Lauren Jordan joined Kenyon’s Department of Psychology in 2022 after completing her Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi. She has two broad areas of research. First, she studies how social contexts influence people’s everyday well-being — both during extraordinary events such as during the COVID-19 pandemic or natural disasters as well as during much more ordinary times such as at work or at school. Second, she is interested in studying the judgments that people make towards others regarding their political affiliation, religion and health, and how cognitive processes might influence those judgments. 

Areas of Expertise

Social psychology, well-being, social judgments

Education

2022 — Doctor of Philosophy from U Mississippi

2016 — Master of Arts from Southestrn Louisiana Univ

2014 — Bachelor of Arts from Southestrn Louisiana Univ

Courses Recently Taught

Psychology is the study of behavior and mental processes. In this introductory course, we explore a variety of areas in which psychologists conduct research: the biological foundations of behavior, sensory and perceptual processes, cognition, learning and memory, developmental psychology, personality and social psychology, psychological disorders, and variability in behavior related to culture. This course is open only to first-year and sophomore students. This counts toward the foundations requirement for the major. No prerequisite. Offered every semester.

This course is for psychology majors (or intended majors). Students learn to conduct a variety of statistical tests that are commonly used in psychological research. The course also builds the skills of choosing the appropriate statistical tests for particular research designs and writing and interpreting the results of statistical analyses. Students also learn to use the statistical software package SPSS. This counts toward the foundations requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or 110 or AP score of 5; declared psychology majors only. Permission of instructor by application. Offered every semester.

Social psychology is the systematic study of social behavior. In general, it examines how we are affected by our social environment: how we perceive and interpret the behavior of others and the social situation, how we respond to others and they to us, and the nature of social relationships. Application of social psychological theory and methodology is encouraged through participation in small-scale laboratory or field observational studies. This counts toward the person and society requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or 110 or AP score of 5. Generally offered every year.

In this course, students learn the basics of research in psychology. Students participate in research projects conducted across different areas of psychology, which might involve observation and interviewing, psychological tests and measures, physiological measures and computerized tasks. Students learn about issues of reliability and validity in psychological research, as well as ethical issues associated with psychological research. Students further develop techniques for descriptive statistical analysis of their data, and they communicate their research findings both orally and in writing, using the writing style of the American Psychological Association. This course is designed for sophomore and junior students planning to major in psychology. This counts toward the foundations requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or 110 or AP score of 5 and PSYC 200. Generally offered every semester.