Phd In Social Psychology

Mission & Aims

Graduate students trained in Cognitive, Developmental, Social, or Quantitative Psychology follow a single curriculum with a uniform set of requirements, but their research programs and seminar courses focus on their unique areas of interest.

Our philosophy can be summed up as cooperative, and the small size of our program ensures individualized attention for all students. Although students work directly with a faculty advisor, following a mentor-apprentice model, they also have considerable freedom to collaborate with other faculty and students within and beyond the Department. Indeed, we encourage students to publish with several faculty members before they graduate. Greensboro’s central location in NC has resulted in close ties to other top departments, creating opportunities for our students to take courses, collaborate, and network.

Application Deadline:

December 1
A note on the GRE: This program does not require GRE scores as part of the admissions process. GRE scores will not be considered as part of our admissions decisions rubric.

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Degree Requirements

Recent graduates have secured postdoctoral and tenure-track positions:

Roger Beaty, Penn State University
Ashlyn Brady, Sweet Briar College
Alexander Christensen, Vanderbilt University
Katherine Cotter, Positive Psychology Center, UPenn
Hayley Liebenow, Williams College
Emily Nusbaum, Amazon.com
Rebekah Rodriguez-Boerwinkle, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Yale University
Christopher Stockus, Salisbury University
Jason Strickhouser, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Program Highlights

Individual attention and mentoring from faculty
Students have a primary faculty advisor but are also supported to conduct research projects with other faculty if it fits with their goals
Students typically receive 5 years of funding, including tuition remission
We’re a collegial and collaborative group
Methods training in experimental design, experience sampling, eye-tracking and pupillometry, psychometrics, meta-analysis, mouse-tracking, longitudinal designs, behavioral observation, and advanced statistical methods
Recent graduate seminars in Social Identity, Social Comparison, Social Neuroscience, Academic Writing and Publishing, Close Relationships, Sex and Sexuality

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
BY CURRENT/RECENT STUDENTS

Brady, A., Baker, L. R., Maxwell, J. A., Algoe, S. B., Birnie-Porter, C., Brownstein, M., …Righetti, F. (2026). Women are slightly more sexually satisfied in their romantic relationships than men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 55(1), 289–311.

Brady, A., Baker, L. R., Monroe, A., & Russell, V. M. (2026). Evaluations of consensual unwanted sexual behavior shape self- and partner-attitudes. Review of General Psychology, 30(3), 387-407.

Burnett, M. I., & Silvia, P. J. (in press). Funny $#!%: Predicting profanity use in creative humor production. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.

Robinson, T. J., & Zell, E. (2026). Robust associations of emotional intelligence with human flourishing: A second-order meta-analysis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123, e2532963123.

Baker, L. R., Sizemore, R. N., & Vrshek-Schallhorn, S. (2025). Biased first impressions yield positive illusions that facilitate friendship initiation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 42, 873-900.

Cotter, K. N., Harrouche, M., Rodriguez-Boerwinkle, R. M., Boerwinkle, M., Silvia, P. J., & Pawelski, J. O. (2025). Virtual art visits: Examining the effects of slow looking on well-being in an online environment. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 19(4), 547–559.

Liebenow, H., & Cassidy, B. (2025). Unpacking anti‐transgender bias: Leveraging mechanisms from person perception. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 19(5), e70059.

Stockus, C. A., & Zell, E. (2025). Political differences in climate change knowledge and their association with climate attitudes, behavior, and policy support. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 105, 102640.

Cassidy, B. S., & Ojeda, J. T. (2024). Contextual effects on attributing minds to older adults. Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, 6, 100195.

Stockus, C. A., & Zell, E. (2023). The regional big-fish-little-pond effect: Evidence from national and subnational comparisons. British Journal of Social Psychology, 62, 1158–1176.

Request more information

Please address all graduate application questions to:

Malcolm Moon

Administrative Assistant
a_mohan@uncg.edu | 336.256.8538

Please address all additional graduate questions to:

Paul Silvia

Professor & Graduate Program Director
p_silvia@uncg.edu | Eberhart 281