Dr Elizabeth Summerell
Lecturer
School of Psychology
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences
My research seeks to explore the interplay between emotions, cognition, and behaviour. In particular, I am interested in understanding the cognitive, social, and neurobiological factors that contribute to the way we experience and regulate anger and aggression. Currently, I am working on projects examining the influence of conformity masculine norms on hostile attribution, and testing the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over prefrontal cortical regions to reduce aggressive behaviour.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 - ongoing | Lecturer | Adelaide University |
| 2024 - 2025 | Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 2020 - 2023 | Postdoctoral Research Associate | UNSW Sydney |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Award | Young Investigator Award | International Society for Research on Aggression | Australia | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | UNSW Sydney | Australia | PhD (Psychology) |
| 2016 | UNSW Sydney | Australia | Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Harmon-Jones, C., Schmeichel, B. J., Summerell, E., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2026). Men's Value for a Large Penis Relates to Threatened Masculinity, Dominance, and Aggression: A Test of Symbolic Self-Completion Theory. PSYCHOLOGY OF MEN & MASCULINITIES, 27(1), 124-135. |
| 2025 | Summerell, E., O'Dean, S., Wong, I., & Denson, T. F. (2025). Evolving conceptualizations of masculinity and intimate partner violence: Implications for prevention and intervention. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 85, 10 pages. |
| 2025 | Summerell, E., Shuttleworth, L., Lin, C., & Denson, T. F. (2025). The effects of race, gender, and alcohol cues on anger perception in crowds. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY, 77(1), 17 pages. |
| 2025 | Cao, J., Ball, I. K., Summerell, E., Humburg, P., Denson, T., & Rae, C. D. (2025). Effect of Ethanol on Brain Electrical Tissue Conductivity in Social Drinkers. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 61(3), 1181-1187. Scopus4 WoS3 |
| 2025 | O'Dean, S. M., Summerell, E., Harmon-Jones, E., Creswell, J. D., & Denson, T. F. (2025). The associations and effects of mindfulness on anger and aggression: A meta-analytic review.. Clinical Psychology Review, 118, 102584-1-102584-15. Scopus3 WoS3 |
| 2025 | Denson, T. F., Choy, O., Summerell, E., & Wong, I. (2025). A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Anger and Aggression.. Aggressive behavior, 51(4), e70036. Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC2 |
| 2024 | Summerell, E., Xiao, W., Huang, C., Terranova, J., Gilam, G., Riva, P., & Denson, T. F. (2024). The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation over the ventromedial prefrontal cortex on reactive aggression in intoxicated and sober individuals. Biological Psychology, 193, 108899-1-108899-9. Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC3 |
| 2023 | Summerell, E., Fanous, G., & Denson, T. F. (2023). Would you let this guy into a bar? Identifying cues that signal a perceived increase in the propensity for violence of potential bar patrons. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 21(1), 281-300. |
| 2021 | Kumar, N. N., Summerell, E., Spehar, B., & Cranney, J. (2021). Experiences of Honours Research Students and Supervisors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study Framed by Self-Determination Theory. Frontiers in Education, 6, 11 pages. Scopus5 WoS3 |
| 2020 | Summerell, E., Harmon-Jones, C., Denson, T. F., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2020). Humility is associated with less aggressive motivation. Personality and Individual Differences, 158, 109837. Scopus15 WoS12 |
| 2019 | Harmon-Jones, C., Hinton, E., Tien, J., Summerell, E., & Bastian, B. (2019). Pain offset reduces rumination in response to evoked anger and sadness.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117(6), 1189-1202. Scopus11 WoS9 Europe PMC5 |
| 2019 | Summerell, E., Harmon-Jones, C., Kelley, N. J., Peterson, C. K., Krstanoska-Blazeska, K., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2019). Does cognitive broadening reduce anger?. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(JAN), 12 pages. Scopus11 WoS10 |
| 2017 | Harmon-Jones, E., Harmon-Jones, C., & Summerell, E. (2017). On the importance of both dimensional and discrete models of emotion. Behavioral Sciences, 7(4), 16 pages. Scopus163 WoS145 Europe PMC44 |
| - | Harmon-Jones, C., Summerell, E., & Bastian, B. (2018). Anger increases preference for painful activities.. Motivation Science, 4(4), 301-314. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Summerell, E., Wong, I., & Denson, T. F. (2023). Caffeine and Aggression. In C. Martin, V. R. Preedy, & B. Vinood (Eds.), Handbook of Anger, Aggression, and Violence (pp. 1-20). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2023 | Summerell, E., Wong, I., & Denson, T. F. (2023). Caffeine and Aggression. In Handbook of Anger, Aggression, and Violence (pp. 1673-1692). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Summerell, E., Bradley, J., Thalody, K., Ford, K., Gilam, G., Riva, P., & Denson, T. F. (2025). Transcranial direct current stimulation over the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex improves anger regulation in intoxicated individuals high in trait anger. DOI |
| 2025 | Stanley, S., Gregersen, T., Summerell, E., & Walker, I. (2025). Engaging through enraging: Does inciting anger about climate change increase support for climate action?. DOI |
| 2025 | Summerell, E., Bradley, J., Thalody, K., Ford, K., Gilam, G., Riva, P., & Denson, T. F. (2025). Transcranial direct current stimulation over the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in intoxicated individuals during anger regulation. DOI |
| 2025 | van Antwerpen, N., Prike, T., Summerell, E., Stephens, R. G., & Moeck, E. (2025). Attitudes to Democracy, Information Sources, and Self-Reported Misinformation Exposure in a Federal Election: An Australian Experience Sampling Study. DOI |
Co-investigator, No more victims: building healthy relationships and preventing intimate partner and sexual violence through a novel, scalable school-based intervention. MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Initiative, 2025-2026. [$960,484.57]
Courses I teach:
- PSYC1002: Psychology for Social Contexts
- PSYC2003: Insights into Health and Developmental Psychology
- PSYC4007: Contemporary Issues 2
- PSYC7002: Honours Psychology Research Project
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Member | GDPA Ethics Sub-Committee | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching Committee | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2023 - ongoing | Secretary | Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP) | SASP | Australia |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - ongoing | Member | International Society for Research on Aggression | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | Member | Society of Australasian Social Psychologists | Australia |
| Date | Role | Editorial Board Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | Consulting Editor | Psychology of Violence | APA | United States |
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