A member of Dr. Tonya Dodge's research team, ASP PhD student Steffi Renninger, has conducted work and presented at conferences on the topics of physical activity and parental attitudes towards the MMR vaccination.
The Applied Social Psychology Program at the George Washington University applies social psychological theories (e.g., attitudes, social cognition, social influence and decision making) and methods (i.e., experimental, quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research) to understand and address several areas. These areas include the effects of people’s thoughts and behaviors on health issues such as substance use, obesity, sexual risk behaviors, physical activity and sun exposure; the influence of social issues like prejudice and discrimination on substance use, HIV risk and mental health; and the role of diversity — race, ethnicity, gender, LGBT identity, socioeconomic status, physical ability and the intersection of these social categories/identities — on health disparities and inequities.