Ryan Brunner

Ryan Brunner is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Westminster College, where he has taught since 2013 after serving as Assistant Professor at Dordt College and lecturer at Ohio State University. He teaches Psychology as a Social Science, Social Psychology (with lab), Personality Psychology (with lab), Cross Cultural and International Psychology, and Prejudice and Stereotyping while supervising senior theses and independent research projects.

Education:

• B.A. in Psychology from University of Missouri, Columbia
• M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology (minor: Quantitative Psychology) from Ohio State University

Research Focus: Dr. Brunner investigates social psychological phenomena through multiple lenses. His foundational work examined how doubts in causal attribution abilities shape self/other perceptions and how visual perspective in autobiographical memory influences current identity. Current research explores cognitive biases in racial attitudes, emphasizing collaborative student-driven inquiry. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with real-world applications in prejudice reduction.

Professional Engagement: Active in scholarly communities through presentations at international conferences like the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, with publications in American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, Social Cognition, and Memory and Cognition.

Academic Service: Supervises undergraduate research while maintaining active membership in the American Psychological Society, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Midwestern Psychological Association, Society for Teaching of Psychology, Phi Beta Kappa, and Psi Chi.