Elena Stepanova

Dr. Elena Stepanova is an Associate Professor at the School of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, and Principal Investigator at the Social Cognition and Behavior Lab (SCBL). Her research spans social cognition, cross-cultural psychology, health disparities, and alcohol-related behavioral effects.

• Education:
  • B.A. in Psychology, La Sierra University (Riverside, CA)
  • A.M. and Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology, Washington University in Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO)
  • Postdoctoral Training in Addictions, University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)
• Research Focus:
  • Examines racial discrimination, alcohol priming, political polarization, and visual categorization mechanisms.
  • Integrates experimental methods with cross-cultural analysis to study cognitive biases and health outcomes.
• Publications:
  • Recent works include analyses of alcohol-related cues in racial bias, political group dynamics, and health disparities among Black Americans.
  • Her 2016-2021 studies explore attractiveness metrics, race categorization, and cognitive priming effects.
• Professional Roles:
  • Editorial Board Member, The Journal of Social Psychology
  • Teaches courses in Social Psychology, Statistics, and Advanced Social Psychology.