Research
I am interested in how our psychological mechanisms perform in and adapt to our hyper-socialized, hyper-accelerated modern world of social media, smartphones, and cultural digitization. I find it vitally important to examine how this extensive digital new reality plays a role in the concurrent cultural polarization and youth mental health crises facing the US (and beyond).
My current research focuses on how individuals and groups form moral identities across cultures, primarily within the context of cultural conflicts. I study these psychological dynamics as they manifest in international conflicts, shift in experimental studies, and correlate with online language and behavior utilizing machine learning and other computational methods (NLP, geospatial measurement, etc.).
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Projects
Moral Values Predict County-Level COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in the United States
Why are Americans hesitant to get their Covid-19 Vaccinations? Our research shows that the moral value of purity can predict vaccine hesitancy at the US county level.
Status Conferral in Conflict on Reddit
Why do people act uncivil when they are in conflict online? Our project shows that when individuals engage with conflict on Reddit, incivility leads to a gain in social status.
The Moral Language of Nazi Propaganda
Is there a certain moral rhetorical pattern to hate and violence ? Our research shows that the language of hate extends beyond social media to propagandists movements in history such as Nazi Germany.
Moral Congressional Speeches Predict
a Polarized Congress
Can the moral language of congressional speeches inform us of polarization? Our study shows that partisan roll-call votes in congress can be predicted by moral rhetoric.
The Moralization of Excessive Wealth Across Cultures
Is having too much money morally wrong? Our study shows that individual moral concerns of equality and purity outweigh cultural and country-level factors.
Ideological Threat Sensitivity and the Binding Group Moral Values
Beyond conservatism, could threat be at the root of endorsing binding moral values? Our project argues that the relationship between ideology and the binding foundations is moderated by perceived threat, and that this threat is ideologically oriented.
Online Threat and Toxicity
Is threat salience greater online than in previous social environments? If so, what is it's relationship with online toxic dialogue and mental health? How do we utilize NLP and other novel machine learning tools to measure and predict changes in threat, toxic dialogue, and the relevant real world behavioral consequences.
Political Humility
In a time of growing polarization, how can we understand and learn from the political other? Amidst the digital cultural revolution, how do we balance the availability of diverse perspectives with the cognitive limitations of motivated reasoning? How can we can turn down the anger and fear, and instead invoke the better angels of our nature in civil discourse?
Occasionally, researchers leave the lab and complete triathlons. (right: Nina Christie USC)