2003). Human Aging: Why is even good news taken as bad? In L. Aspinwall & U. Staudinger (Eds.), A psychology of human strengths: Perspectives on an emerging field (pp. 75-86). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association

Charles, S.T., Mather, M., & Carstensen, L.L. (2003). Aging and emotional memory: The forgettable nature of negative images for older adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 132, 310-324.

Charles, S.T., & Pasupathi, M. (2003). Age-Related Patterns of Variability in Self-Descriptions: Implications for Everyday Affective Experience. Psychology and Aging, 18, 524-536.

Charles, S. T., & Mavandadi, S. (2003). Relationships and health across the life span. In F. Lang & K. Fingerman (Eds.), Growing together: Personal relationships across the life span (pp. 240-267). Cambridge University Press.

Carstensen, L. L, Charles, S. T., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Kennedy, Q. (2002). Life-span personality development and emotion. In R.J. Davidson, H.H. Goldsmith, & K. Scherer (Eds.), The Handbook of Affective Sciences (pp. 726-744). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

Charles, S. T., Reynolds, C., & Gatz, M, (2001). Age-related differences and change in positive and negative affect over twenty-five years. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 136-151.

Charles, S. T., Carstensen, L. L., & McFall, R. (2001). Problem-solving in the nursing home environment: Age and experience differences in emotional reactions and responses. Journal of Clinical Geropsychology, 7, 319-33

Charles, S. T., Gatz, M., Pedersen, N. L., & Dahlberg, L. (1999). Genetic and behavioral risk factors for self-reported joint pain among a population-based sample of Swedish twins. Health Psychology, 18, 644-654.

Carstensen, L. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (1999). Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity theory. American Psychologist, 54, 165-181.

Charles, S.T., & Carstensen, L. L. (2004). A life-span view of emotional functioning in adulthood and old age. In P. Costa (Ed.), Advances in Cell Aging and Gerontology Series. New York: Elsevier.

Charles, S.T., & Pasupathi, M. (2003). Age-Related Patterns of Variability in Self-Descriptions: Implications for Everyday Affective Experience. Psychology and Aging, 18, 524-536.

Charles, S. T., Reynolds, C., & Gatz, M, (2001). Age-related differences and change in positive and negative affect over twenty-five years. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 136-151.

Carstensen, L. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (1999). Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity theory. American Psychologist, 54, 165-181.