Morris A. Okun

Professor

Department of Psychology

  • Kathryn A. Johnson (Ph.D, August 2012)

    • Dissertation:Effects of Concepts of God on Prosocial Behavior.

    • Current Position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University.

    • Research Interests: Social perception of non-human agents across religious and cultural worldviews, evoluntionary perspective on religion, attribution errors, and academic success among sudents with divergent worldviews.

    • Sample Publications:

      • Li, Y. J., Johnson, K. A., Cohen, A. B., Williams, M. J., Knowles, E. D., & Chen, Z. (in press). Fundamental(ist) attribution error: U.S. Protestants are dispositionally focused. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

      • Johnson, K. A., Okun, M. A., Benallie, M., & Pennak, S. (2010). American Indian students' difficulties in Introduction to Psychology. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 3, 27-42.
  • John A. Pugliese (Ph.D, May 2011)

    • Dissertation:Socialization of Physical Activity: The Relation between Contextual Factors and Parental Tactic Use within an Expectancy-Value Model.

    • Current Position: Research Specialist II, County of Riverside Department of Public Social Services.

    • Research Interests: Children’s Participation in Sports, Children’s Physical Activity Beliefs and Behaviors, Exercise-Related Social Control , Parental Socialization, and Research Design and Statistical Analysis.

    • Sample Publications:

      • Pugliese, J. A., & Tinsley, B. J. (2007). Parental socialization of child and adolescent physical activity: A meta-analysis.Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 331-343.

      • Okun, M., Pugliese, J. A., & Rook, K. S. (2007). Unpacking the relation between extraversion and volunteering in later life: The role of social capital. Personality and Individual Differences, 42,1467-1477.


Current & Recent Graduate Students

  • Barbara P. Huff (Ph.D., May 2009)

    • Dissertation: Fostering Academic Persistence.

    • Current Position: Lecturer, College of Education,Northern Arizona University.

    • Research Interests: Adult Development, Applied Motivational Theory, Persistence in Higher Education, Teacher Education.

    • Sample Publications:

      • Okun, M. A., Huff, B. P., August, K. J., & Rook, K. S. (2007). Testing hypotheses distilled from four models of the effects of health-related social control.Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 29(2), 185-193.

      • Okun, M., Dittburner, J., & Huff, B. (2006) Perceived changes in well-being: The role of chronological age, target age, and type of measure.The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 63, 259-278.
  • Julia R. Steinberg (Ph.D.,May 2008)

    • Dissertation:Stereotype Threat in Women in Mathematics-Related Fields.

    • Current Position: Ellertson Postdoctoral Fellow in Abortion and Reproductive Health, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco.

    • Research Interests: Abortion and Mental Health, Balancing Career and Family, Educational Persistence of Women, Reproductive issues, and Statistical Analysis.

    • Sample Publications:

      • Steinberg, J. R., Okun, M. A., & Aiken, L. S. (in press). Do calculus GPA and math identification moderate the relationship between stereotype threat and calculus performance among women highly persistent in mathematically intensive fields? Basic and Applied Social Psychology
      • Steinberg, J. R., & Russo, N. F. (2008). Abortion and Anxiety: What’s the relationship? Social Science and Medicine, 67 (2),238-252.