Current Research Projects

Copies of published manuscripts available upon request.

Status characteristics theory applies in task-oriented, collectively-oriented settings, yet status structures often seem to persist beyond such settings. For example, when a meeting disbands and employees go to lunch together, we often see that the manager does most of the talking, guides the discussion, and so on–just as we would expect in a task group. The pilot laboratory experiment examined the conditions under which status structures that arise in task groups transfer to social groups.

I conducted this experiment with Dr. Joseph Dippong. We are writing a grant application using these pilot data.

Psychology research finds that social loafing (the tendency to free-ride off of others) decreases when group members can clearly tell what each actor contributes to the group problem. Since these studies are largely conducted in task-oriented, collectively-oriented settings–the same settings to which status characteristics theory applies–I expect that status effects contribute to social loafing behavior. I conducted a laboratory experiment in which participants worked with a higher or lower status partner to complete a task for which contributions were either visible or invisible. This manuscript is in preparation.

This is a methodological study comparing the behavioral predictions of AI models and those of affect control theory to human predictions; that is, do AI predictions or ACT predictions more closely match human predictions? If AI models more closely match human predictions, can AI supplement ACT research?

I am conducting this research with Dr. Dawn Robinson. Data collection is in progress.