Dr. Brian Uldall’s Psychology Page

I have a number of projects that are currently ongoing…

Computer Simulation

My newest line of research utilizes agent-based modeling as a tool for addressing social psychological problems in group perception and intergroup relations. Specifically, I’m using modeling environments such as NetLogo (Wilensky, 1999) to expand Schelling’s seminal (1971) research finding that relatively small preferences for one’s neighbors to be similar can lead to very large macroscopic segregation effects.

In doing so, a number of interesting effects emerge, such as the fact that in certain conditions, increasing the diversity of the global environment (i.e., the number of total groups) can actually *reduce* the local diversity around individual actors (i.e., homogeneity of neighborhood subgroupings would increase). Demonstration versions of diversity simulations are available on this page for others to try.Philosophy of Science

I have always been interested in the philosophy of science and its interaction with the multitude of cultural perspectives on the meaning of Truth. I am thus working on a contribution (”Social Psychology”) to the Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions (N. Azari, et al., Eds.), to be published in 2010. It is a small piece of writing that has grown quite close to my heart…

Social Identity & Substance Abuse / Education

In the past I have held positions at substance abuse treatment centers (in management and psychometric capacities). While treatment was not my primary function, I learned a great deal about the unique culture present on this island and was inspired by the impact treatment has on changing the lives of individuals in the depths of addiction. Therefore, I am also collaborating with colleagues at UH on a project linking social identity and resistance to substance abuse, including smoking and alcohol consumption. A possible mechanism for recovery from substance abuse (or any undesired behavior) may involve the complexity of an individual’s social identity and its impact on implicit cognitions, and other automatic as well as more controlled aspects of everyday functioning.

In a related strain, I am also collaborating with colleagues at San Diego State University on a project relating implicit measures of the identities of Hawaii residents to their attitudes toward higher education. We’re using the “Single Category IAT” procedure to explore the implicit associations of the cultural identity of Hawaii residents and its linkages to attitudes regarding educational achievement and attainment.

Political Psychology

Social psychology is a broad, yet penetrating field, and I have always been fascinated with the implications of its basic principles in understanding the political world–and also utilizing the context of world events to aid in our understanding of the general psychology of groups and individuals. Thus, one of my main research foci is within the realm of political psychology: I have a number of surveys and survey experiments planned and ongoing to address issues at the intersection of psychology and political science. For instance, one line of work taps the impact of counterfactual reasoning (i.e., if Gore won the 2000 election, rather than Bush) on political attitudes, and another seeks to relate the impact of social identity strength on group perception and political support.