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Self and Cognireps Lab

The Self and Cognireps Lab studies how cognitive complexity, social identity, and social power relate to social justice issues.
  • Cognitive complexity is the number of dimensions used to hold a mental image of a set of objects.  More dimensions = more complexity.
  • Social identity is the importance of a group membership to the self.
  • Social power is the ability to block other people from meeting their needs.

 

 

The Self and Cognireps Lab takes great pride in mentoring the next generation of researchers.

     Affiliated Graduate Student Researchers                                 
.                                                                                  Nick Zambrotta, M.A.                Shannon Hart, M.S.

.                                                                                                                 Berkeley                                              Rutgers

     Rutgers Undergraduate Student Researchers
            Jeddidiah Worrel
            Mya Baitz

Several of our former undergraduate students have presented at conferences, co-authored publications, or pursued graduate studies in psychology and related disciplines.         Get Involved

Conference Presentations With Undergraduate Co-authors in Bold

Foels, R., Farabaugh, G., & Zambrotta, N. D. (2025). Those high in attributional complexity have less negative views of poverty.. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: New York, NY.

Zambrotta, N., & Foels, R. (June, 2023). Intergroup closeness strengthens LGBT support for conservatives and religious people.  Poster presented at the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues conference: Denver, CO.

Kumar, E., & Foels, R. (March, 2023). Do abnormal psychology textbooks stigmatize transgender as a sexual dysfunction? Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Boston, MA.

Wysocki, D., & Foels, R. (March, 2023). Fuzzy cognitive representations make our groups seem less important. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Boston, MA.

Zambrotta, N., & Foels, R. (March, 2023). Conservatism and religiosity predict low LGBT favorability, but weakens with intergroup contact.  Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Boston, MA.

Han, P., & Foels, R. (2022, March). Victim blame as a function of crime type and attributional complexity. Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: New York, NY.

Shobe, J., & Foels, R. (2022, March).  Religion and disadvantage: Rejection of system justification in Black Church members. Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: New York, NY.

Zambrotta, N., & Foels, R. (2022, March). Morality and prejudice: Some moral foundations are more prejudiced than others. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: New York, NY.

Athar, M., & Foels, R. (2019, March). Gender differences in attitudes towards homosexuals: Social dominance orientation & attributional complexity. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: New York, NY.

Cerutti, J., & Foels, R. (2019, March). Claiming reverse sexism: SDO and attributional complexity influence perceptions of sexist events. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: New York, NY.

Davis, L., & Foels, R. (2019, March). Attributional complexity reduces social dominance orientation and support for solitary confinement. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: New York, NY.

Vadell, M., & Foels, R. (2019, March). Reducing loneliness through a construal level manipulation of social distance.Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: New York, NY.

Marottoli, M., & Foels, R. (2017, May). Attributional complexity undermines rape myth acceptance. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science convention: Boston, MA.

Rubinstein, S., & Foels, R. (2017, May). Psychological importance is only predicted by social distance. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science convention: Boston, MA.

Smith, J., & Foels, R. (2017, May). Cognitive representation predicts collective esteem which predicts depression.Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science convention: Boston, MA.

Donato, M., & Foels, R. (2015, May). How cognitive complexity relates to the worst economic inequality in decades. Poster presented at Association for Psychological Science convention: New York, NY.

Simpson, A., & Foels, R. (2015, May). Rape myth acceptance and attributional complexity. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science convention: New York, NY.

O’Hara, K. T., Miranda, K. A., & Foels, R. (2014, March). Red state, blue state: Can we talk about gender? Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Boston, MA.

Jassin, K., & Foels, R. (2013, May). Gender biased language reflects more than prototypicality or status effects. Poster presented at the American Psychological Society convention: Washington, DC.

Foels, R., & Jassin, K. (2012, July). Attributional complexity and system condemnation by Occupy Wall Street Protestors. In F. Pratto & F. Bou Zeineddine (Chairs), Resistance to oppression. Paper  presented at the International Society for Political Psychology conference: Chicago, IL.

Jassin, K., & Foels, R. (2010, June). Reducing the tendency to dehumanize by increasing cognitive complexity. In R. Foels (Chair), Gender, race, and cognitive complexity. Paper presented at the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues conference: New Orleans, LA.

Dalton, E., & Foels, R. (2010, May). Women and low status groups do not perceive outgroup homogeneity. Poster presented at the American Psychological Society convention: Boston, MA.

Foels, R., Romanowicz, J., Crocker, T. J., Kalafatis, I., & Jatrinsky, J. (2008, March).  Gender differences in the need to belong:  Cognitive representation not group value. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Boston, MA.

Jassin, K., & Foels, R. (2008, March).  When norms collide: Implicit gender and valence biases in memory. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Boston, MA.

Miranda, K. A., Foels, R., & Williams, P. R. (2006, May). Heterosexual couples perpetuate stereotype roles. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science convention: New York, NY.

Foels, R., & Allison, C. (2006, March). Rejecting sexism: Feminist identity and attributional complexity. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Baltimore, MD.

Ceballos, G., Van Wyk, M., & Foels, R. (2005, March). Keeping them in their place: False consciousness, prejudice, and racial identity. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Boson, MA.

Van Wyk, M., Ceballos, G., & Foels, R. (2005, March). Women against women: Feminist identity is inversely related to levels of SDO and Sexism. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Boson, MA.

Blabey, A., Foels, R., Coffey, M., Crusan, L., King, H., Agudelo, C., & Morgan, J. (2004, June). Gender stereotypes and social psychology: Bias in the science? Poster presented at the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues conference: Washington, DC.

Cummings, J. E., & Foels, R. (2003, September). Mate preferences and gender socialization: Evidence against simple evolutionary explanations. Poster presented at the Society of Southeastern Social Psychology conference: Greensboro, NC.

Grullon, W., & Foels, R. (2001, April). Prime targets for failure: Stereotype threat and implicit doubt. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Washington, DC.

Pappas, C. J., & Foels, R. (2001, April). Revelations of self-worth: Finding self esteem through feminist identity. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association meeting: Washington, DC.

Foels, R., & Pappas, C. J. (2000, June). Learning and unlearning legitimizing myths: Social dominance and gender. In F. Pratto & R. Foels (Chairs), Legitimizing and de-legitimizing prejudice and discrimination. Symposium conducted at the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues conference: Minneapolis, MN.

Pappas, C. J., & Foels, R. (2000, March). Girls will be girls and boys will be prejudiced: Social dominance orientation and gender. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Baltimore, MD.

Terry, R., & Foels, R. (2000, March). Heroes versus average Joes: Evaluating multicultural education approaches. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association meeting: Baltimore, MD.

Scarola, M., Foels, R., & Durant, L. (1999, April). Gender differences in exercise maintenance: The stages of change exercise measure-2. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting: Providence, RI.