Adams, Reginald B., Jr.
Ph.D., 2002, Dartmouth College
radams@psu.edu
Reginald Adams is interested in how we extract social and emotional meaning from nonverbal cues, particularly via the face. His work addresses how multiple social messages (e.g., emotion, gender, race, age, etc.) combine and interact to form unified representations that guide our impressions of and responses to others. Of particular interest is the functional correspondence between static and expressive cues; at a fundamental level both signal basic intentions to approach-avoid, dominate, and/or affiliate. With this in mind, his current work examines the influences of eye gaze, social group memberships (e.g., gender and race), and facial appearance on the way we process and perceive others’ mental and emotional states. Although his questions are social psychological in origin, his research draws upon visual cognition and affective neuroscience to address social perception at the functional and neuroanatomical levels.
Gasper, Karen
Ph.D., 1999, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
kxg20@psu.edu
Karen Gasper is interested in affect and social cognition. Currently, her research examines the effect of both momentary and long-term feelings on information processing, the factors that influence affect regulation, and situational and individual differences in emotional understanding and experience. Some projects have investigated the influence of trait and state anxiety on judgment, the effect of mood on creativity, and the factors that reduce the influence of affect on information processing.
Mark, Melvin M.
Ph.D., 1979, Northwestern University
m5m@psu.edu
Mel Mark's current interests include: (1) application of recent models of affect to prevention and to risk-taking behaviors; (2) the appropriate use of social science research in social policy, particularly in the context of program evaluation; and (3) a revision and extension of terror management theory.
Shields, Stephanie A.
Ph.D., 1976, The Pennsylvania State University
sashields@psu.edu
Stephanie Shields' research is at the intersection of the psychology of emotion, the psychology of gender, and feminist psychology. Her current work focuses on questions concerning when, why, and how emotion and emotionality are explicitly labeled in everyday situations, especially in the workplace. She also studies the social context of psychological research, especially the history of the psychology of women and gender, and women's participation in American psychology.
Swim, Janet K.
Ph.D., 1988, University of Minnesota
jks4@psu.edu
Janet Swim's interests are in research on stereotyping and prejudice. Her current research includes the following: 1) judgments of prejudice and discrimination directed toward the self, one’s own group, or toward other groups, 2) affective and behavioral reactions to everyday forms of prejudice and discrimination, and 3) parental socialization regarding race/ethnicity. Her work primarily addresses everyday forms of sexism, racism, and heterosexism.
Vescio, Theresa
Ph.D., 1996, University of Kansas
tkv1@psu.edu
Theresa Vescio's primary research interests fall under the rubric of stereotyping and prejudice. Within that context, she examines questions of how global societal stereotypes (a) are internalized by high and low prejudice people, (b) affect dominant group members' judgment of and behavior toward members of negatively stereotyped groups, and (c) influence the self-definition of members of negatively stereotyped groups.