Social Psychology Overview

Qualified candidates are attracted to Social Psychology's excellence in social and personality psychology research, its rigorous yet supportive training, and a good track record placing graduates into academia and other research careers.​

​The Social Psychology area focuses on interpersonal, intergroup, motivation, and social cognitive processes. All six core faculty members use social neuroscience or psychophysiology methods, making the area the largest social neuroscience program in the world. Our research explores a variety of topics including psychoneuroendocrinology, social attachment, health, stereotyping, prejudice and stigma, identity development and maintenance, motivation, impression formation, emotion, and social decision-making. We employ a variety of methodologies including social neuroscience (using EEG, fMRI, and genetics), psychophysiological (e.g., EKG and hormones), experimental, and big data techniques. To learn more about the research interests of individual faculty, visit the Research Projects webpage and review individual faculty profiles . 

Our faculty have extensive publication records and international reputations. They have obtained research funding from the National Institutes for Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes for Aging. They serve on the editorial boards of leading journals in the field of social psychology and social neuroscience. Faculty members have won national awards including the Caryl Rusbult Close Relationships Early Career Award and numerous "Rising Star" awards by the Association for Psychological Science.

The Social Psychology Program is a research-based training program that invites graduate and undergraduate students to join us in the excitement of research on social phenomena. Students work closely with faculty mentors to develop research skills, analyze data, and write scholarly papers. Their training prepares students for careers in academic institutions and other settings where strong skills in research methodology and statistical analysis are desirable. Our laboratories are well-equipped to record a variety of physiological and behavioral measures, and our research-dedicated fMRI Imaging Center is conveniently located adjacent to our laboratories. Our students receive cutting-edge training in advanced statistical methodologies, interdisciplinary methodologies, and have ready access to researchers across disciplines who conduct complementary research. Our faculty and students strive to apply transparent and open research practices.  Our weekly Brown-Bag Series provides a platform to discuss current research activities with faculty and fellow students in a supportive environment that builds confidence and provides constructive feedback. We have a good track record of placing our graduate students into academic institutions and research-focused jobs.

Philip A. Gable​​

Lisa Jaremka

Jasmin Cloutier

Jennifer Kubota

Peter Mende-Siedlecki​

Please use the navigation to the left to find out more about the Social Psychology program.

For questions about the program not covered on the web site, please contact the Director:

Philip Gable ​​

pagable@udel.edu​