Evolution, Culture, and Stereotyping lab

OLIVER Sng, assistant professor

I received my PhD in social psychology from Arizona State University, and was a research fellow at the University of Michigan. Currently, l am an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of California Irvine.

Among the many random things I did as an undergrad, I followed and studied a group of long-tailed macaques in the natural forests of Singapore. The lady you see in the linked photo is Sophia, one of the first female macaques I named and learned to identify.

My research interests are in evolution, culture, and stereotyping, broadly defined. I apply ideas and principles from non-human animal behavior to the study of human social psychology.

I appreciate not being asked what I do in my free time. I have none.

Minyoung CHOI, PHD CANDIDATE

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychological Science. I received my B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from Yonsei University. During my master’s degree, I studied the relationship between happiness and human prosociality from an evolutionary perspective. I am currently working on studying how different ecologies determine the costs and benefits of social life from an evolutionary perspective. Extending from this, I am also interested in applying evolutionary approaches to research on social relationships and subjective well-being, specifically how surrounding ecologies shape the roots of life satisfaction judgments as well as the functions of affective forecasts.

I like watching movies or documentaries and going bird-watching in my free time. Especially about movies, I like watching my favorites multiple times -- my record is 30.

KRYSTINA BOYD-FRENKEL, PHD STUDENT

I am a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Psychological Science, and I received my B.S. in Psychology from Arizona State University. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I explored sexual estimation and error management theory. Broadly, I am interested in applying an evolutionary approach to topics such as mating, intra- and intergroup relations, and stereotyping and prejudice. Currently, I am interested in how aspects of the environment we live in/grew up in (e.g., unpredictability) affect our cognitions and behaviors in order to best deal with the opportunities and threats raised by the particular environment.

In my free time, I like to play with my cats and learn how to cook new things.

HOJEONG LEE, PHD STUDENT

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychological Science. I received my B.A. in Psychology from Sogang University and an M.A. in Cultural and Social Psychology from Korea University. My research interests broadly span ecology, emotion, and prosociality. Ultimately, I want to find out how we understand our surrounding environments and how these perceptions affect our values using diverse methods such as experiments, archival data analysis, and natural language processing.

Recently, I have developed a passion for brewing coffee – any recommendations for tasty beans are welcome!

Mertcan Güngör, PHD CANDIDATE

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychological Science. I received my B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from Boğaziçi University in Turkey. My research interests include motivated reasoning, partisanship, and intellectual humility. I am currently interested in how people react to offensive beliefs, both in the public and the private sphere.

Shiri Spitz Siddiqi, PHD CANDIDATE

I am a fifth year doctoral student working at the intersection of morality and politics using a mixture of experimental, survey, and big data methods. I am particularly interested in how contemporary culture war issues - which necessitate coalition-building and allegiance-signaling - relate to ongoing political polarization.

In my free time, I love scouring thrift stores for retro clothes (the bigger the shoulder pad, the better) and smothering my cat, Scout, with hugs.

Christian Beltran, PHD student

I am a 2nd-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychological Science and received my B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Broadly, my research interests focus on the intersectionality of morality and political ideology in group-based conflicts. I hope to expand upon the ideological and environmental factors exacerbating intergroup divides and develop methods for fostering mutual understanding and civility in political discourse. I am also passionate about making Psychological Science research more accessible for general audiences, and how we can better utilize empirical findings to bridge social divides. You can check out my website here

AUDREY GACETA, POST-BACC STUDENT

I am a post-baccalaureate student in the Department of Psychological Science. I received my B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences with minors in Applied Psychology and Asian American Studies from UC Santa Barbara. My undergraduate research focused on cross-cultural variations in height and weight preferences between the U.S. and China. Currently, I am examining how self-construal influences hoarding behaviors from an evolutionary perspective. My broader research interests include cross-cultural psychology, evolutionary frameworks, and the sociocultural mechanisms that perpetuate racial and economic inequality.

Outside of research, I enjoy making matcha lattes and tending to my plants.

NARUMI IINO-SEIKI, POST-BACC STUDENT

I am currently in a post-baccalaureate program at UCI, where I explore how ecological factors and life experiences shape self and social identities, social attitudes, and life goals in the EVOCS lab.

I completed my undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Melbourne in 2010, followed by a Psychology Honours program at the Australian National University in 2012. After graduating, I spent a decade in Japan working as a business consultant and manager, specializing in helping large international companies navigate and thrive through crises.