About the speaker:

Jonathan Cook is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Penn State University and Principal Investigator of the Group Identity and Social Perception Lab.

Dr. Cook’s research investigates how important social categories like race, gender, sexual orientation, or chronic illness, can affect motivational, behavioral, and neurobiological processes over time. Dr. Cook also studies how brief psychological interventions can help people cope with concerns related to negative stereotypes or bias in social environments. His research is methodologically diverse and includes experiments in the laboratory and field, and designs that capture people’s everyday experiences over time. He is also interested in technology both as a research tool and a topic of study relevant to psychological phenomena.

Dr. Cook’s research has been published in numerous psychology and cross-disciplinary journals, including Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and Social Science and Medicine. His research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, and the Spencer Foundation.

Dr. Cook received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Oregon, an M.S. in counseling psychology from Lewis & Clark College, and a B.A. from the University of Colorado.