
Angela G. Pirlott
- Media Contact
I am an assistant professor of psychology at Saint Xavier University in the Department of Psychology. I received my Ph.D. from Arizona State University in social psychology under the supervision of Steve Neuberg.
I study prejudice and stereotyping from an affordance management perspective, which suggests that social cognition and behavior serve to manage the potential opportunities and threats others in the social environment may afford. My current line of research examines the potential threats and opportunities heterosexual men and women perceive non-heterosexuals to pose, and how the perception of these affordances drive sexual prejudices and resulting behaviors. I am currently extending this line of research to examine how certain fundamental goals differentially activate specific affordances and drive emotional and behavioral responses. I am also exploring how bisexual and gay/lesbian men and women perceive and respond to different sexual orientation groups.
My second line of research focuses on mating dynamics, such as attraction, ovulation, and mate-seeking strategies, and the influence of the social environment on these behaviors. I am also extending my current research on mating to examine how these mating mechanisms and dynamics exist in bisexual and gay/lesbian men and women.
Primary Interests:
- Attitudes and Beliefs
- Close Relationships
- Culture and Ethnicity
- Evolution and Genetics
- Gender Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Intergroup Relations
- Person Perception
- Personality, Individual Differences
- Prejudice and Stereotyping
- Sexuality, Sexual Orientation
- Social Cognition
Journal Articles:
- Benson, E. J., Kemp, T., Pirlott, A. G., *Coughlin, C., *Forss, Q. & *Becherer, L. (2013). Developing a non-sexist/non-gendered language policy at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Feminist Teacher, 23(3), 230-247.
- MacKinnon, D. P. & Pirlott, A. G. (2015). Statistical approaches for enhancing causal interpretation of the M to Y relation in mediation analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 19(1), 30-43. doi: 10.1177/10888068314542878
- Pirlott, A. G., & Cook, C. L. (2018). Prejudices and discrimination as goal activated and threat driven: The affordance management approach to sexual prejudice. Psychological Review, 125(6), 1002-1027. doi: 10.1037/rev0000125
- Pirlott, A. G., Kisbu-Sakarya, Y., MacKinnon, D. P., DeFrancesco, C., Eash, M., & Elliot, D. (2012). Mechanisms of motivational interviewing in health promotion: A Bayesian mediation analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 69.
- Pirlott, A. G., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2016). Design approaches to experimental mediation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology: Special Issue on Rigorous and Replicable Methods, 66, 29-38. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2015.09.012
- Pirlott, A. G., & Neuberg, S. L. (2014). Sexual prejudice: Avoiding unwanted sexual interest? Social Psychological & Personality Science, 5(1), 92-101. doi: 10.1177/1948550613486674
- Pirlott, A. G., Rusten, M. L., & Butterfuss, R. M. (2016). Perceptions of threats to physical safety, sexual autonomy, values, and of discrimination drive LGB prejudices toward heterosexuals. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 42(9) 1147-1163. doi: 10.1177/0146167216651854
- Russo, N. F., & Pirlott, A. (2006). Gender-based violence: Concepts, methods, and findings. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: Violence and Exploitation against Women and Girls, 1087, 178-205. doi: 10.1196/annals.1385.024
Other Publications:
- MacKinnon, D. P., Cheong, J., & Pirlott, A. G. (2012). Statistical mediation analysis. In H. Cooper (Ed.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
- Pirlott, A. G., & Cook, C. L. (2017). Homophobia. To appear in T. K. Shackelford & V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science.
- Pirlott, A. G., & Schmitt, D. P. (2014). Gender & sexuality as culture. To appear in A. B. Cohen (Ed.), New Directions in the Psychology of Culture.
- Russo, N. F., Pirlott, A. G., & Cohen, A. B. (2011). The psychology of women and gender in international perspectives: Issues and challenges. In F. Leong, A. Marsella, M. Leach, & W. Pickren (Eds.), Internationalizing the psychology curriculum in the United States: Meeting the challenges of globalization. Springer Publications.
Courses Taught:
- Cultural Psychology
- Methods of Research in Psychology
- Psychology & Gender
- Research Seminar
- Social Psychology
- Statistical Methods in Psychology I
Angela G. Pirlott
Department of Psychology
Chicago, Illinois 60655
United States of America