Brief Biography

Dr. Kurt Holzhausen has been at UMFK for over 25 years. He has also taught at Claflin University in South Carolina. He earned his BS in Psychology and Biology from Hope College in Michigan and his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Texas Tech University. Dr. Holzhausen is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and in his spare time, he enjoys woodworking and hiking.

Research Interests

My research interests have concerned the topics of social influence and small group processes. Social influence intrigues me because it exposes the fundamental paradox that rational individuals, taken collectively, often behave irrationally. In a demonstration of this (which, ironically flies in the face of conventional theory–e.g. Asch, 1956, Sherif, 1936), we (Holzhausen & McGlynn, 2001) identified conditions under which a clearly-wrong majority induces conformity, which, while “blind,” nevertheless persists over a delay and generalizes to related stimuli.

I have also been interested in the process of “collective induction,” which describes how groups, of scientists for instance, induce general rules (e.g. psychological hypotheses) from particular instances (e.g. observations of behavior). It turns out that groups do this better than individuals. A long-time collaborator and I have shown that groups excel at hypothesis generation and, in contrast to findings from the brainstorming tradition, that hypothesis generation is facilitated when the group’s task constrains hypothesis generation with evidence (McGlynn, R. P., & Holzhausen, K. G., 1999; McGlynn, Holzhausen, & Tubbs, 1992; McGlynn, Tubbs, & Holzhausen, 1995).

Selected Publications

Research Papers:

  • McGlynn, R.P., & Holzhausen, K.G. (2009). Groups constrained by evidence: The generation, selection and use of hypotheses in collective induction. Organizational Behavior and Dynamics.
  • Holzhausen, K.G., & McGlynn, R.P. (2001). Beyond compliance and acceptance: Influence outcomes as a function of norm plausibility and processing mode. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5, 136-149.
  • McGlynn, R.P., Tubbs, D.D., & Holzhausen, K. G. (1995). Hypothesis generation in groups constrained by evidence. Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 31, 64-81.

Educational Materials:

  • Holzhausen, K.G., & McGlynn, R.P. (1994). Study guide and practice tests to accompany Hearts and minds: An introduction to social psychology by Aronson, Wilson, & Akert. New York: Harper Collins.
  • Holzhausen, K.G., & McGlynn, R.P. (1994). Test bank to accompany Hearts and minds: An introduction to social psychology by Aronson, Wilson, & Akert. New York: Harper Collins.

Presentations

  • Holzhausen, K.G. (1999, April). Influence outcomes as a function of norm plausibility and processing mode. Paper presented at the meeting of the Maine Psychological Association, Orono, ME.
  • Holzhausen, K.G., (1994 April). Beyond compliance and acceptance: Expanding conceptions of social influence. Paper presented at the meetings of the Southwestern Psychological Association, Tulsa, OK and of Social Psychologists in Texas (SPIT), El Paso, TX.
  • McGlynn, R.P., Holzhausen, K.G., & Tubbs, D.D. (1992 April). Informational and social components in hypothesis evaluation of groups. Paper presented at the meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association, Houston, TX.

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Social Psychology, Texas Technology University 1993
  • B.A., Psychology & B.A., Biology, Hope College 1987 (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa)