The BBS program offers expertise in Social and Personality Science. Our training is designed to train scientists to understand the twin forces of the environment and individual in shaping thoughts, feelings and behaviors. UGA's department has significant strength in the study of the self, narcissism, decision-making, culture, relationships, emotion, and personality processes. Researchers in this area use a variety of methods including experiments, longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys, neuroscience, and big data approaches to understand their questions of interest. Core Social-Personality Faculty Dr. Katie Ehrlich studies how children’s social experiences shape their mental and physical health. Health and Development Laboratory Dr. Brian Haas studies personality, social neuroscience and the link between culture and social-cognitive processing. Culture and Identity Lab Dr. W. Keith Campbell studies personality (especially narcissism), culture, social media, and the self. MERLab Dr. Dean Sabatinelli studies the dynamic brain mechanisms that underlie emotional stimulus processing. Emotional Perception Laboratory Dr. Anne Shaffer studies social and emotional processes in families and close relationships. Family Relationships, Emotions, Stress and Health (FRESH) Lab Dr. Allison Skinner studies how attitudes, biases, and nonverbal behaviors are established, maintained, and facilitated through subtle messages present in everyday life. Georgia Attitude, Bias, and Behavior Acquisition (GABBA) Lab Dr. Richard Slatcher focuses on understanding the effects of peoples' close relationships on their health and well-being from a social psychological perspective. Close Relationships Laboratory Affiliated Social-Personality Faculty Dr. Adam Goodie studies judgment and decision-making. Georgia Decision Laboratory Dr. Josh Miller studies the interplay between personality and psychopathology with a focus on personality disorders such as psychopathy and narcissism. Personality Studies Laboratory Across campus, we interact with multiple areas and departments. Many of our students take classes in and collaborate with scholars in the Departments of Sociology, Advertising, Management, Marketing, Education, Kinesiology, and Health Promotion & Behavior.
