Melissa J. Ferguson (melissaferguson[at]cornell.edu) is an experimental social psychologist. She received her doctorate in social psychology from New York University in 2002 and then joined the psychology department at Cornell University. Her research focuses on the implicit and non-conscious cognitive processes that enable evaluation, goal-pursuit, self-control, and social behavior. Three recent topics of research in the lab are self-control (what predicts success?), first impressions (how do they form, change, and influence behavior?), and ideology (how do ideological symbols affect us?). Her research has appeared in outlets such as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. She is also currently a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project.
What is the secret to success?
Oct 27, 2016 05:25 am UTC| Life
At hundreds of colleges and universities across the country, thousands of students are in the midst of the fall semester, trying to manage the academic tasks of studying, exams, papers and lectures. A lot is riding on...
Is it too late for Trump and Clinton to become more likable?
Apr 14, 2016 06:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
According to the old adage, one never gets a second chance to make a first impression. Might that hold true for the presidential candidates? There would seem to be plenty of opportunities between now and Election Day ...
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