Ashley Lauren Harrell King

Ashley Lauren Harrell King
Assistant Professor of Sociology

Hello! I am an 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. One key area of my research examines how network structures promote or inhibit cooperation. Another examines the dynamics of leadership, power, and influence in groups. And I have focused on understanding additional mechanisms that influence prosocial behavior including joint vs. individual decision-making, moral judgments, status, and religion. My work has been published in the American Sociology Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Science Advances, PNAS, and other outlets. I run the Sociological Study of Cooperation (SSoC) Lab here at Duke.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

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

Contact Information

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., University of South Carolina, Columbia 2017
Expertise
Subject Headings
- Muser Mentor
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Harrell, Ashley, and Joseph M. Quinn. “Shared Identities and the Structure of Exchange Distinctly Shape Cooperation.” Social Forces, February 4, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soad011.
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  - Harrell, A., and T. Wolff. “Cooperation in Networked Collective-Action Groups: Information Access and Norm Enforcement in Groups of Different Sizes.” Social Psychology Quarterly, January 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/01902725221132517.
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  - Harrell, Ashley, and Anna S. Greenleaf. “Resource asymmetry reduces generosity and paying forward generosity, among the resource-advantaged and disadvantaged.” Social Science Research 109 (January 2023): 102786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2022.102786.
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  - Harrell, A. “How can I help you? Multiple resource availability promotes generosity with low-value (but not high-value) resources.” Rationality and Society 33, no. 3 (August 1, 2021): 341–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043463121999658.
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  - Harrell, Ashley. “Better together: Third party helping is enhanced when the decision to help is made jointly.” Social Science Research 94 (February 2021): 102516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2020.102516.
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  - Melamed, D., C. W. Munn, B. Simpson, J. Z. Abernathy, A. Harrell, and M. Sweitzer. “Homophily and segregation in cooperative networks.” American Journal of Sociology 125, no. 4 (January 1, 2020): 1084–1127. https://doi.org/10.1086/708142.
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  - Harrell, Ashley. “Group leaders establish cooperative norms that persist in subsequent interactions.” Plos One 14, no. 9 (January 2019): e0222724. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222724.
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  - Harrell, Ashley, David Melamed, and Brent Simpson. “The strength of dynamic ties: The ability to alter some ties promotes cooperation in those that cannot be altered.” Science Advances 4, no. 12 (December 2018): eaau9109. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau9109.
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  - Harrell, Ashley. “Competition for Leadership Promotes Contributions to Collective Action.” Social Forces 97, no. 1 (September 1, 2018): 405–26. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soy017.
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  - Simpson, Brent, Ashley Harrell, David Melamed, Nicholas Heiserman, and Daniela V. Negraia. “The Roots of Reciprocity: Gratitude and Reputation in Generalized Exchange Systems.” American Sociological Review 83, no. 1 (February 2018): 88–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122417747290.
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  - Melamed, David, Ashley Harrell, and Brent Simpson. “Cooperation, clustering, and assortative mixing in dynamic networks.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 5 (January 30, 2018): 951–56. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1715357115.
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  - Melamed, David, Brent Simpson, and Ashley Harrell. “Prosocial Orientation Alters Network Dynamics and Fosters Cooperation.” Scientific Reports 7, no. 1 (March 23, 2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00265-x.
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  - Thye, Shane R., and Ashley Harrell. “The status value theory of power and mechanisms of micro stratification: Theory and new experimental evidence.” Social Science Research 63 (March 2017): 54–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2016.09.008.
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  - Simpson, Brent, Robb Willer, and Ashley Harrell. “The Enforcement of Moral Boundaries Promotes Cooperation and Prosocial Behavior in Groups.” Scientific Reports 7, no. 1 (February 17, 2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep42844.
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  - Harrell, Ashley, and Brent Simpson. “The Dynamics of Prosocial Leadership: Power and Influence in Collective Action Groups.” Social Forces 94, no. 3 (March 2016): 1283–1308. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sov110.
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  - Simpson, Brent, Matthew Brashears, Eric Gladstone, and Ashley Harrell. “Birds of Different Feathers Cooperate Together: No Evidence for Altruism Homophily in Networks.” Sociological Science 1 (2014): 542–64. https://doi.org/10.15195/v1.a30.
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  - Simpson, B., A. Harrell, and R. Willer. “Hidden Paths from Morality to Cooperation: Moral Judgments Promote Trust and Trustworthiness.” Social Forces 91, no. 4 (June 1, 2013): 1529–48. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sot015.
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  - Harrell, Ashley. “Do religious cognitions promote prosociality?” Rationality and Society 24, no. 4 (November 2012): 463–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043463112463930.
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Teaching & Mentoring
Recent Courses
- PSY 227: Leadership and Collaboration 2023
- PSY 394: Research Independent Study 2023
- PSY 494: Research Independent Study 2023
- SOCIOL 227: Leadership and Collaboration 2023
- PSY 393: Research Independent Study 2022
- PSY 394: Research Independent Study 2022
- PSY 493: Research Independent Study 2022
- SOCIOL 110: Sociological Inquiry 2022
- SOCIOL 391: Independent Study 2022
- SOCIOL 110: Sociological Inquiry 2021
- SOCIOL 227: Leadership and Collaboration 2021
Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
Service to Duke
- Participant. Faculty Success Program. National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD). 2023 2023

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Subject Headings

Selected Publications

Academic Articles

Recent Courses

Service to Duke