David Butz

Assistant Professor of Psychology

I am currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Morehead State University.  I received my Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Florida State University in 2007 and completed a two-year postdoctoral teaching and research fellowship at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  Prior to attending Florida State University, I received my B.A. in Psychology from Penn State University in 2002. 

My research is primarily focused on applying social-cognitive approaches to the study of prejudice and intergroup relations.  In one line of my research, I consider how people's cognitions contribute to anxiety and hostility regarding interactions with members of different racial or ethnic groups.  I am interested in understanding why some people experience anxiety and want to avoid intergroup interactions, whereas others experience a distinctly different reaction characterized by anger, hostility, and in some cases aggressive behavior.  My recent work is focused on the factors that may help people to overcome these negative reactions and promote interest in interacting with members of different racial/ethnic groups.

In a secondary line of research I examine the role of national identification in prejudice and intergroup relations.  In this work I am particularly interested in developing a deeper understanding of people's responses to symbols of national identification (e.g., the U.S. flag) and the implications of exposure to national symbols for people's orientation to outgroup members.  My recent work in this area employs a range of social-cognitive methods to examine the concepts that people associate with different types of national symbols (i.e., what people think of when in the presence of symbols) and the relationship between these associations and people's attitudes and judgments about outgroup members.        

Campus Location: 601H Ginger Hall
Phone: (606) 783-2313
E-mail: d.butz@moreheadstate.edu