Research

The programs of research in RCGD have one common scientific goal: to understand the dynamics of human social behavior. In recent years, RCGD has become increasingly cross-disciplinary and broadened the research undertaken by the traditional social psychological work envisioned by our founders. The RCGD faculty now includes developmental psychologists, cognitive psychologists, personality psychologists, anthropologists, economists, neuroscientists, communication scientists, and social workers. Within these diverse disciplines and different social arenas, however, RCGD research continues to bear the lasting hallmarks of traditional RCGD empirical work – it is theory driven, utilizes experimental methods as well as survey methods, and demonstrates the highest levels of methodological sophistication.