Oklahoma State University
SOCIAL & EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY LAB
Oklahoma State University
313-314 Psychology Building
Stillwater, OK
What We Do
We're a SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY LAB. Research in our lab draws on theoretical perspectives---from evolutionary biology, animal behavior, and behavioral ecology---to explore human social cognition, emotions, and behavior. Most of our work investigates how people use cues to strategically navigate their social worlds and meet their social goals.
The Krems Lab supports the research of graduate and undergraduate students associated with The Oklahoma Center for Evolutionary Analysis (OCEAN).
Current Projects
Many of our projects take place at the intersection of overlapping researching interests--most often exploring female sociality, friendship, stereotyping and prejudice.
Female cooperation & competition
Every woman has at least two stories: One about how she could not have survived without the support of a female friend, and one about how a female friend broke her heart. We investigate the often-overlooked complexities underlying women's social relationships with one another.
Friendship
Our friends make us happy, keep us healthy, and can even promote our reproductive fitness. But friendships remain understudied in social psychology. We explore these important bonds.
Stereotyping & prejudice
We use a functional approach to stigma to revolutionize our understanding of classic research in social psychology.
(Ir)Religion, stereotyping & prejudice
Religious people are highly trusted--and even other atheists often dislike atheists. Some religious people are also likely to hold negative perceptions of gays, women's reproductive rights, recreational drugs. Why?
How do ecological variables shape everyday life?
Income inequality is a strong predictor of violence. Does increasing income inequality also change the ways that women compete? How does pathogen prevalence affect the job market?
A social mind for navigating a social world
Our minds are sensitive to how other people see us, and this sensitivity can influence whom we condemn, how we navigate relationships, and whether and with whom we share information.
The social functions of disgust
A "disgust" sound is a most recognizable emotional vocalization. What would you do If someone made that sound at you, or looked at you with disgust? What if a friend looked at you with disgust--and did so just after someone you both found annoying entered the room? We're exploring disgust expressions and their often-triadic social functions
Jaimie Arona Krems © 2018