Biographical Statements by Candidates

Student Representative (2 candidates)

Candidate 1 - Ihuoma Faith Obioma

Biographical Information

Since February 2019, I have been a Ph.D. student at the Social Psychology Department of Goethe University, Frankfurt researching on “cross-cultural gender stereotyping and its effect on housework and workplace diversity in the Global South and North”. Specifically, I examine these variables in Nigeria, South Africa, Germany, and India. During this time, I have prepared and published works from a cross-cultural perspective. Over the years I have volunteered at various institutions and positively contributed to my team. I joined IACCP to meet like minds and have been actively involved in the progress of the association since 2020. This involvement includes 3-4 hours of group discussion and independent tasks for the association. Because I am already highly integrated into the association, I believe I would be the ideal student representative.
I am in frequent contact with many members of the Executive Committee, have suggested activities, workshops and events that will be relevant to the student network and experienced researchers and active at IACCP conferences. As I am from Africa and sitting in Europe, I can integrate both perspectives (as well as my research in Asia) and support members on various continents because I understand these contexts. I am happy to bring my experience, participate at EC meetings, spearhead activities targeted at young researchers in the association and generally contribute to the future of IACCP.

Candidate 2 - Henry Lopez

Biographical Information

EDUCATION
Iowa State University Present Ph.D. Psychology
San Diego State University 2021 M.A. Psychology
University of Redlands 2018 B.A. Psychology and Spanish, Magna Cum Laude

AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, & GRANTS
SPSP Graduate Travel Award 2022
George Jackson Scholarship 2021-2023
SPSP Emergency Bridging Grant 2020

PUBLICATIONS Lopez, H.N., Somo, A., & Devos, T. (2022) State-level cultural tightness–looseness accounts for implicit associations between American and White identities. 3, 1-10. Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cresp.2021.100033 Goldstein, S. B., & Lopez, H. N. (2021). An intersectional investigation of study abroad intent among Latino/a and White first-generation college students. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 33 (2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v33i2.534

Every human being is a cultural being. However, only 11% of the world is represented in psychology's most prestigious journals (Thalmayer et al., 2021). The study of human behavior has ignored 89% of the world, yet there has been little movement towards resolving this issue. I have gained a rich understanding of culture's potent influences on human behavior, and I am committed to diversifying the field of psychology by using samples from human groups that have been vastly underrepresented in psychological research. My commitment to diversifying psychological research is a key goal of the IACCP, and it would be a pleasure to serve as the student representative for the association.
My motivation to serve as the student representative is to learn and provide input when necessary. Much of the research in psychology represents and serves the U.S. population, and there is a blatant disregard for the lived experiences of humans beyond the U.S. As a western researcher myself, I acknowledge the power and privilege my position grants me, and I will work to raise the voices of those scholars who are often underrepresented in mainstream psychological research. Beyond uplifting non-western scholars, I am interested in engaging in an important discussion focusing on the association's future. A recent round table announcement has called into question the role of culture in cross-cultural psychology. How do we continue as a discipline when the very construct we are studying is highly debated? I am interested in contributing to the discourse surrounding important issues in the association, and I hope to discuss ways to improve the discipline as a budding researcher in cross-cultural psychology. In sum, my goals as student representative are to promote non-western research and engage in thoughtful conversations that will work to improve the IACCP.

Early Career Representative (6 candidates)

Candidate 1 - Angela Dorrough

Biographical Information

After my studies of economics, psychology and comparative cultural science, I completed my PhD on cross-national social dilemma behavior in 2017. I am currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cologne, Germany in the department of Social Psychology, which has already and is currently expanding its focus on cross-cultural psychology in research and teaching. My research agenda can be mainly divided in two areas of interest: First, I investigate the determinants of cross-national and cross-cultural prosocial (e.g., cooperation) and antisocial behaviors (i.e., corruption). Second, I am interested in topics related to gender, such as gender-based discrimination in the labor market or gender differences across countries. In the summer of 2022, my colleagues and I will start a funded, large-scale project on cross-national social preferences that includes 40 different countries. For my research, I usually combine methods of behavioral economics (e.g., economic games) with social and cross-cultural psychology (e.g., questionnaire studies) to test psychological theories. I have a broad research network with collaborators stationed in different countries (e.g., Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, South Korea, US).

In my teaching on cross-cultural social psychology (Bachelor level), I try to raise awareness of cultural differences and similarities and the importance of replicating well-established psychological effects in non-WEIRD countries in particular. Starting in the summer of 2022, I will also teach in the master’s program “Intercultural Communication and Education”, which includes aspects of culture-sensitive research and intercultural competence.
https://soccco.uni-koeln.de/angela-dorrough

Motivation Statement

I have been supervising internships and master theses on topics related to culture (e.g., the influence of cultural similarity on the acceptance of female role models) for many years. For these internships and theses, I often bring together students from Germany and students from other countries (e.g., South Korea; Turkey) to give them the chance for a personal intercultural experience. In addition, I currently co-supervise a PhD thesis on prosociality across cultures and agreed to supervise three additional PhD students working on cross-national social preferences starting in the summer of 2022. I would also like to extend my mentoring service to younger members of IACCP and provide them with the opportunity to collaborate with researchers from other regions. Furthermore, since most theories in psychology have been developed and tested mainly in Western countries, I would like to initiate large-scale multi-lab replication studies with (junior) members of IACCP, including WEIRD and non-WEIRD countries, with the ultimate goal of refining and further developing existing theories. Finally, since IACCP’s research topics are relevant to the society, I would like to work on identifying policy implications and communicating our research results to the general public.

Candidate 2 - Jasper Van Assche

Biographical Sketch

I am Jasper Van Assche, a young scholar who is eager to learn, discover, and contribute to the scientific knowledge on cross-cultural and intergroup relations. During my college years, I was Ambassador for International Development at the Flemish Council for Youth, and I mentored three ethnic minority students at Ghent University (Belgium). These engagements elicited my interest in intercultural dynamics and the study of diversity and social issues. In June 2012, I volunteered at the IACCP conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This experience further motivated me to become an academic. In December 2012, I started a Ph.D. at the Social Psychology unit of Ghent University on the interplay between person and culture in the formation of intergroup attitudes. Since October 2018, I am a postdoctoral research fellow with the Research Foundation - Flanders. I am also a part-time lecturer at the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology at the University of Leuven. I have always found the IACCP conferences a true learning experience - the 2013 one in Reims (France) being particularly memorable since it sparked several collaborations! It would be an honor to become an IACCP Early Career Representative in the Executive Council, and to be the voice of all other “Next Generation” scholars around the globe who - like me - look forward to making a difference in this world.

Candidate 3 - Lusine Grigoryan

Biographical Information

IACCP played a formative role in my academic path. Since 2011, when I attended my first IACCP conference in Istanbul, IACCP has consistently been a place where I would find mentors, collaborators, and friends with passion for science and openness to the world and its diversity of perspectives. As an Early Career Representative, I would work to broaden the association’s reach and increase the number of early career scholars from underrepresented regions of the world who are actively involved in the association. I will dedicate my time to strengthening the tools that the association has already developed to support early career scholars, such as the IACCP summer schools, SPARK and Witkin-Okonji grants, and early career awards. Moreover, I would like to diversify the IACCP’s toolbox of early career support mechanisms by proposing and arguing for student publication awards and a new small research grants scheme. I want more early career researchers around the world to find what I found in IACCP 11 years ago: a supportive community where everyone is welcome and where local knowledge meets and becomes part of the global.

Dr. Lusine Grigoryan, Postdoctoral researcher, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

Candidate 4 - Alex English

Biographical Information

CURRENT POSITION 2021- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University
EDUCATION
PhD Applied Psychology September 2016
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Concentration in Cross-cultural Psychology
Masters of Arts, International Studies May 2009
Concordia University Irvine, California Concentration in International Education
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Minor Family Studies/Child Development May 2007
Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona Cum Laud

It is with great honor that I write my motivation letter to contribute to the Early Career (EC) of IACCP for the 2022-20244 term and continue to serve as EC Representative. In 2016, I had the privilege of serving as the Student Representative and I can honestly admit it has opened my eyes to IACCP. It was an extremely rewarding experience to volunteer in such a capacity and to be working so closely with leading scholars and now, new friends. I served on the emergency committee to draft a Code of Conduct for conferences. It was rewarding to work closely with the regional representatives in Europe, Oceania and Africa. Currently, I continue my service as the C&P Summer School coorganizer. Our school has successfully launched 4 sessions in conjunction with IACCP conference. We have enrolled over 150 PhD and graduate students who have all left excellent feedback regarding their summer school experience. Professionally, IACCP is very welcoming and the best-fit association for my career development. I have lived abroad for most of my adult life including spending time in Chile and China. I completed my Ph.D. Cultural Psychology at a Zhejiang University and now teach about how culture impacts behavior. I am currently the Associate Editor of International Journal of Intercultural Research (IJIR) and serve as the Education Committee Member for Asian Association of Social Psychology (AASP). I hope I can continue to bring my collaborative spirit and a new perspective to the IACCP EC so we can grow and expand membership in underrepresented areas of the world.

Candidate 5 - Rosalie Chen

Biographical Information

ACADEMIC POSITION

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University

Hamilton, NY, U.S.A.                                                                                                                                                            2019-present

Visiting Assistant Professor

• Courses taught: Social Psychology, Political Psychology, Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Undergraduate student senior thesis and research supervision

EDUCATION

Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University

Taipei, Taiwan

• D. in Social Psychology
• Dean’s Dissertation Award, School of Science, NTU

 Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

• A. in International Affairs-Asian Studies
• Concentrations: International Relations of East Asia and Conflict Resolution

Department of Business Administration, Truman State University

Kirksville, MO, U.S.A.

• S. in Business Management, minor: International Business (magnum cum laude)

As I do culture related work, the question I come across most often is, “What is culture?” Recently, a colleague asked, “But isn’t human biology all the same? Why should we be concerned about the role of culture?” Moreover, the most common question I get from students is, “How do I incorporate culture into research?”

My research interests are interdisciplinary in nature and lie at the intersection of cross-cultural, political, and social psychology. Particularly, I focus on the role of culture in the political psychology of intergroup relations. Childhood experiences living in North Africa, East Asia, and North America enabled me to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and cemented an early interest in culture and intergroup relations. My overarching research goal is to contribute to the understanding of intergroup conflict by elucidating how ideology, identity, and emotion motivate political perception, attitudes, and behavior.

I joined IACCP three years ago and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to get more involved – so that I can not only benefit as a member but also contribute. After obtaining my doctoral degree in Taiwan, I returned to the U.S. and have been working in academia for almost three years. As a novice myself, I have wondered about the field of cross-cultural psychology, while trying to find a path, in addition to connecting to others and responding to various challenges along the way. I hope that sharing my experience studying, researching, and working in diverse settings could help early career members in navigating this difficult transition in life (among other things). Cross-cultural psychology is my passion, and I would be immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve IACCP and to help the Association grow.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration!