Department of Psychological Sciences

Social/Personality

General Background and Philosophy

The Social-Personality field of specialization was introduced under the direction of E. Jerry Phares and Franz Samelson in 1964. Since that time, numerous students have earned doctoral degrees in the field. Some have chosen academic careers and are teaching in colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad. Others have arranged post-doctoral training, are in private practice, or work for the government, private industry, or as research consultants.

The faculty members directly connected with the program are very diversified in their theoretical and research interests, but all are strongly committed to the training of scholar-researcher “generalists” rather than technical specialists. That is, our students are expected to acquire a broad, theoretically informed understanding of the Social-Personality field, and its articulation with other branches of psychology, as well as the various technical skills necessary for basic and applied research. As students’ progress through the program, their areas of particular expertise become defined by their research projects, thesis, and dissertation.

Although much of the required general knowledge will be gained through classwork, strong emphasis is also placed on individual study and research by students working closely with faculty members. All students are required to actively pursue research projects throughout their graduate training. Such work typically reflects the particular interests of the student, and is oriented toward the development of Masters theses, doctoral dissertations, and articles suitable for publication. Some indication of the wide range of problems open to investigation in this program may be gleaned from the titles of the following dissertations completed over the past several years:

  • Punitive and prosocial reactions to discrimination attributed to implicit bias. Stuart S. Miller (2023)
  • Social (media) vignettes: Effects of social vigilantism and anonymity on online confrontations of prejudice. Tiffany J. Lawless (2023)
  • "Damned if you do, doomed if you don't": The influence of sexism, gender, and rejection behaviors on the potential for stereotyping and workplace prejudice and discrimination. Evelyn Stratmoen (2022)
  • Unintended barriers: Exploring first-generation and continuing-generation college students’ sense of belonging and their perceptions of instructors’ behaviors. Tucker L. Jones (2021)
  • “Maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats”: Masculine honor beliefs and perceptions of women’s aggressive responses to men’s infidelity. Amanda L. Martens (2021)
  • Promoting sun-safe behaviors in outdoor workers. Aaron Entringer (2019)
  • Maintaining the status hierarchy: The effect of threat on perceptions of reappropriated racial slurs. Conor J. O’Dea (2019)
  • Value source, value priming, and social norms as predictors of engaging in minor moral/legal violations. Courtney Fea (2017)
  • Investigating mindfulness and implementation planning as strategies that facilitate granting and seeking forgiveness behaviors among young adults. Whitney Jeter (2017)
  • Tailoring feedback and messages to encourage meat consumption reduction. Chelsea Schnabelrauch Arndt (2016)
  • Loneliness among college students: Examining potential coping strategies and the influence of targeted messages on the likelihood of befriending. Robin Besse (2016)
  • Investigating strategies for reducing cell phone use while driving: Investigating the potential of targeting non-driving participants of cell phone conversations and testing the utility of techniques for reducing habitual responses to cell phones. Megan Miller (2014)
  • “Sorry! I left it at home”: Examining rape humor’s potential role in rape culture. Megan L. Strain (2014)
  • The effects of actor attractiveness and advertisement choice on mechanical avoidance behaviors. Stephen Nettelhorst (2013)

Student Statistics

As of the Fall 2023 semester, there are 9 graduate students in the Social-Personality program.

The Program of Study

Experience here and at other universities indicates that most full-time graduate students can complete their Ph.D. degrees in approximately five years. However, some take longer because they begin full-time paid employment after becoming Ph.D. candidates (and this delays their progress in the program), or because they wish to gain greater expertise in research and/or teaching than is possible in a shorter time frame. It should be kept in mind that the program of study outlined below more or less represents the ideal case; it will vary a good deal for individuals, particularly as they negotiate the latter years of the program.

First Year: During their first year in the program, students typically take core classes. If offered, we recommend the Proseminar in Social Psychology and the core course in Personality Psychology. Students also take the first two courses in the quantitative methods sequence and 1-2 additional core courses. Finally, students take a year-long course in ethics. In addition to working on a first-year research project with their advisor, students enroll in research credit hours. Each student should consult with his/her faculty advisor to discuss in more detail the various options available.

Social-Personality faculty members and guest faculty from other departments will regularly discuss their research at informal meetings. These meetings are particularly important for first-year students because they provide opportunities to gain an intimate grasp of research processes and procedures.

Second Year: During their second year in the program, students typically complete core courses and quantitative course requirements. In addition, they may enroll in seminars offered by faculty in the Social-Personality or other areas, or by faculty in other departments (e.g., Sociology, Family Studies and Human Services) that are relevant to their research/career interests. In conjunction with work on their thesis, students enroll in Masters research hours (PSYCH 899). As students decide on a Masters thesis project, they select two additional faculty members to serve along with their major professor on a supervisory committee. In addition to the Social-Personality faculty, supervisory committee members may be selected from among other psychology faculty. The department includes faculty with expertise in a variety of areas relevant to the Social-Personality area, such as perception, cognition, judgment/decision-making, neuroscience, and industrial-organizational psychology. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this pool of expertise.\

Third Year: In the third year, students continue to take seminars that are relevant to their interests and may also begin or continue coursework related to special areas of concentration that are offered by the Psychology Department (e.g., the Teaching Apprentice Program, the concentration in Occupational Health Psychology) or the University (e.g., the Graduate Certificate in Gender Studies). Also in this year, students who have completed their Masters thesis will begin preparing for D. qualifying exams (“prelims”). The exams are constructed and evaluated by each student’s supervisory committee. During the semester prior to taking prelims, students (especially those who also have research or teaching assistant responsibilities) will often take a lighter course load.

Fourth Year and Beyond: Once prelims are successfully completed and the student is officially declared a Ph.D. candidate, most of the student’s effort is focused on the dissertation project. The student will enroll in Ph.D. research hours (PSYCH 999) and will use this time to write and then present a Ph.D. research proposal to his/her supervisory committee. Subsequently, research hours will be taken while the student completes the Ph.D. itself. Students may also continue to take a few seminars or other classes related to their areas of concentration.

Positions for graduates

As they near completion of their Ph.D. dissertations, students usually apply for suitable employment positions. The department receives regular notification of openings for graduating doctoral students in academic, government, and industry settings. Such positions are also advertised in the APA Monitorand the APS Observer and, increasingly, on the Web.

More detailed information about the program may be obtained by contacting any of the faculty members listed below.

Social-Personality faculty and their research interests

As of Fall 2023, we have four tenured or tenure-track faculty and three teaching professor faculty.

Tenured/Tenure-Track:

Christopher Barlett (cpb6666@ksu.edu)

Dr. Barlett’s research interests focus on the prediction and prevention of antisocial behaviors, including (a) aggression, (b) cyberbullying, (c) violence, (d) cyber intimate partner violence, and (e) cyber-racism. His research employs experimental, correlational, and longitudinal methods.

Laura Brannon (lbrannon@ksu.edu)

Dr. Brannon’s recent research interests include: (a) applied persuasion research in domains such as health and consumer behavior, (b) compliance with medical recommendations, and (c) cognitive factors mediating the effectiveness of persuasion techniques.

Don Saucier (saucier@ksu.edu)

Dr. Saucier’s research interests include: (a) the measurement and reduction of prejudice, (b) the examination of attitudes toward social and political policy issues potentially related to prejudice (e.g., hate crime legislation, affirmative action, same-sex marriage), and (c) the individual differences related to resistance to persuasion and attitude challenges (e.g., social vigilantism).

David Schmitt (davidschmitt@ksu.edu)

Dr. Schmitt's research interests include evolutionary and cross-cultural approaches to understanding health and human sexual diversity, especially how variations in gender, sex, and sexual orientation impact psychological wellness and relationships. He is also interested in the "Big Five" model of personality traits, risk factors for HIV/AIDS, and predictors of both sexual aggression and intimate partner violence across cultures.

Teaching Professor:

Natalie Barlett (ndb@ksu.edu)

Dr. Barlett’s research interest is to better understand development during emerging adulthood. This includes investigating identity exploration, personality, psychological and physical well-being, as well as social support.

Carrie Lane (cjlane@ksu.edu)

Dr. Lane’s current research interests are focused on the topic of affective social touch, specifically hugging. She is investigating hugging and (a) self-identification as hugger or non-hugger (b) attachment styles, (c) gender, and (d) physical and mental health

Jennifer Smith (jennifersmith@ksu.edu)

Dr Smith’s research interests include: (a) technology (including A.I.) and romantic relationships, (b) technoference in families and, (c) the mediating and moderating effects of technological engagement on loneliness.