Current Students
Erin Hennes
Erin’s research investigates the influence of cognitive and motivated biases on processing of sociopolitical information.
Margarita Krochik
1983-2013
Margarita’s research explored how belief systems structure our mental representations of the world, infuse our lives with meaning, and help guide our behavior.
David Kalkstein
Dave looks at why people behave in ways that are inconsistent with their own overarching goals and interests.
Research Assistants
Natasza Marrouch
Natasza is interested in gender equality and social justice.
Francesca Manzi
Francesca is interested in gender stereotypes and leadership.
Lindsay Rankin
Lindsay is interested in how the motivation to justify the extant social system influences how we perceive and respond to information.
Hannah Nam
Hannah is interested in the psychological mechanisms and motivations that underlie both resistance to and support for change.
Joanna Sterling
Joanna’s research focuses on conceptions of ideology, ideological identification, and inter-party communication.
Daniel Yudkin
Daniel is primarily interested in how values come to play a defining role in the way people see the world.
Chadly Stern
Chadly is interested in how a perceiver's political ideology influences social perception processes.
Tara Kahn
Tara’s research investigates religion, morality, authority, and group dynamics.
Katie Jagel
Katie is interested in the effects of interpersonal relationships on policy decisions and structures.
Lab Alumni
Aaron Kay
Associate Professor of Management and Associate Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience
Duke University
Aaron’s research centers on the application of social cognitive and social psychological theories, principles and processes to the understanding of individual and societal motivations, beliefs and behaviors.
Erin Godfrey
Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology
Steinhardt School of Culture, Development, & Education, New York University
Erin looks at how individuals interact with, understand, and are influenced by the social, economic and political systems in which they are embedded, both in the United States and internationally.
Hulda Thorisdottir
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
University of Iceland
Hulda’s research focuses on religion, morality, authority, and group dynamics.
Alison Ledgerwood
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of California, Davis
Alison is interested in attitudes, social influence, and identity symbols.
Cheryl Wakslak
Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California
Cheryl’s research looks at organizational decision-making, focusing on how proximity changes the way individuals represent information, thereby influencing judgment and behavior.
Jojanneke van der Toorn
Assistant Professor
Department of Social & Organizational Psychology
Leiden University
Jojanneke’s research focuses on the psychological antecedents and consequences of ideological adherence, with an emphasis on the role of emotions and values.
Jaime Napier
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Yale University
Jaime’s research focuses on the motivational underpinnings and the social and psychological consequences of belief systems, with a focus on political and religious ideologies.
Irina Feygina
Researcher and Instructor
Program in Sustainable Urban Environments
Polytechnic Institute of New York University
Irina’s research focuses on questions pertaining to identity, justice, and the social system, with a focus on the environmental domain.
Ido Liviatan
Assistant Professor
Department of Education & Psychology
Open University
Ido is interested in the motivational and cognitive underpinnings of system justification tendencies.
Avital Mentovich
Post-Doctoral Fellow
The Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity
University of California, Los Angeles
Tali’s research looks at how people’s perceptions of what is fair affect their perceptions of and reactions to social, legal, political, and public policy issues.
Benjamin Ruisch
Benjamin is interested in identifying the psychological barriers to positive intergroup relations.
John Jost
Most of John’s work focuses on the theoretical and empirical implications of system justification theory. He is also interested in the underlying cognitive and motivational differences between liberals and conservatives.
Website design by Benjamin Ruisch