How do attitudes about social issues and groups change in response to persuasive information? When do stereotypes aimed at your own group influence your perceptions of yourself and even your behavior? How do people make judgments and decisions about themselves, other people, and possible future events? How do qualities of children's temperament and their relationships influence early social-emotional development? How are interpersonal relationships developed and maintained? These are but a few of the research questions of interest to the faculty and students within the Social Psychology Program in the Psychology Department at the University of Iowa.

This Ph.D. program is designed for preparing students for careers in research and teaching in psychology. The bulk of a student's education in this program comes from hands-on experience in designing, conducting, and communicating research.

Students have opportunities to study a broad range of topics with area faculty. These topics include attitudes, stereotyping & prejudice, social comparison, self-evaluation, judgment processes, decision making under uncertainty, perceived vulnerability, health-protective action, close relationships, family processes, social-emotional development, temperament and individual differences in childhood, children's attachment processes, determinants and implications of parenting.

Being a Student in the Social Psychology Program

During the first two years in the program, a student is involved in both coursework and research. Within his/her third year in the program, the major course requirements are usually completed, giving the student more time to focus on his/her independent research (e.g., dissertation and other individual projects) and collaborative research (e.g., research with a faculty advisor, other faculty, or other students). All students who are admitted to this program are given five years of financial support in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or in some cases, fellowships.

When a student is admitted to the program, he/she is typically linked to a particular faculty member, who will serve as a major advisor. However, students are expected to develop research relationships with at least one additional faculty member within the first three years in the program. On occasion, students establish ongoing advisee relationships with two faculty co-advisors, or they switch advisors after some time in the program.

The research that a student engages in will naturally depend in part on the expertise of the faculty members with whom he/she is working. This is particularly true for the first two years of the program but becomes less relevant as the student's independent lines of research develop.

In addition to the experiences gained within the program and Psychology Department, students can also take advantage of experiences and coursework in related programs at the University of Iowa (e.g., in the Department of Sociology, College of Business Administration, Department of Communication Studies, Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences). These optional experiences can broaden a student's training, research opportunities, and employment prospects.

Additional Information for Prospective Students and Others

Click here for additional information about applying for the Social Psychology PhD Program.

Click here to see the Department's Graduate Student Handbook, which contains detailed information about requirements and other aspects of graduate work in the Psychology Department.

Click here for a description of Iowa City.

Seashore Hall, Iowa Avenue, Iowa City

Below are faculty in other departments who have research interests within or closely related to personality and social psychology.