Kristy Dean
Assistant Chair
Professor - Social/Cross Cultural Psychology
- B. A., Michigan State University
- M.A., Ph.D., Northwestern University
Distinguished Undergraduate Mentor Award 2024
Office: 2211 AuSable Hall
Phone: (616) 331-2412
Email: [email protected]
Are you an undergraduate student interested in getting involved in psychology research? Are you a faculty member interested in learning more about mentoring and opportunities to mentor students through your research? Please check out the resources available through GVSU's Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship!
Specialization
Social Psychology/Cross-Cultural Psychology
Courses Taught
PSY101 - Introductory Psychology
PSY355 - Psychology and Culture
PSY 360 - Social Psychology: Psychology's View
Research Interests
My research examines basic needs, especially our needs for belonging and physical safety. How do people satisfy these basic needs? What consequences do we experience - psychologically, behaviorally, socially - when our basic needs are threatened? How can Universities foster belonging among students to increase academic performance? How do features of natural and physical environments signal physical safety or danger? My research uses both experimental and correlational designs to answer these questions, thus examining both the situational forces and personal attributes that influence need satisfaction. My work also utilizes both quantitative methods (e.g., self-report rating scales) and qualitative methods (e.g., content analysis of experiential essays) to understand both patterns and nuances in need satisfaction.
Current Research
Contact me to learn more about what I am studying this semester!
Representative Publications
Hoogeveen, S., Sarafoglou, A., Aczel, B., Aditya, Y., Alayan, Al J., Allen, P. J., Altay, S., Alzahawi, S., Amir, Y., Anthony, F-V., Appiah, O. K., Atkinson, Q. D., Baimel, A., Balkaya-Ince, M., Balsamo, M., Banker, S., Bartos, F., Becerra, M., ...Dean, K. K., ...Wagenmakers, E. J. (2022). A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being. Religion, Brain, & Behavior, 1-47. (Involved 120 analyst teams.)
Dillard, A. J., Dean, K. K., *Gilbert, H., & Lipkus, I. M. (2021). You won't regret it (or love it) as much as you think: Impact biases for everyday health behavior outcomes. Psychology & Health, 36(7), 761-786.
Dean, K. K. & Koenig, A. M (2019). Cross-cultural differences and similarities in attribution. In K. D. Keith (Ed.), Cross-Cultural Psychology: Contemporary Themes and Perspectives, (2nd edition). Malden, MA: Wiley.
Dean, K. K., *Wentworth, G., & *LeCompte, N. (2019). Social exclusion and perceived vulnerability to physical harm. Self & Identity, 18, 87-102. doi: 10.1080/15298868.2017.1370389
Knowles, M. L., & Dean, K. K. (2018). Present but invisible: Physical obscurity fosters social disconnection. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48, 86-92. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.2274
Koenig, A. M. & Dean, K. K. (2017). Teaching about cultural differences in the correspondence bias. In K. D. Keith (Ed.), Culture across the Curriculum: A Psychology Teacher's Handbook (pgs. 371-390). Cambridge University Press.