Faculty, Department of Psychology
Faculty, Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Director, Center for Applied Behavior Systems
Faculty, Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Director, Center for Applied Behavior Systems
EMail
Office Hours
By appointment only
Office Address
213 Williams Hall
Office Phone
Research Center/Lab
Web Link
Web Link 2
Link(s) To Publications
Curriculum Vitae
Short Bio
E. Scott Geller, Ph.D., Alumni Distinguished Professor, just completed his 50th year as a teacher and researcher in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech, and Director of the Center for Applied Behavior Systems. Dr. Geller is also a co-founder and Senior Partner of Safety Performance Solutions, Inc.
He has authored, coauthored, or edited 51 books, 88 book chapters, 39 training manuals, 272 magazine articles, and over 300 research articles addressing the development and evaluation of behavior-focused interventions to improve human welfare and life satisfaction. Dr. Geller has received lifetime achievement awards from the International Organizational Behavior Management Network and the American Psychological Foundation. In 2011, The College of Wooster awarded Professor Geller the Honorary Degree: Doctor of Humane Letters.
Dr. Geller is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Association of Behavior Analysis International, and the World Academy of Productivity and Quality Sciences. He is past Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (1989-1992) and Associate Editor of Environment and Behavior (1982-2017), and current Consulting Editor for Behavior and Social Issues, the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and the Journal of Safety Research.
He and his daughter, Krista S. Geller, Ph.D. have recently co-founded the teaching and consulting firm—GellerAC4P, Inc.—to spread actively caring for people (AC4P) principles and applications worldwide, see www.gellerac4p.org and www.ac4p.org. They recently coauthored a 160-page workbook, entitled “The Human Dynamics of Achieving an Injury-Free Workplace: Safety directives from psychological science.”
He has authored, coauthored, or edited 51 books, 88 book chapters, 39 training manuals, 272 magazine articles, and over 300 research articles addressing the development and evaluation of behavior-focused interventions to improve human welfare and life satisfaction. Dr. Geller has received lifetime achievement awards from the International Organizational Behavior Management Network and the American Psychological Foundation. In 2011, The College of Wooster awarded Professor Geller the Honorary Degree: Doctor of Humane Letters.
Dr. Geller is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Association of Behavior Analysis International, and the World Academy of Productivity and Quality Sciences. He is past Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (1989-1992) and Associate Editor of Environment and Behavior (1982-2017), and current Consulting Editor for Behavior and Social Issues, the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and the Journal of Safety Research.
He and his daughter, Krista S. Geller, Ph.D. have recently co-founded the teaching and consulting firm—GellerAC4P, Inc.—to spread actively caring for people (AC4P) principles and applications worldwide, see www.gellerac4p.org and www.ac4p.org. They recently coauthored a 160-page workbook, entitled “The Human Dynamics of Achieving an Injury-Free Workplace: Safety directives from psychological science.”
Interests
- Development and evaluation of behavior change strategies to improve quality of life
- Behavioral community interventions for litter control, resource recovery, energy conservation, crime prevention, transportation management, safety belt promotion, the reduction of alcohol-impaired driving, injury control, and child survival in underdeveloped countries
- Industrial performance science for occupational health and safety
Recent Courses Taught
- Research in Positive Psychology
- Introductory Psychology
- The Psychology of Self-Motivation
- Large-Scale Applications of Behavioral Science
- Leadership Principles for Athletes
Select Publications
- Geller, E. S., Winett, R. A., & Everett, P. B. (1982). Preserving the environment: New strategies for behavior change. New York: Pergamon Press.
- Geller, E. S. (2001). The psychology of safety handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
- Geller, E. S. (2001). Working safe: How to help people actively care for health and safety (Second Edition). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
- Geller, E. S. (2001). Building successful safety teams (Second Edition). Rockville, MD: Government Institutes.
- Geller, E. S. (2002). The participation factor: How to increase involvement in occupational safety. Des Plaines, IL: American Society of Safety Engineers.
- Geller, E. S. (2003). The role of psychology in achieving an ecologically sustainable future. In M. Bloom & T. Gullotta (Eds.), Encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion (pp. 85-92). New York: Kluwer Academic/ Plenum.
- Geller, E. S. (2003). Psychology and occupational health: The human environment at work. In S.R. DiNardi (Ed), The occupational environment: Its evaluation, control, and management (pp.748-770). Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association.
- Geller, E. S. (2005). Good to great teaching: What does it take? In Benson, T., Burke, C., Amstadter, A., Siney, R., Beins, B., & Buskist, W. (Eds.). The Teaching of Psychology in Autobiography: Perspectives from Psychology’s Best Teachers. Syracuse, NY: Society for the Teaching of Psychology.
- Geller, E. S. (2005). People-based safety: The source. Virginia Beach, VA: Coastal Training and Technologies Corporation.
- Geller, E. S., & Lehman, P.K. (2007) (Eds.). Teaching excellence at a research-centered university: Energy, empathy, and engagement in the classroom. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.
- Geller, E.S. (2008). Leading people-based safety: Enriching your culture. Virginia Beach, VA: Coastal Training and Technologies Corporation.
- Geller, E.S., & Johnson, D. (2008). People-based patient safety: Enriching your culture to prevent medical error. (Revised and Re-titled Edition of Geller & Johnson, 2007). Virginia Beach, VA: Coastal Training and Technologies Corporation.
- Geller, E.S. (2011). Psychological science and safety: Large-scale success at preventing occupational injuries and fatalities. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 20 (2). 109-114.
- Geller, E.S., & Veazie, B. (2014). Behavior-based safety versus actively caring: From other-directed compliance to self-directed commitment. Professional Safety, 59(10), 44-50.
- Geller, E.S. (2015). Seven life lessons from humanistic behaviorism: How to bring the best out of yourself and others. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 35(1), 151-170.
- Geller, E. S. (Ed.) (2016). Applied psychology: Actively caring for people. New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Geller, E. S. (2017). Is organizational behavior management enough? How language and person-states could make a difference. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 37, (3-4), 339-346.
- Geller, E.S. (2017). Actively caring for people in schools: How to make it happen. New York: Morgan James Publishers.
- Geller, E.S., & Geller, K.S. (2017). Actively caring for people’s safety: Cultivating a brother’s/sister’s keeper culture. Park Ridge, Illinois: The American Society of Safety Professionals.
- Geller, E.S. (2017). Life lessons from psychological science: Bringing out the best in yourself and others. New York: Worth Publishers.
- Geller, E. S., & Veazie, B. (2017). The courage to actively care: How to cultivate a culture of interpersonal compassion. New York: Morgan James Publishers.
- Geller, E. S., & Veazie, B. (2017). The motivation to actively care: How you can make it happen. New York: Morgan James Publishers.
- Geller, E.S. (2019). Fifty lessons to enrich your life: Proven principles from psychological science. Newport, VA: GellerAC4P, Inc.
- Geller, E.S. (2020). Life lessons from psychological science: Understanding and improving interpersonal dynamics. San Diego, CA: Cognella Publishing.
- Geller, E.S., & Fournier, A. K. (2021). Effective parenting and caregiving: Practical guidelines from psychological science. San Diego, CA: Cognella Publishing.
Degrees
- 1967-1969 Ph.D. Experimental Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
- 1964-1967 M.A. Experimental Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
- 1960-1964 B.A. Pre-med and Psychology, College of Wooster, Wooster, OH