Description:

Please join the American Politics Workshop as they host Jon Krosnick, Stanford political science professor.

Abstract: Throughout the history of the social sciences, many researchers have sought to develop basic theory, on the assumption that such theories could be used for social good. Increasingly, social scientists explicitly seek to apply theory-informed research findings to create constructive social interventions regarding political behavior, health behavior, crime and law enforcement, environmental protection, economic behavior, and more. Yet increasingly, social scientists are concluding that our work is not delivering the desirable social changes we all hope for. During this presentation, Dr. Krosnick will describe four case studies where solid social science evidence should have made the world a better place, and so far has not. This will be an opportunity for social scientists to pause to think for a moment about the barriers standing in the way of positive impact and how to make it happen. 

Jon Krosnick is a social psychologist who does research on attitude formation, change, and effects, on the psychology of political behavior, and on survey research methods. He is the Frederic O. Glover Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor of Communication, Political Science, and (by courtesy) Psychology. At Stanford, in addition to his professorships, he directs the Political Psychology Research Group and has directed the Summer Institute in Political Psychology. Author of seven published books and two forthcoming books and more than 190 articles and chapters, Dr. Krosnick conducts research in three primary areas: (1) attitude formation, change, and effects, (2) the psychology of political behavior, and (3) the optimal design of questionnaires used for laboratory experiments and surveys, and survey research methodology more generally.