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Ashley Lauren Harrell King

Assistant Professor of Sociology
Sociology
PO Box 90088, Durham, NC 27705
2200 West Main Street, Suite 700, Durham, NC 27705

Overview


I am Assistant Professor of Sociology (and Psychology and Neuroscience, by courtesy) at Duke University.

My research is centered on structural and social-psychological solutions to problems of cooperation, collective action, and social order. Much of my work is motivated by my interest in understanding the roles of micro-level attitudes and behaviors in shaping macro-level outcomes. My methodological approach is quantitative and relies largely on experimental data. 

I run the Sociological Study of Cooperation (SSoC) Lab here at Duke.  

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of Sociology · 2019 - Present Sociology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2021 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published February 11, 2025
Play Nice, Create Friendships & Bridge Gaps

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Recent Publications


Cooperation in Networked Collective-Action Groups: Information Access and Norm Enforcement in Groups of Different Sizes

Journal Article Social Psychology Quarterly · December 1, 2023 Norms, typically enforced via sanctions, are key to resolving collective-action problems. But it is often impossible to know what each individual member is contributing to group efforts and enforce cooperation accordingly. Especially as group size increase ... Full text Cite

Information-sharing and cooperation in networked collective action groups

Journal Article PNAS Nexus · December 1, 2023 When people provide for large-scale public goods, they often do not know what each individual group member is contributing. Instead, they commonly have access to the behaviors of their ties, in a broader network of others whose decisions are unknown. But n ... Full text Cite

Shared Identities and the Structure of Exchange Distinctly Shape Cooperation

Journal Article Social Forces · July 14, 2023 AbstractPeople frequently engage in preferential treatment toward those with whom they share category memberships. At the same time, sociologists have long understood that the structure of ongoing relations ... Full text Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


University of South Carolina, Columbia · 2017 Ph.D.