Our research integrates social, political, and environmental psychology with judgment and decision making. We employ laboratory experiments, surveys, and field studies to investigate how cognitive, emotional, and social dynamics influence attitudes towards critical issues like climate change and political polarization. Our interdisciplinary approach involves collaboration with fields such as business, economics, engineering and political science. We have been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation.

Current Projects

Attention Increases Trust in Social Decision Making. 

Gratitude's Influence on Perceptions of the Expressor. Expressing Gratitude has been shown to increase favorable perceptions of and affiliative intentions toward the expressor. However, does a returned benefit outweigh the benefits of simply expressing gratitude? This study will answer just that question.

Parisan Social Norms Shape Climate Policy Support. 

Naturalness Predicts Decision-making for Alternative Proteins. How does perceived naturalness shape willingness to endorse sustainable protein products? This study examines decision-making mechanisms underlying public evaluations and support of traditional burgers (i.e., grain-fed) vs. new burgers (i.e., cultured meat) in response to growing demands for more sustainable protein sources amidst the climate crisis. 

Naturalness Shapes Support of Technology to Mitigate Climate Change. What decision-making elements are important to consider for public acceptance and endorsement of carbon dioxide removal technology? This study examines the role of perceived naturalness (or how “nature-like” an object is perceived to be) on public support of 6 carbon dioxide removal and 4 low carbon energy technologies in the United States. Implications from this work may be employed by policy-makers, stakeholders, and decision-makers in efforts to develop and deploy technology to address the climate crisis. 

Developing a Scale of Perceived Naturalness. Naturalness perceptions predict public willingness to endorse climate change technologies. This measurement project seeks to develop a scale of perceived naturalness of technology in the United States. 

Floods, Climate Change, Time Scarcity, and Psychological Well-being. Floods and other natural disasters are becoming more prevalent and severe as climate change progresses. Despite widespread impacts, vulnerabilities and resiliency are not uniform across individuals or communities. While tools such as the Social Vulnerability Index allow for the identification of communities who may be most vulnerable to risks, it provides little insight about psychological well-being, nor impacts to transportation. In partnership with the CU Boulder Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, this project seeks to provide a psychological perspective into cognitive, emotional, and social impacts of natural disasters such as floods in the United States. We assess the role of time scarcity as a contributor to vulnerability and constraint on transportation infrastructure, while highlighting how people make decisions to use time and resources when faced with natural disasters.