Overview

Nick is a senior lecturer and senior research tutor on the DClinPsy programme at the University of Exeter. He is also a project supervisor and personal tutor on the BSc/MSci programme. Nick researches the interplay between goal motivation and ruminative thought in healthy and anxious/depressed populations.

Qualifications

BA (Cantab) MSc (Sussex) PhD (Lond)

Research group links

• Clinical

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Research

Research interests

• Motivation and goal processes in relation to affect and affective disorders
• Ruminative thinking in clinical and non-clinical populations
• Ecological momentary assessment

Research projects

My research concerns goal pursuit and motivation in personality/clinical psychology. Considering affect and cognition as systems working in the service of goal pursuit (e.g., Carver & Scheier, 1998), I investigate goals and motives in relation to repetitive thought (rumination), affect and its disorders. I have a particular interest in using ecological momentary assessment to capture people's lived experience, both in healthy populations and in populations with mood disorders.

Research networks

Some of my recent research has been conducted in collaboration with Dr Joanne Dickson (Edith Cowan University, Australia) and Dr Stephanos Vassilopoulos (University of Patras, Greece).

I am a member of the Motivation & Affect Regulation Group, an international network of researchers:  https://www.imarg.website/

Research grants

• 2019 British Academy/Leverhulme
  Promotion/prevention focus and rumination: A multimethod approach
• 2008 Economic and Social Research Council
  Rumination, goals and autobiographical memory

Links

• Mood Disorders Centre

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Publications

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External Engagement and Impact

Committee/panel activities

Member of the ESRC Peer Review College (June 2010-present).

Editorial responsibilities

Consulting Editor of Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science (formerly Journal of Abnormal Psychology; January 2013-present).

Consulting Editor of The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist (May 2016-present).

Invited lectures

NON-PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS AND TECH REPORTS

Langham, M. P., & Moberly, N. J. (2003). An evaluation of alternative police uniform designs for increased conspicuity in the road environment. Report prepared for Police Scientific Development Branch, St Albans.

Moberly, N. J. (2001). How valid are current measures of pedestrian conspicuity? Impact: The Journal of the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators, 10, 32-35.

Langham, M. P., Rillie, I. M., & Moberly, N. J. (2001). Conspicuity of vehicles. TRL unpublished project report SE 380/01. Crowthorne, UK: Transport Research Laboratory.

Langham, M. P., Moberly, N. J., & Hole, G. J. (2001). The provision of orientation information in head-mounted displays. Technical report. Farnborough, UK: Defence Evaluation and Research Agency.

PRESENTATIONS

Dickson, J., Moberly, N. J., & Huntley, C. (2019, July 18th). Rumination mediates the relationship between actual-ideal (but not actual-ought) self-discrepancy and psychological distress. Paper presented at the 9th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Berlin, Germany.

Davis, S., & Moberly, N. J. (2019, July 18th). Intensity and perceived constructiveness of rumination about personal goals: A diary study. Paper presented at the 9th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Berlin, Germany.

Moberly, N. J. (2019, June 11th). Personal goals and psychological distress. Invited seminar talk. Cambridge Centre for Affective Disorders, University of Cambridge.

Moberly, N. J. (2019, February 25th). Be careful what you wish for: Personal goals and psychological distress. Invited seminar talk. University of Kingston.

Dickson, J., Moberly, N. J., Williams, G., & Huntley, C. D. (2017, July 27th). Goal self-discrepancies and repetitive thinking in anxiety and depression. Paper presented at the 47th Annual Conference of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. University of Manchester.

Edwards, L., & Moberly, N. J. (2017, July 27th). Approach and avoidance goal framing and rumination. Paper presented at the 47th Annual Conference of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. University of Manchester.

Moberly, N. J., & Dickson, J. M. (2017, July 27th). Goal conflict, ambivalence, and psychological distress: Elaboration of the nomological net. Paper presented at the 47th Annual Conference of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. University of Manchester.

Bloodworth, N., Lawrence, N., & Moberly, N. (2016). Approach motivation in depression: A combined ESM and fMRI approach. F1000Research2016, 5:988 (poster) doi: 10.7490/f1000research.1111971.1

Moberly, N. J. (2015, July 22nd). Research on personal goals in depression: Should we hang on or let go? Paper presented at the 43rd Annual Conference of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. University of Warwick.

Moberly, N. J. (2015, April 24th). Stories to live by: Personality and the self-memory system. Invited paper presented at the Reading for Happiness: Mind and Memory interdisciplinary symposium, University of Exeter.

Moberly, N. J. (2013, July 24th). Dimensions of ruminative thought and their relationship with negative affect: Evidence from experience-sampling. Paper presented at the 7th World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Lima, Peru.

Moberly, N. J. (2013, July 17th). Rumination, dysphoria and self-regulation: Sampling the experience of everyday goal pursuit. Paper presented at the 41st Annual Conference of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. Imperial College, London.

Dickson, J. M., & Moberly, N. J. (2013, July 17th). Depressed people are not less motivated by personal goals but are more pessimistic about attaining them. Paper presented at the 41st Annual Conference of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. Imperial College, London.

Dickson, J. M., & Moberly, N. J. (2013, July 16th). Goal regulation processes in adolescent anxiety. Paper presented at the 8th Annual Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. University of Roehampton, London.

Moberly, N. J. (2012, November 16th). Does rumination have a self-regulatory function in everyday goal pursuit? Paper presented at the 46th Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, National Harbor, MD, USA.
 
Dickson, J. M., & Moberly, N. J. (2011, September 1st). Depressed people are not less motivated but are more pessimistic about attaining their personal goals. Paper presented at the 41st Annual Congress of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Reykjavík, Iceland.

Moberly, N. J., & Dickson, J. M. (2011, September 1st). Rumination, dysphoria and personal goal strivings. Paper presented at the 41st Annual Congress of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Reykjavík, Iceland.

Moberly, N. J. (2011, August 4). Ruminative thinking, dysphoria and autobiographical memories of goal pursuit. Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Memory, York, UK.

Moberly, N. J. (2010, October 8). Ruminative thinking and accessibility of goal-relevant autobiographical memories. Paper presented at the 40th Annual Congress of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Milan, Italy.

Moberly, N. J. (2010, September 16). Motivational concomitants of ruminative thought and psychological distress: A personal strivings analysis. Invited seminar talk, University of Lancaster, UK.

Dickson, J. M., & Moberly, N. J. (2010, July 22). Depression and anxiety in relation to goal coherence and goal conflict in adolescents’ personal goal systems. Paper presented at the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, University of Manchester, UK.

Moberly, N. J., & Dickson, J. M. (2010, July 22). Ruminative thinking and goal strivings: Conflict, ambivalence and avoidance. Paper presented at the 38th Annual Conference of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, University of Manchester, UK.

Dickson, J. M., Moberly, N. J., Marshall, Y., & Reilly, J. (2010, July 21). Attachment processes and their relationship to working alliance in the supervision of British clinical psychology trainees. Paper presented at the 38th Annual Conference of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, University of Manchester, UK.

Moberly, N. J. (2010, April 20). Motivational correlates of ruminative thinking: A personal strivings approach. Paper presented at the National Scientific Conference of the Mental Health Research Network, Bristol, UK.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. R. (2009, November 20). Processing mode and emotional reactivity. Paper presented at the 43rd Annual Convention of the Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, New York City, NY, United States.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. R. (2009, July 16). Ruminative self-focus and sleep quality: Evidence from experience-sampling and actigraphy. Paper presented at the 37th Annual Conference of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Exeter, UK.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. R. (2008, November 15). Dysregulation of level of construal in depression. Paper presented at the 42nd Annual Convention of the Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, Orlando, FL, United States.

Dickson, J. M., & Moberly, N. J. (2008, September 13). Defensiveness, anxiety, and the specificity of personal event representations. Paper presented at the 38th Annual Congress of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, Helsinki, Finland.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. R. (2008, September 12). Ruminative self-focus, negative life events, and negative affect. Paper presented at the 38th Annual Congress of the European Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, Helsinki, Finland.

Dickson, J. M., & Moberly, N. J. (2008, July 17). Defensiveness, anxiety, and the specificity of personal event representations. Paper presented at the 36th Annual Conference of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Edinburgh, UK.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. (2007, October 10). Ruminative self-focus and negative affect in everyday life: An experience sampling study. Invited seminar talk. University of Plymouth, UK.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. (2007, September 25). Ruminative self-focus and negative affect: A multilevel modelling approach. Paper presented at the Centre for Multilevel Modelling, Bristol, UK.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. (2007, September 14). Ruminative self-focus and negative affect: An experience sampling approach. Paper presented at the 35th Annual Conference of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Brighton, UK.

Watkins, E., & Moberly, N. J. (2007, September 14). Reduced concreteness training as a treatment for dysphoria. Paper presented at the 35th Annual Conference of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, Brighton, UK.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. (2007, July 14). Repeated concreteness training as an intervention for dysphoria. Paper presented at the 5th World Congress of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies, Barcelona, Spain.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. R. (2006, April 5). Ruminative self-focus and dysphoria: An experience-sampling study. Paper presented at the Peer Conference of the DFG Graduate School: Integrative competencies and well-being: Somatic, psychological, social and cultural determinants. Osnabrück, Germany.

Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. (2005, September 23). The effects of training concrete thinking on mood, rumination and activity levels. Paper presented at the 35th Annual Congress of the European Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Watkins, E., & Moberly, N. J. (2005, May 15). Mode of thinking and rumination 2: Work in progress. Paper presented at the 2nd Conference on Clinical Cognition, Hillsboro, TX, United States.

Moberly, N. J., & MacLeod, A. K. (2004, September 6). Goals and the self-memory system: Insights from motivational approaches to the self. Invited symposium talk, British Psychological Society Cognitive Psychology Section, Leeds, UK.

Moberly, N. J., & MacLeod, A. K. (2002, July 24). The temporally-extended self: Implicit motives and autobiographical memory. Poster presented at the PSYPAG conference, University of Cardiff, UK.

Langham, M. P., & Moberly, N. J. (2001, August 20). Looking sharp: The effect of experience and vehicle type on drivers' eye movements. Paper presented at the Ninth Vision in Vehicles conference, Brisbane, Australia.

Moberly, N. J. (2001, March 21). Pedestrian conspicuity at night: New data and new directions. Paper presented at the Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators. Milton Keynes, UK.

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Teaching

I am module convenor and lecturer for the Research Methods teaching (PSYD044) on the DClinPsy programme, which involves teaching research methods and statistics to DClinPsy trainees. I also deliver lectures on research methods on the undergraduate (PSY1206, PSY2206) and masters program in addition to supervising undergraduate (PSY3401) and masters project students.

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Supervision / Group

Postgraduate researchers

Alumni

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Office Hours:

Wednesday 13:00 & Thursday 14:00

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