Our Lab

Shiri Spitz

Pia Dietze (PI)

I received my BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley and my PhD in Social Psychology at NYU. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Psychological Science at UC Irvine. Broadly, my research focuses on the consequences and antecedents of societal inequality.

Click here for my CV.

Graduate students

I'm a fifth year doctoral student working at the intersection of morality and politics using a mixture of experimental, survey, and big data methods. I am particularly interested in how contemporary culture war issues - which often center around discussions of privilege and inequality - relate to ongoing political polarization. I love vintage clothes and my cat, Scout. Email: spitzs@uci.edu

Ishita Singhal

I am a third year Ph.D. student here in the Department of Psychological Science. I study how individuals conceptualise and respond to social inequalities and privilege, and the real-world implications this may have for outcomes like policy support and admission/hiring decisions. I hope to contribute to the diversification of psych science and improving science communication to drive greater societal impact. Email: singhali@uci.edu

Christian Beltran

I'm a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the Psychological Science Department (Social/Personality area) here at UC Irvine. My primary research interests focus on the role of morality, social identity, and social cognition in intergroup conflicts (e.g., politics). Through my research, I aim to expand upon methods for bridging social divides, encouraging civility in political discourse, and sharing research with non-academic audiences. Email: ctbeltra@uci.edu

Justin Mikell

I’m a first-year doctoral student in the Psychological Science Department here at UC Irvine. I’m primarily interested in how people conceptualize different biases (racial, gender, etc.), and how that conceptualization may influence how they view societal issues and/or solutions to those issues. Email: jmikell@uci.edu