Institution: University of Oregon
Position: Psychology Mentor (Cohort 2)
After receiving my PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Virginia late last century, I joined the Psychology Department at the University of Oregon – and never left! Over the years, a theme running throughout my empirical social cognition research is the relationship between the self and others: in self-other comparisons; in using the self as a basis for understanding others; and in the self's attempts at taking others' perspectives. I have been interested in the interpersonal effects of perspective taking as well as people's accuracy at inferring others' thoughts and feelings (i.e., how well do I know what's in your head?). Both perspective taking and interpersonal inferential accuracy are often associated with prosocial behavior. However, in my study of these topics, I've found that sometimes attention to others' thoughts may originate from self-serving or even malevolent motives and accuracy may result from very simple heuristics. I'm currently serving as head of my department, which makes this workshop, an opportunity to think and discuss with others across disciplinary lines, all the more appreciated.
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