He was known for applying experimental psychology to the topics of mental control (for example ironic process theory) and conscious will,[1][2] and for originating the study of transactive memory and action identification.
After gaining his doctorate in 1974, he spent sixteen years teaching at Trinity University, becoming a full Professor in 1985.
Wegner and colleagues performed a series of experiments in which people tried to suppress thoughts, for example by attempting not to think of a white bear.
Wegner coined the term "ironic mental processes" for this effect, which is also known more commonly as the "white bear phenomenon".
[11] Wegner argued that the feeling of intention is something attributed "after the fact" according to three principles: consistency, exclusivity, and priority.
[13] The principle of consistency states that if the content of one's thoughts is relevant to one's action, then a feeling of control will occur.
Finally, the priority principle requires the thought to occur right before the action to produce the illusion of free will.
Trinity University announced Wegner's death on Friday, July 5, 2013, at his home in Massachusetts, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.