Department of Psychology
Linda Cameron
Professor
PhD
- Member, Executive Committee, Centre for Health Services Research & Policy
- Member, Health Cognition Group, National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health
- Member, Executive Committee, Australasian Society for Behavioural Health and Medicine
- Member, Governing Council, International Society of Behavioral Medicine
- Co-Chair of the Program Committee for the 2008 International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, Tokyo
- Member, National Support and Volunteer Services Advisory Committee, New Zealand Cancer Society
Associate Editor, Journal of Behavioral Medicine - Associate Editor, British Journal of Health Psychology
- Editorial Board, Health Psychology Review
- Editorial Board, Psychology and Health
- Fellow, U.S. Society of Behavioral Medicine Research
Self-regulation and health, emotion regulation, risk perceptions, cancer screening, psychosocial aspects of genetic testing.
My research focuses on developing health communications and psychosocial interventions for individuals who have or are at risk for illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. This research takes a self-regulation perspective by evaluating the cognitive and emotional processes influencing health behaviors and illness experiences. I focus on both theoretical and applied aspects of issues in order to address the parallel goals of developing theoretically-based interventions and refining psychological theory. Projects have included the development and evaluation of psychosocial support programs for women with breast cancer, therapeutic writing techniques for stress management, and exercise therapy as an aid for smoking cessation.
One line of research explores the conceptual and imagery contents of mental representations of health threats. Using new assessment tools, my colleagues and I are exploring the types of mental images that individuals associate with disease risk. These findings have important implications for using imagery in health communications, and they have been applied in several projects on graphic warning labels for tobacco products and communications about genetic testing for disease susceptibility. In collaboration with computer scientists and colleagues, we are also developing computer-based programs incorporating animations and images of the heart and body to improve understanding of heart disease risk and protective behaviors (e.g., low-fat diet and physical activity).
Our Health Communications and Interventions Laboratory includes colleagues and students at University of California-Merced and The University of Auckland who work with collaborators from around the world on research projects. You can visit our website at: http://www.cameronhcilab.com/lab
- Cameron, L. D. (2008). Illness risk representations and motivations to engage in protective behavior: The case of skin cancer risk. Psychology and Health, 23, 91-112.
- Cameron, L. D., & Jago, L. (2008). Emotion regulation interventions: A common-sense model approach. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 215-221.
- Cameron, L. D., & Chan, C. K. Y. (2008). Designing health communications: Harnessing the power of affect, imagery, and self-regulation. Personality and Social Psychology Compass, 2, 262-282.
- Paddison, J. S., Booth, R. J., Cameron, L. D., Robinson, E., Frizelle, F., & Hill, H. G. (2008). Fatigue after colorectal surgery and its relationship to patient expectations. Journal of Surgical Research (in press).
- Kaptein, A., A., Scharloo, M., Fischer, M., Snoei, L., Cameron, L. D., Sont, J., Rabe, K., & Weinman, J. (2008). Illness perceptions and COPD: An emerging field for COPD patient management. Journal of Asthma (in press).
-
Centres and programmes
Connect with us
