People
It's the people in the lab that matter. Here are the team members who we couldn't conduct our research without.
Lab Director/Principle Investigator
Erica Slotter is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Villanova University. She received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 2011. Dr. Slotter’s work focuses on the social factors that influence identity. In particular, she examines how various social role transitions influence both the content and clarity of people’s self-concepts.
Collaborators
Dr. Patrick Markey is a frequent collaborator and member of the research team. Dr. Markey is a Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Villanova University and the Director of the Interpersonal Research Group. His areas of research focus on how behavioral tendencies develop and are expressed within a social environment and range from fairly mundane interpersonal behaviors (e.g., acting warmly during an interaction) to behaviors are real-life importance (e.g., aggression, homicide, 911 calls, divorce).
interpersonalresearch.weebly.com/
interpersonalresearch.weebly.com/
Graduate Students
Hanna Campbell is a first year MS student in Villanova's Master's program. She will be completing her thesis under Dr. Slotter with a focus on the role that sleep plays in inhibitory control processes that occur in romantic relationships.
Hannah Person in in her second year in Villanova's MS program. Her Master's thesis focuses on need satisfaction in romantic relationships as a function of attachment insecurity.
Sidney Gibson in in her second year in Villanova's MS program. Her Master's thesis focuses on romantic conflict, examining the roles that partner behavior and personal mindset play in how people respond to complaints raised by their partner
Alumni
Lab alumni typically continue to collaborate on projects with us even after they've moved on to bigger and better things. We currently have former team members all over the country. Below are some of our recent alums!
Sara Glass plans to completed her Master's Thesis in December of 2021 is currently a pursuing her PhD at the University of Illinois. She is generally interested in questions of spirituality and the self - how do our belief systems shape who we are?
Peony Wong completed her combined B.A./M.S. degree at Villanova in August of 2021. Her research interests focus on the public social self. How do we display our identities to others, and what are the benefits and costs of doing so. Since graduating, Peony has begun a Research Manager position at CHOP in Philadelphia.
Cayla Milius completed her degree in Villanova's Experimental Psychology Master's Program in 2019. She graduated from George Mason University in 2016 with a BA in Psychology. Cayla's research interests include romantic relationships and their correlates to optimal well-being.
Dr. Courtney Walsh received her BA and MS in Psychology from Washington & Jefferson College and Villanova University, respectfully. Her Master's thesis was completed under the direction of Dr. Erica Slotter and investigated whether opportunities for self-expansion reduced the tendency to prefer potential romantic partners with similar attributes and hobbies as the self. She recently (August 2019) received her doctorate in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin (mentors: Dr. Lisa Neff and Dr. Marci Gleason) where she primarily studied the personal and relational benefits of sharing everyday, positive experiences with one's romantic partner.
Erin Hughes completed Villanova University’s Master’s of Science in Psychology program in May 2018. She received her BA in Psychology from Monmouth University. She recently moved to Evanston, IL to pursue her Ph.D. at Northwestern University. Her research interests include the interplay between the self-concept and romantic relationships, specifically how the self changes throughout a relationship and the subsequent outcomes
Dr. Katie Adams completed Villanova University’s Master’s of Science in Psychology program in May 2018. She received her B.A. in Psychology with Honors in Research from the University of Rochester. She recently completed her Ph.D. at University of Kansas and is now and NSF Post Doctoral Fellow at Purdue. Her research interests largely concentrate on individuals’ mating strategies and motivations for initiating romantic relationships and sexual behaviors.
Jessica Grom received her BA in Psychology and in International Politics (National Security Option) from The Pennsylvania State University and her MS in Psychology from Villanova University. Her Master’s thesis was completed under the direction of Dr. Erica Slotter and investigated whether self-control and attachment anxiety predicted IPV and displaced aggression. She is currently a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Georgia State University (mentor: Dr. Dominic Parrott). Her current research interests include identifying risk and protective factors for alcohol-facilitated intimate partner violence.
Lydia Emery recently completed her PhD and PostDoc at Northwerstern University. She received her B.A. from Haverford College, where she majored in Psychology and English. Lydia volunteered in the Social Self Lab for several years during her time in the area. Lydia’s research focuses on (a) the self and relationships, including how people's self-concepts shape their relationships and how couples understand their identity together, and (b) how socioeconomic status (SES) influences people's relationships. Lydia will be starting at the University of Chicago as an Assistant Professor this fall! Congrats to Lydia!
Deborah Ward received her BA in Liberal Arts (majors: Psychology and Russian Studies) from Muhlenberg College and her MS in Psychology from Villanova University. Her Master's thesis was completed under the direction of Dr. Erica Slotter and investigated whether self-compassion mitigates one's propensity to endorse weight-related stigma. She completed her doctoral work in Social Psychology at the University at Buffalo (mentors: Dr. Lora Park and Dr. Mark Seery) and is currently faculty at Saginaw Valley State University. Deborah's research interests broadly include: self-esteem and contingencies of self-worth, coping mechanisms, and motivation.
