College of Arts and Sciences Bio 

 

M.A. & Ph.D., University of Montana, Experimental Psychology (Social Psychology)
B.A., University of Montana, Psychology

 

Research and Teaching Interests

My primary research interests revolve around two areas within social psychology: (1) moral decision-making and (2) cognitive complexity.  I am particularly interested in how and why people make decisions about controversial moral issues such as torture use/efficacy.  Most recently I have focused on decision-making in simulated interrogation situations, examining tactics that lead to true vs. false confessions.  I am also interested in the causes and consequences of complex thinking as they relate to the dynamics of peace and conflict, election outcomes, political ideology, and social/political issues more broadly.

As an instructor, my fundamental goals are to help students to understand and interact with psychological concepts, theories, and research, and to foster independent and critical thinking.  I am committed to creating a rich learning experience for my students where they not only gain knowledge from exposure to lecture and textbook material, but also through discussion, engaging with psychological research and theory, and applying knowledge to real-world problems.