Edward Burkley is currently an associate professor in the psychology department at Oklahoma State University. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill in 2006. His research focus is on motivation and self-regulation. His research focuses on the role of the self in motivation as well as developing new motivation measures. He has published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin , and Self and Identity and his research has been featured in New Scientist and the APA Monitor .

Melissa Burkley is currently is an associate professor in the psychology department at Oklahoma State University. She received her Ph.D. in social psychology from The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill in 2006. Her research focus is on implicit prejudice, stigma, racism and sexism. She has published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , and Social Cognition and her research has been featured in several national media outlets (e.g., The New York Times , Oprah Radio). She also writes blogs for the Huffington Post and Psychology Today . Every semester, she teaches a motivation course utilizing the techniques outlined in this text.