Erin Hennes

Ph.D., 2013, New York University

Research Interests:

Research in the Social Cognition of Social Justice Laboratory focuses on three major content areas. In primary basic research, Dr. Hennes and her students examine cognitive and motivated biases in information processing, particularly in the context of contemporary social issues such as environmental sustainability and racial and gender inequality. Specifically, they examine the consequences of the motivation to resist changes to existing sociostructural arrangements on basic psychological processes such as perceptual judgment, recall, and evaluation of scientific and media information. Dr. Hennes takes a multi-method, interdisciplinary approach that integrates data from laboratory experiments, public opinion surveys, focus group interviews, and longitudinal field research to investigate how information and misinformation is encoded, elaborated, and disseminated.

In translational research, Dr. Hennes and her colleagues develop and test the efficacy (and potential unintended consequences) of media-based interventions aimed to address bias favoring men and racial and ethnic majority group members in academic environments. Materials for the Diversity Transformation Award-funded Boiler Inclusion Project (with Margo Monteith and Evelyn Carter) can be found here and materials for Video Interventions for Diversity in STEM (with Corinne Moss-Racusin and Eva Pietri) can be found here.

Finally, Dr. Hennes’s methodological research primarily focuses on the development of methods for estimating statistical power of complex models. Instructional slides and syntax can be found here.

Representative Publications:

Davis, T., Hennes, E. P., & Raymond, L. (in press). Cultural evolution of normative motivations for sustainable behaviour. Nature Sustainability.

Hennes, E. P., Pietri, E. S., Moss-Racusin, C. A., Mason, K. A., Dovidio, J. F., Brescoll, V. L., Bailey, A., & Handelsman, J. (in press). Increasing the perceived malleability of gender bias using a modified video intervention for diversity in STEM (VIDS). Group Processes & Intergroup Relations.

Lane, S. P. & Hennes, E. P. (2018). Power struggles: Estimating sample size for multilevel relationships research. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 35, 7-31.

Hennes, E. P., Ruisch, B. C., Feygina, I., Monteiro, C. A., & Jost, J. T. (2016). Motivated recall in the service of the economic system: The case of anthropogenic climate change. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145, 755-771.

Hennes, E. P., Nam, H. H., Stern, C., & Jost, J. T. (2012). Not all ideologies are created equal: Epistemic, existential, and relational needs predict system-justifying attitudes. Social Cognition, 30, 669-688.

Interested in Joining the Lab?

Dr. Hennes anticipates considering graduate student applications for Fall 2019.

Dr. Hennes is accepting applications for research assistants.  Interested individuals should complete an application, found here, and indicate whether they are interested in obtaining PSY 390 course credit or participating in the lab as a volunteer.

The Hennes Social Cognition of Social Justice lab is an inclusive and diverse team of scholars.  We welcome individuals of all identities, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.  Dr. Hennes has completed Safe Zone and Green Zone training.