Petty received his B.A. (with high distinction) in government (political science) and psychology from the University of Virginia in 1973, and his Ph.D. in social psychology from Ohio State University in 1977. He began his academic career that same year as Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Missouri. In 1981 he was promoted to Associate Professor, and in 1985 he was named the Frederick A. Middlebush Professor of Psychology at Missouri. After a sabbatical at Yale University in 1986, he returned to Ohio State in 1987 as Professor of Psychology and Director of the Social Psychology Doctoral Program. In 1995, he was visiting Professor of Psychology at Princeton University. In 1998, he was named Distinguished University Professor at Ohio State. From 1998-2002, he served as Chair of the OSU Department of Psychology. He resumed his role as Chair of the Department of Psychology in 2008, and currently serves in this position. 
Petty's research focuses broadly on the situational and individual difference factors responsible for changes in beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Much of his current work (and that of the students and colleagues with whom he collaborates) is aimed at examining the implications of the Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion for understanding prejudice, consumer choices, political and legal decisions, and health behaviors. Topics of special current interest include: understanding the role of meta-cognitive as well as implicit (unconscious) factors in persuasion and resistance to change; the effect of racial and ethnic prejudice, stereotypes, and specific emotions on social judgment and behavior; and investigating how people correct their evaluations for various factors they think may have biased their judgments (such as stereotypes they hold or emotions they are experiencing).

Awards, Honors and Recognition

2024: Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions, American Psychological Association 
2018: Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, Attitudes and Social Influence Group
2016: Thomas M. Ostrom Award for Lifetime Contribution to Social Cognition, Person Memory Interest Group 
2015: Distinguished Scientist Award, Society of Experimental Social Psychology
2011: Distinguished Service to the Society Award, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
2010: Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2009: President, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
2009: Scientific Impact Award, Society of Experimental Social Psychology
2007: Best Paper Award, International Social Cognition Network 
2006: Psi Chi Distinguished Lecturer, MPA
2003: Decade of Behavior Distinguished Lecture (AAPOR, May), American Psychological Association
2001: Donald T. Fiske Distinguished Lecture, University of Chicago
2000: Donald T. Campbell Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Social Psychology, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
1999: Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, Society for Consumer Psychology
1999: Distinguished Scientist-Lecturer, American Psychological Association
1998: Distinguished University Professor, The Ohio State University
1998: Centennial Celebration Speaker, University of Missouri
1998: Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University (1998-2006, open invitation)
1997: Invited Address, Association for Psychological Science, Annual Institute on the Teaching of Psychology
1995: Distinguished Scholar Award, The Ohio State University 
1994: Invited Address, American Psychological Association
1994: Visiting Scholar, Kurt Lewin Institute, The Netherlands
1992: Invited "State of the Art" Address at the 25th International Congress of Psychology, Brussels
1991: Charter Fellow, American Association for Applied Psychology and Prevention
1990: Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
1988: Charter Fellow, Association for Psychological Science
2002: Elected Fellow, Division 3 (Experimental Psychology/Cognitive Science), American Psychological Association
1995: Elected Fellow, Division 1 (General Psychology), American Psychological Association
1987: Elected Fellow, Division 38 (Health Psychology), American Psychological Association
1985: Elected Fellow, Division 23 (Consumer Psychology), American Psychological Association
1984: Elected Fellow, Division 8 (Personality and Social Psychology), American Psychological Association
1979: Elected to the Gesellschaft für Unendliche Versuch-Reihen (GUV)
1978: Dissertation Award Finalist, Society of Experimental Social Psychology
1973: Phi Beta Kappa, University of Virginia

Selected Publications

Petty, R. E., Wells, G. L., & Brock, T. C. (1976). Distraction can enhance or reduce yielding to propaganda: Thought disruption versus effort justification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 874-884. 

Cialdini, R. B., Levy, A., Herman, C. P., Kozlowski, L. T., & Petty, R. E. (1976). Elastic shifts of opinion: Determinants of direction and durability. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 633-672. 

Petty, R. E., & Brock, T. C. (1976). Effects of responding or not responding to hecklers on audience agreement with a speaker. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 6, 1-17. 

Petty, R. E. (1977). The importance of cognitive responses in persuasion. Advances in Consumer Research, 4, 357-362. 

Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1977). Forewarning, cognitive responding, and resistance to persuasion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 645-655. 

Petty, R. E., Harkins, S. G., Williams, K. D., & Latané, B. (1977). The effects of group size on cognitive effort and evaluation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 3, 579-582.