Current Graduate Students

 Angela Pirlott 

M.A., Social Psychology, Arizona State University

B.A., Psychology and Women's Studies, Marquette University

Research Interests: I am interested in examining broad ecological and cultural factors influencing interpersonal sexual attitudes and behaviors, such as sex ratio differences, resource ecologies, and/or disease ecologies, and their impact on perceptions of power in sexual relationships, condom use, and the trade-offs made in sexual decision making.

If you are an undergraduate interested in working with me, please email me at Angela.Pirlott@asu.edu

Research Interests: I am interested in culture and religion from an evolutionary perspective. 

If you are an undergraduate interested in working with me, please email me at Yexin.Li@asu.edu

Kathy Johnson

M.A., Religious Studies, Arizona State University

B.A., Psychology, Arizona State University; B.S. Accountancy, Arizona State University

Research Interests: I study anthropomorphism- the attribution of humanlike characteristics to non-human entities. I am particularly interested in how anthropomorphic thinking is involved in the construction of personhood in different cultures. So, for example, in what ways do people think of God, angels, deceased ancestors, embryos, pets, animals, birds, or religious objects as actual persons who must be respected and who may have rights and responsibilites? What criteria do people use in determining who or what is a person? Does the attribution of personhood vary with holistic vs analytic thinking, or between independent and interdependent relational styles? I am also interested in using my research to help people with divergent worldviews develop meta-cognitive strategies to improve academic achievement in predominately white, Western, secular university environments. 

If you are an undergraduate interested in working with me, please email me at Kathryn.A.Johnson@asu.edu

Beth Osborne

B.A., Psychology, Florida State University; B.S., Biology, Florida State University

Research Interests: The dynamic between biological human evolution and culture. The intricacies of religion. How biological mechanisms shape human behavior. How human behavior is affected of our social and ecological environments. Currently, I'm studying family influences on mate perception from a social and genetic perspective. I will be examining the effect of climate/temperature on different behaviors and group formations from an evolutionary perspective. I also want to examine cultural assimilation and impacts of transferring to a new culture on an individual's self-concept, perceptions, and behavior.

If you are an undergraduate interested in working with me, please email me at Elizabeth.A.Osborne@asu.edu

Andrew White

B.S., Psychology, University of Florida

Research Interests: My research goal is to investigate how cultural identities - whether based upon religion, ethnicity, or nationality - interact with each other and the environment to promote conflict. Does an individual's religious orientation affect the perception of threats in the environment? Is negativity toward Arab Muslims driven by ethnic, religious, or national prejudice? How do ecological factors, such as the presence of multiple outgroups in the environment, shape cultural attitudes and behaviors? 

If you are an undergraduate interested in working with me, please email me at Andrew.E.White@asu.edu

Becca Neel 

B.A., English, Carleton College

Research Interests: Functional approaches to anthropomorphism. 

Stephen Mistler

B.S., Psychology, Virginia Tech University

Research Interests: I am interested in how our interactions with others are influenced by our own values (religious and otherwise) and the values of those with whom we interact.

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