Susan Clayton
Professor of Psychology (Dr.)
Department of Psychology
The College of Wooster
930 College Mall
Wooster, OH 44691
Phone: (440) 774-2722
Fax: (413) 556-6629
Email: sclayton@wooster.edu
Website: www.wooster.edu/psychology/sclayton
Biographical Statement:
Susan Clayton is professor of social and environmental psychology at the College of Wooster, where she has taught courses in “Environment and identity” “The how and why of conservation” and “Humans and other animals.” Clayton received her Ph.D. in social psychology from Yale University. One area of current work involves her in a network of researchers studying zoo visitors and how exposure to zoo exhibits affects attitudes and self-concept. Another affiliation is with the Ohio State University’s Urban Landscape Ecology Project, which seeks to promote sustainable landscapes in an urban setting. Clayton has worked to promote awareness of environmental issues within the American Psychological Association and is currently president-elect of APA’s Division 34, the Society for Population and Environmental Psychology
Publications related to Conservation Psychology:
Clayton, S., & Brook, A. (2005). Can psychology help save the world? A model for conservation psychology. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 5 (1), 87-102.
Clayton, S., & Opotow, S. (2003, Eds.) Identity and the natural environment: The psychological significance of nature. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Clayton, S. (2003). Environmental identity: A conceptual and an operational definition. In S. Clayton & S. Opotow (Eds.) Identity and the natural environment (pp. 45-65). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Clayton, S., & Opotow, S. (2003). Introduction: Identity and the natural environment. In S. Clayton & S. Opotow (Eds.) Identity and the natural environment (pp. 1-24). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Clayton, S., & Opotow, S. (2003). Justice and identity: Changing perspectives on what is fair. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7, 298-310.
Clayton, S. (2000). Models of justice in the environmental debate. Journal of Social Issues, 56 (3), 459-474.
Clayton, S. (1998). Preference for macrojustice versus microjustice in environmental decisions. Environment and Behavior, 30,162-183.
Clayton, S. (1996). What is fair in the environmental debate? In L. Montada & M.J. Lerner (Eds.), Current societal concerns about justice (195-211). New York: Plenum.
Clayton, S. (1996). What is valued in resolving environmental dilemmas: Individual and contextual influences. Social Justice Research, 9, 171-184.
Clayton, S. (1994). Appeals to justice in the environmental debate. Journal of Social Issues, 50(3), 13-27.
Clayton, S., & Opotow, S. (1994, Eds.) Green justice: Conceptions of fairness and the natural world. Journal of Social Issues, 50(3), 1-11.
Research Interests:
Why nature is important to people, particularly to their sense of self
How people use standards of ethics and justice in evaluating problems concerning the natural environment, including animals
How people’s attitudes, mood, cognitions, and self-concept are affected by exposure to the natural world
Professional Affiliations:
American Psychological Association (Fellow)
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (Fellow)
Society for Population and Environmental Psychology (Fellow, president-elect)
International Society for Justice Research
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Human Ecology Review (Editorial, Board)
Journal of Environmental Psychology (Editorial Board)
