Psychological Sciences Faculty and Staff

My research is in the area of social cognition. I am particularly interested in how people respond to uncertainty, specifically as a psychological threat or as a source of information. This area lies at the intersection of affective and cognitive influences on behavior, and has both basic and applied research importance.

Uncertainty poses both affective and meta-cognitive problems for self-regulation, and I want to understand and solve some of these problems. For instance, a common response to temporary uncertainty is intolerance of others and ideological rigidity. However, both enhanced processing and derogation of others can occur following uncertainty inductions. The determinants of these different responses are an important focus of my current work.

• PSYS 100: Introduction to Psychology
• PSYS 350: Social Psychology
• PSYS 499: Prejudice and Stereotyping
• PSYS 552: Advanced Social Psychology

I believe that people live in harmony with their world when they have an accurate understanding of it.

When I teach, I set out to give people tools to understand their worlds. I want them to use these tools to live enlightened lives.

• http://www.thesmartlab.org/