Joseph A. Vitriol

Joseph A. Vitriol is an assistant professor in the College of Business at Lehigh University. Dr. Vitriol was formerly a senior researcher in the political science department at Stony Brook University, a college fellow in the psychology department at Harvard University, and a postdoctoral research associate in the psychology department at Lehigh University. He holds a Ph.D. in social-personality and political psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and a BA/MA in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Dr. Vitriol studies the causes, consequences, and solutions to bias in judgment and behavior in applied contexts, including political, legal, and organizational settings. His scholarship has been published in leading peer-reviewed outlets across the social and behavioral sciences, including American Psychologist, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Social Psychological and Personality Science, Political Psychology, Law and Human Behavior, European Journal of Personality, the Journal of Research in Personality, Personality and Individual Differences, Electoral Studies, and Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy.

Education

• John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, B.A. and M.A.
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Ph.D.

Research and Teaching Interests

• Personality, social cognition, and attitudes
• Psychology of bias and prejudice-regulation
• Science communication and anti-bias education
• Organizational behavior and leadership
• Political psychology, cognition, and behavior
• Fake news, conspiracy theories, and ideological extremism
• Eyewitness evidence, policing, and legal decision-making