Skip to main content

Dr. Buchholz's Research Lab

wordle explaining what Dr. Buchholz's main areas of research are

Research Interests

Dr. Buchholz's primary interests are at the intersection of social psychology and evolutionary theory. Specific topics he is currently interested in investigating include:

  • Prejudice and stereotyping during the COVID-19 global pandemic
  • Empathy, political affiliation, and moral decision making
  • The effects of ingroup-outgroup membership on moral decision making
  • The evolutionary roots of consciousness/self-awareness
  • The evolutionary roots of empathy, theory of mind, and morality

What Dr. Buchholz is looking for in a Research Assistant

Although he will consider every student individually for a research position, here are some general guidelines for Dr. Buchholz's preferences for research students:

  • Work Study Research Assistants
    • GPA: 2.0 or higher
    • Classification: Any
    • Classwork: No requirements
    • Preferred skills: Experience with Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Word); familiarity with library resources and performing lit searches
  • Research Experience Students
    • GPA: 2.0 or higher
    • Classification: Any
    • Classwork: No requirements
    • Preferred skills: Experience with Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Word) and SPSS; familiarity with library resources and performing lit searches
  • Research Practicum Students
    • GPA: 2.5 or higher
    • Classification: Sophomore or higher
    • Classwork: PSYC 202 or 204 required; PSYC 251 (Social Psychology) or 381 (Evolutionary Psychology) preferred
    • Preferred skills: Experience with Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Word) and SPSS; familiarity with library resources and performing lit searches
  • Independent Study Students
    • GPA: 3.0 or higher
    • Classification: Junior or higher
    • Classwork: PSYC 202 and 204 required; PSYC 251 (Social Psychology) or 381 (Evolutionary Psychology) preferred
    • Preferred skills: Experience with Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Word) and SPSS strongly preferred; familiarity with library resources and performing lit searches; strong writing skills

Current Research  

I am interested in a range of research topics including how empathy shapes our moral decision making. Recently, I have conducted a series of studies examining increasing prejudice and discrimination during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The goals of my research are to both understand how we make moral and ethical decisions as well as to find ways to apply those to the real world. Much of my research has an evolutionary theoretical background. Self-awareness, theory of mind, empathy, and morality are all the result of evolutionary forces and a deeper understanding of those roots is essential to understanding how we make moral and ethical decisions today.

Links