About

Patricia Chen is an Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator in the Department of Educational Psychology at the College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin. She leads the Motivation & Self-Regulation Lab, which collaborates with other labs as part of the larger Strategic Learning And Motivational Beliefs (SLAMB) collaboration. Her research focuses on understanding and improving students' use of learning and motivational strategies, motivation, and self-regulated learning through interventions and educational technology. The lab environment includes regular meetings and social gatherings with affiliated labs, fostering a collaborative research community.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Psychology
• Public relations
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Science
• Sociology
• Economics
• Social psychology
• Business
• Psychiatry
• Medicine
• Marketing
• Knowledge management
• Management
• Law
• Econometrics

Selected publications

• Amicable rivalries and hostile rivalries: Divergent profiles of motivation and unethical conduct.

  Journal of Applied Psychology · 2026-02-12

  articleSenior author

  Rivalries motivate competitive performance but can also increase unethical intentions. Although extant theorizing treats this moral-motivational trade-off as inevitable, we show that rivalry's effect on unethical intentions depends on the tenor of the rivalry. Colder competitive relationships (hostile rivalries) exhibit the competitive profile documented in the literature: stronger motivation and increased unethical intentions. But warmer competitive relationships (amicable rivalries) involve a different competitive profile: stronger motivation without increased unethical intentions. Study 1 supported the assumption that participants could identify both amicable and hostile rivalries in their lives. These different rivalries evoked different judgments of warmth, but they did not differ in relationship duration, importance, or competitive domain. Study 2 demonstrated that amicable and hostile rivalries involve higher motivation compared to nonrival competition, but only hostile rivalries provoked stronger unethical intentions. This divergence can be partly explained by individuals' relative focus on the outcome of winning versus the process of competing against hostile (relative to amicable) rivals (Studies 2 and 3). Prompting participants to reflect on the value they derive from the process of competing against their hostile rival significantly reduced unethical intentions (Study 3). These findings encourage more nuanced theorizing about rivalry and identify pathways for organizations to leverage the motivational benefits of rivalry without the ethical trade-offs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Parental autonomy support predicts adolescents’ strategic mindset, which relates to self-regulation and academic achievement in Chile

  Social Psychology of Education · 2026-03-02

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  A strategic mindset, an orientation toward self-prompting strategy use amidst challenges, predicts effective learning strategy use, metacognition, and academic achievement. However, prior research has been constrained to western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) adult samples and does not address what parenting practices might be associated with nurturing this mindset. Our research advances the implications of a strategic mindset for adolescents’ self-regulation and academic achievement in a Latin culture and importantly examines which parenting practices may nurture this mindset. We hypothesized that (1) a strategic mindset would be positively associated with higher academic performance, mediated by students’ self-regulated learning behavior, and (2) parent-reported parental autonomy support and support of divergent thinking would be positively associated with their children’s strategic mindset. To explore these hypotheses, survey data were collected from 1,140 sixth- to eleventh-grade students and their parents from seven Chilean schools at two different time points within a single academic year. Our analyses revealed that a strategic mindset significantly predicted adolescent students’ grade point average, mediated by their self-regulated behavior. Additionally, parental autonomy support emerged as the most predictive parenting practice for fostering a strategic mindset in children. These findings have important implications for the generalizability of strategic mindset, and the development of parenting interventions to cultivate it.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A strategic mindset predicts and promotes effective learning and academic performance

  npj Science of Learning · 2025-10-31 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Using effective learning methods is central to self-regulated learning and contributes to academic achievement. We examined one psychological factor-a strategic mindset-that predicts differences in effective strategy use, and intervened on it. A strategic mindset is an orientation toward asking oneself questions that elicit the access and use of task-appropriate methods, especially in moments of difficulty or unproductivity. To investigate the implications of a strategic mindset on real-world academic outcomes, we conducted four studies with 7475 adolescent and adult students from over 30 Singapore schools. In correlational surveys, a strategic mindset predicted greater use of effective learning strategies, and in turn, higher exam performance. In a field experiment with 1070 students, a strategic mindset intervention increased students' reported use of effective learning strategies, and in turn, exam performance, among more academically prepared students and in conducive peer environments. This research advances self-regulated learning theory in a practically impactful way.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Asking Better Questions: Strategic Questioning as a Psychologically Wise Intervention

  Perspectives on Psychological Science · 2025-10-23 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Many effective psychological interventions change maladaptive interpretations of oneself or of one's context by offering more adaptive narratives, which are associated with desirable responses and outcomes. Psychologically wise interventions from the social-psychological tradition have used this approach to great effect in improving important outcomes across a variety of life domains-including, but not limited to, academic performance, physical and mental health, relationships, organizational culture, and civic behavior. Although these psychologically wise interventions target people's narratives, they do not focus on teaching effective strategies for pursuing valued goals-let alone a sustained mental habit of considering strategies that can make goal pursuit generally more effective. How might we better support and maintain adaptive narratives that psychologically wise interventions offer, especially in goal-directed, effective, and generalizable ways? I propose a complementary approach: guiding people to ask and answer strategic questions. These are questions that can elicit strategy generation, access, and use. As I explain, asking and answering strategic questions can elicit adaptive appraisals and responses to adversity. Importantly, people can learn an orientation toward self-prompting strategic questions. Understanding and intervening on strategic questioning and answering offers new frontiers for research and practice.

  PublisherDOI

• A strategic mindset enhances children’s generation of effective strategies and delay of gratification across tasks.

  Developmental Psychology · 2025-01-21 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  = 237), 5- to 6-year-old children who read the strategic mindset storybook with an experimenter (vs. a control storybook) waited significantly longer to receive desirable treats (Experiments 1 and 2) and to watch an appealing YouTube video (Experiment 2). Moreover, they were able to wait longer because they spontaneously generated and applied a greater number of effective waiting strategies. Going beyond classic research that taught children specific strategies to delay gratification, our results suggest that our new "metacognitive" approach can empower children's self-regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Metamotivational knowledge of construal level predicts academic performance

  Social Psychology of Education · 2025-09-26

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Single‐Sided Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow as an Adjunct Objective Measure in Functional Septorhinoplasty

  The Laryngoscope · 2024-08-19 · 1 citations

  article

  OBJECTIVE: Nasal obstruction can negatively impact patient quality of life, which can be alleviated by functional nasal surgery. Quantification of improvement is most commonly evaluated with the use of validated survey instruments but lacks widely utilized objective measures. Herein, we evaluate the utility of single-sided peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) as an objective outcome measure in the evaluation and management of nasal obstruction. METHODS: Adults presenting with nasal obstruction who were recommended septorhinoplasty were included in the study. Single-sided and bilateral PNIF measures, nasal obstruction symptom evaluation (NOSE) scores, surgeon-rated percent nasal obstruction, and nasal obstruction visual analog scale (VAS) scores were recorded preoperatively with Spearman's correlation coefficients (ρ) calculated. Correlation coefficients were also calculated between the change in the above variables from the pre- to postoperative state. RESULTS: One Hundred Fifteen patients were enrolled in the study and underwent septorhinoplasty. Significant correlations between single-sided PNIF and the associated VAS scores of the same laterality were found for the worse (ρ = -0.366; p < 0.001) and better (ρ = -0.313; p < 0.001) breathing sides. Correlations between postoperative improvement in single-sided PNIF and improvement in VAS scores were also found (ρ = -0.330; p = 0.007, ρ = -0.354; p = 0.004). No correlation between NOSE scores and single-sided PNIF was found except in the subgroup of patients presenting with bilateral asymmetric nasal obstruction, in who NOSE scores correlated with worse side PNIF (ρ = -0.369; p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Single-sided PNIF has a better correlation to patients' symptoms as rated by VAS score than bilateral PNIF and may be a useful adjunct objective measure in the evaluation and quantification of improvement in patients undergoing septorhinoplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 135:641-647, 2025.

  PublisherDOI

• Can a Rivalry Ever End? Merging Micro and Macro Management Perspectives

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  article

  What really is a rivalry and can it truly come to an end? If a rivalry can end, who is the determiner and what consequences may arise from the termination? How rivalry is defined and measured, as well as who is asked, will determine the answers. This symposium considers the temporal nature of rivalries (i.e. potential termination) to explore whether Micro and Macro Management perspectives can be integrated and thus provide a platform for new predictions and research directions. Taken together, these talks collectively provide evidence that stakeholders may resist terminating existing rivalries, and engage in behaviors to maintain the rivalry into the future, unless there is another target or source that can serve in that rival’s place. The Rival Within, the Enemy at the Gates Author: David Andrew Reinhard; Graduate School of Business, Nazarbayev U. Author: Gilad Hirschberger; Reichman U. Uncivil Leadership: Competitive Incivility Promotes Organizational Cohesion Author: Jeremy Yip; Georgetown U., McDonough School of Business Amicable Rivalry: Competitive Relationships that Increase Motivation Without Compromising Ethicality Author: Valentino Chai; Stanford Graduate School of Business Author: Patricia Chen; The U. of Texas at Austin Author: Benjamin Converse; U. of Virginia Hidden Ambivalence: Rivalry as a Gateway to both Positive and Negative Emotion Author: Jeffrey P. Thomas; London School of Economics and Political Science Author: Jiaqing Sun; London School of Economics and Political Science Author: Stéphane Francioli; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Author: Tatiana Strauss; London School of Economics & Political Science Author: Hayden Sliger; London School of Economics and Political Science Status Threat Caused by Coworker’s Networking and Moderating Role of Rivalry Author: SANG HOON HAN; The Ohio State U. Fisher College of Business Author: Jasmine Hu; Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State U. Author: Hun Whee Lee; The Ohio State U. Fisher College of Business When Helping Behaviors Induce Hostile Reactions? A Perspective of Competitive Altruism Author: Erica Xu; Hong Kong Baptist U. Author: Kan Ouyang; Shanghai U. of Finance and Economics Author: Edward Tang; Zhongnan U. of Economics and Law

  PublisherDOI

• Effort and Strategy Attributions Motivate Distinct Responsesto Failure

  Learning and Motivation · 2024-02-01 · 3 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• A Strategic Mindset Predicts and Promotes Effective Learning and Performance (Poster 24)

  2024-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Desmond C. Ong

  The University of Texas at Austin

  10 shared

• Darius B. Dawson

  Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers

  9 shared

• Terri L. Fletcher

  9 shared

• Traber Davis Giardina

  Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center

  9 shared

• Phoebe C. Ellsworth

  7 shared

• Paul A. O’Keefe

  7 shared

• Stephen M. Garcia

  University of California, Davis

  7 shared

• Joshua J. Gooley

  Duke-NUS Medical School

  6 shared

Labs

• Motivation & Self-Regulation LabPI

Awards & honors

• National Research Foundation Fellowship, National Research F…
• Society for the Science of Motivation Young Scientist Poster…
• Philip Brickman Memorial Prize for Best Graduate Research in…