Overview
I study social networks, particularly peer influence processes, and how these shape individuals' attitudes, tastes, and beliefs.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Fuchsberg-Levine Family Associate Professor
·
2024 - Present
Sociology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor of Sociology
·
2023 - Present
Sociology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Publications
Peer Networks and Ideological Consistency: How Student Communities Facilitate Belief Liberalization in Higher Education1
Journal Article American Journal of Sociology · September 1, 2025 Why do students in higher education tend to become more liberal? The authors outline a model of belief change wherein cognitive motivations for ideological consistency interact with social factors in peer networks to influence how students in higher educat ... Full text CiteCultural Polarization and Social Groups: The Case of Book Banning
Journal Article International Journal of Politics Culture and Society · January 1, 2025 Research on cultural polarization often presumes a direct link between rising affective animus and contestation over everyday items of popular culture. Yet the degree to which affective polarization is driving cultural polarization is unknown. We propose t ... Full text CiteThe Polarization of Popular Culture: Tracing the Size, Shape, and Depth of the "oil Spill"
Journal Article Social Forces · June 1, 2024 Recent research suggests that political polarization has spilled over into otherwise mundane areas of social life. And yet, the size, shape, and depth of that spillage into popular culture are generally unknown. Relying on a sample of 135 widely known movi ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
The Impact of Gossip on Children's Feelings of Belongingness
FellowshipCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2023 - 2026View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of California, Santa Barbara ·
2008
D.Phil.