Rate My Professor Bill Pedersen

Bill Pedersen is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Long Beach, where he specializes in social psychology. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Social Psychology from the University of Southern California in 2002 and 1998, respectively, and dual B.A. degrees in Psychology and Humanities, summa cum laude, from Seattle University in 1994. Pedersen began his affiliation with CSULB in 1999 as an adjunct professor, advancing to Assistant Professor from 2002 to 2007, Associate Professor from 2007 to 2011, and Professor since 2011. He directs the Aggression and Intergroup Relations Lab.

Pedersen's research examines factors influencing aggressive behavior and violence, including personality traits such as rumination, narcissism, impulsivity, and religiosity, alongside situational elements like collective rumination, religious priming, resource inequality, alcohol priming, personal control, and social exclusion. Key publications include "Displaced aggression is alive and well: a meta-analytic review" (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000), "Chewing on it can chew you up: effects of rumination on triggered displaced aggression" (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2005), "The Displaced Aggression Questionnaire" (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2006), "The impact of rumination on aggressive thoughts, feelings, arousal, and behavior" (British Journal of Social Psychology, 2011), "Are You Insulting Me? Exposure to Alcohol Primes Increases Aggression Following Ambiguous Provocation" (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2014), and the chapter "Displaced aggression is alive and well" (The Wiley Handbook of Violence and Aggression, 2017). Pedersen has presented extensively at conferences including the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and Western Psychological Association. His honors include the President’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement (2018), Outstanding Professor Award (2017), Most Inspirational Professor Award (2010), Outstanding Faculty Mentor for Student Engagement in Research Award (2008), and multiple Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Awards (2003-2022) from CSULB. He is a Fellow of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and a member of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for journals such as Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Aggressive Behavior, and Psychological Science.