Doctoral Studies in Social Psychology

Iowa State University

The Doctoral Program in Social Psychology at Iowa State University offers training in the application of social psychological theory and research methods to both basic and applied problems and the opportunity to work intensively with faculty on experimental and field research designed to address contemporary social problems. We are currently recruiting graduate students for the upcoming academic year. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Faculty

Craig A. Anderson, Professor (Stanford, 1980). Craig Anderson's research interests include aggression, attribution theory, and social inference processes. Most of his current research is on potentially harmful effects of exposure to violent video games. Other aggression research includes jealousy, attribution/appraisal processes, and effects temperature and violent media. (caa@iastate.edu)

Susan E. Cross, Associate Professor (Michigan, 1990). Susan Cross’s research is primarily focused on the self and related social cognitions. She is currently exploring gender differences in thinking of the self as independent versus interdependent. (scross@iastate.edu)

Carolyn E. Cutrona, Professor ( UCLA, 1981). Carolyn Cutrona conducts research on close relationships, especially marriage. She is particularly interested in how couples communicate when they are trying to help one another. Her more general interests revolve around social support and other interpersonal processes that promote adaptive coping with stress. (cutrona@iastate.edu)

Doug Gentile, Assistant Professor (University of Minnesota, 1998). Doug Gentile's research interests include media's impact on children and adults. His research projects are designed to give parents and other caregivers the kind of information they need and want to make informed media choices for their children.

Meg Gerrard, Professor (Texas, 1974). Meg Gerrard’s research focuses on risk perceptions and other social cognitions associated with the initiation and maintenance of health risk behaviors. Her current work has been in the areas of adolescents’ and young adults’ smoking, alcohol abuse and unprotected sex. (mgerrard@iastate.edu)

Frederick X. Gibbons, Professor (Texas, 1976). Rick Gibbons’s research is primarily directed at applying social comparison theory to understanding health behaviors. He focuses on the role of social comparison processes in smoking cessation, alcohol consumption, contraceptive use, and academic performance. (fgibbons@iastate.edu)

Zlatin Krizan, Assistant Professor (University of Iowa, 2007). Zlatin Krizan’s research examines how people make judgments of their futures, their worth, and their place in the social context. He is particularly interested in how these judgments are influenced by various motivations (e.g., wishes and desires) people might have.

Stephanie Madon, Associate Professor (Rutgers University, 1998). Stephanie Madon's research examines self-fulfilling prophecies. The main thrust of her work in this area is to identify the conditions under which and the individuals among whom self-fulfilling prophecies are especially powerful. email: madon@iastate.edu website: www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/madon/

Gary L. Wells, Distinguished Professor (Ohio State, 1977). Gary Wells’s research includes eyewitness testimony, errors in statistical reasoning, and related topics in the domain of social cognition. His interests commonly interface with legal issues such as the overconfidence of eyewitnesses, jurors’ judgments of guilt or liability, and perceptions of validity of evidence. (glwells@iastate.edu)

Financial Support

Virtually all of our graduate students receive full support throughout their graduate training.

For more information: Visit our website at http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/grad/social.htm or contact the Department of Psychology (515) 294-1743.

Our faculty also encourage potential students to contact them personally via e-mail or by phone (515) 294-1742.