Dr Jonathan Rolison

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Email
jrolison@essex.ac.uk -
Location
2.718, Colchester Campus
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Decision making and risk taking behaviour
The broad area of my research is decision making, particularly decisions involving risk. I have a number of lines of research in this domain, including how people conceptualise risk (e.g., do all people think of risk in the same way?), how people trade-off the risks and benefits of activities, and whether people use other strategies or sources of information to make their decisions. My research also has an emphasis on how decisions differ between people, namely why some people are more likely than others to take a risk.
Risk communication
My research explores perception and communication of health risks and health-related decision making. One of my aims in this area is to develop methods for overcoming barriers to effective risk communication. For example, my work has shown that maths anxiety impedes understanding of numerical health risks, but that some of the negative effects of maths anxiety can be alleviated with graphical presentation aids.
Road safety
My research on risk has an applied focus on the risks faced by young and elderly drivers. My research has investigated whether drivers of these ages are a danger to themselves and to other road users. I have introduced new statistical tools for the assessment of driver crash risk and have identified contributing factors to road accidents. I have worked closely on these projects with the UK Department for Transport.
Adult development and ageing
One line of my research is how decision making and risk taking behaviours change across adulthood. My research in this area is aimed at explaining why people become more cautious in older age and whether age changes in risk taking behaviours are beneficial or harmful.
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Applied Psychology (PS118)
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Psychology Project (PS300)
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Developmental Psychology (PS406)
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Psychology of Health (PS423)
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Lifespan Development: Psychology in Society (PS503)
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Decision making science in theory and practice (PS512)
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MSc Psychology Research Project (PS900)
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Advanced Developmental Psychology (PS931)
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Research Project (MSc) (PS934)
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Advanced Psychology of Health (PS951)
Current supervision
Previous supervision

Degree subject: Psychology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 16/7/2024
Publications
Journal articles (56)
Lamarche, VM. and Rolison, J., (2025). Can I Tolerate That Kind of Behavior? Self-Esteem, Expected Benefits, Risk Perceptions and Risk Tolerance in Romantic Relationships. British Journal of Social Psychology, The. 64 (2), e12860-
Rolison, J., (2024). . Current Opinion in Psychology. 57, 101802-101802
Rolison, J., Gooding, P., Russo, R. and Buchanan, K., (2024). . PLoS One. 19 (2), e0292944-e0292944
Rolison, JJ. and Freund, AM., (2024). . Current Opinion in Psychology. 58, 101824-101824
Jolles, D., Lamarche, VM., Rolison, JJ. and Juanchich, M., (2023). . Current Psychology. 42 (18), 15727-15741
Rolison, J., (2023). . Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 49 (10), 1635-1661
Buchanan, KE., Rolison, JJ., Jinga, I., Thompson, J. and Russo, R., (2022). . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 75 (3), 377-389
McMichael, AJ., Kane, JPM., Rolison, JJ., O'Neill, FA., Boeri, M. and Kee, F., (2022). . BJPsych Open. 8 (2), e40-
Rolison, JJ., Pachur, T., McCormack, T. and Feeney, A., (2022). . Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 219, 105401-105401
Rolison, J. and Lamarche, V., (2022). . Current Psychology. 42 (33), 29418-29434
Lamarche, VM. and Rolison, JJ., (2021). . PLoS One. 16 (12), e0261251-e0261251
Rolison, J. and Shenton, J., (2020). . Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. 33 (1), 63-85
Rolison, J., (2020). . Accident Analysis and Prevention. 135, 105390-105390
Rolison, J., Morsanyi, K. and Peters, E., (2020). . Medical Decision Making. 40 (2), 222-234
Rolison, J. and Moutari, S., (2020). . Journal of Safety Research. 73, 171-177
Hanoch, Y., Rolison, J. and Freund, AM., (2019). Reaping the Benefits and Avoiding the Risks: Unrealistic Optimism in the Health Domain. Risk Analysis. 39 (4), 792-804
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Freund, AM., (2019). . Gerontology. 65 (5), 547-559
Rolison, J., (2019). . Developmental Psychology. 55 (8), 1788-1799
Hanoch, Y., Rolison, JJ. and Freund, AM., (2018). . Risk Analysis. 38 (5), 917-928
Miron-Shatz, T., Rapaport, SR., Srebnik, N., Hanoch, Y., Rabinowitz, J., Doniger, GM., Levi, L., Rolison, JJ. and Tsafrir, A., (2018). . Journal of Genetic Counseling. 27 (1), 59-68
Rolison, JJ. and Moutari, S., (2018). . American Journal of Epidemiology. 187 (1), 53-59
Rolison, JJ., Regev, S., Moutari, S. and Feeney, A., (2018). . Accident Analysis and Prevention. 115, 11-24
Regev, S., Rolison, JJ. and Moutari, S., (2018). . Journal of Safety Research. 66, 131-140
Mercier, H., Rolison, JJ., Strag脿, M., Ferrante, D., Walsh, CR. and Girotto, V., (2017). . Memory and Cognition. 45 (2), 261-269
Rolison, JJ., Wood, S. and Hanoch, Y., (2017). . Risk Analysis. 37 (9), 1632-1643
McMichael, AJ., Boeri, M., Rolison, JJ., Kane, J., O鈥橬eill, FA., Scarpa, R. and Kee, F., (2017). . Value in Health. 20 (1), 126-131
Rolison, JJ. and Pachur, T., (2017). . Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. 30 (2), 647-657
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Wood, S., (2017). . Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics. 70, 47-54
Rolison, JJ., Morsanyi, K. and O鈥機onnor, PA., (2016). . Medical Decision Making. 36 (7), 876-886
Travers, E., Rolison, JJ. and Feeney, A., (2016). . Cognition. 150, 109-118
McMichael, A., Rolison, JJ., Boeri, M., Francis, J., O?Neill, F. and Kee, F., (2016). . MDM Policy and Practice. 1 (1), 2381468316678855-
Hanoch, Y., Miron鈥怱hatz, T., Rolison, JJ., Omer, Z. and Ozanne, E., (2015). . Health Expectations. 18 (6), 2799-2810
Rolison, JJ. and Hanoch, Y., (2015). . Preventive Medicine Reports. 2, 262-264
Gummerum, M., Hanoch, Y. and Rolison, JJ., (2014). . Risk Analysis. 34 (10), 1870-1881
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y., Wood, S. and Liu, P-J., (2014). . The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. 69 (6), 870-880
Hanoch, Y., Miron-Shatz, T., Rolison, JJ. and Ozanne, E., (2014). . Psycho-Oncology. 23 (10), 1142-1148
Srebnik, N., Miron-Shatz, T., Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Tsafrir, A., (2014). . Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey. 69 (3), 131-132
Rolison, JJ., Moutari, S., Hewson, PJ. and Hellier, E., (2014). . American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 46 (1), 58-64
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Gummerum, M., (2013). . Risk Analysis. 33 (11), 2013-2022
Srebnik, N., Miron-Shatz, T., Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Tsafrir, A., (2013). . Human Reproduction. 28 (11), 3007-3011
Rolison, JJ., Hewson, PJ. and Hellier, E., (2013). . American Journal of Public Health. 103 (7), e2-e2
Rolison, JJ., Wood, S., Hanoch, Y. and Liu, P-J., (2013). . Gerontology. 59 (3), 283-288
Rolison, JJ., Hewson, PJ., Hellier, E. and Hurst, L., (2013). . American Journal of Public Health. 103 (3), 568-571
Marcatto, F., Rolison, JJ. and Ferrante, D., (2013). Communicating clinical trial outcomes: Effects of presentation method on physicians' evaluations of new treatments. Judgment and Decision Making. 8 (1), 29-33
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Gummerum, M., (2013). Characteristics of offenders: the HEXACO model of personality as a framework for studying offenders鈥 personality. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. 24 (1), 71-82
Hanoch, Y., Rolison, J. and Gummerum, M., (2013). Good things come to those who wait: Time discounting differences between adult offenders and nonoffenders. Personality and Individual Differences. 54 (1), 128-132
Rolison, JJ., Hewson, PJ. and Hellier, E., (2013). Rolison et al. respond. American journal of public health. 103 (7), creators-Rolison=3AJonathan_J=3A=3A
Hanoch, Y., Gummerum, M. and Rolison, J., (2012). . PLoS ONE. 7 (10), e47140-e47140
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Miron-Shatz, T., (2012). . Health Psychology. 31 (4), 530-533
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Wood, S., (2012). . Psychology and Aging. 27 (1), 129-140
Rolison, JJ., Hewson, PJ., Hellier, E. and Husband, P., (2012). . Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 60 (8), 1504-1508
Rolison, JJ., Evans, JSBT., Dennis, I. and Walsh, CR., (2012). Dual-processes in learning and judgment: Evidence from the multiple cue probability learning paradigm. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 118 (2), 189-202
Rolison, JJ., Hanoch, Y. and Miron-Shatz, T., (2012). . Addictive Behaviors. 37 (6), 736-738
Rolison, JJ. and Edworthy, J., (2012). The Role of Formal Structure in Liking for Popular Music. Music Perception. 29 (3), 269-284
Hanoch, Y., Gummerum, M. and Rolison, JJ., (2012). Second-to-fourth digit ratio and impulsivity: a comparison between offenders and nonoffenders.. PloS One. 7 (10), creators-Rolison=3AJonathan_J=3A=3A
Rolison, JJ., Evans, JSBT., Walsh, CR. and Dennis, I., (2011). . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 64 (8), 1494-1514
Conferences (1)
Boeri, M., McMichael, A., Rolison, JJ. and Kee, F., (2020). The needs of many vs the needs of few: Is society willing to pay for stratified medicine?
Grants and funding
2020
Provide KTP RA support
Provide
Provide KTP RA support
Provide
Provide KTP RA support
Provide
2018
Provide KTP 2018
Provide
Provide KTP 2018
Innovate UK (formerly Technology Strategy Board)
2016
A New Metric for the Assessment of Driver Crash Risks
Engineering & Physical Sciences Res.Council
The development of a new road accident reporting system
The Secretary of State for Transport