Antonio Pierro

Antonio Pierro is a Full Professor of Social Psychology at the Department of Psychology of Developmental and Socialization Processes, Sapienza University of Rome. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Sapienza and has held post-doctoral positions there, including a grant from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. His academic roles include coordinating the Social Psychology Ph.D. Programme and serving as a reviewer for top journals like Psychological Science and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome
• Ph.D. in Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome
• Postdoctoral Researcher at Sapienza

Research Interests: Pierro’s work focuses on the interface between motivation and cognition, including:

• Power dynamics and leadership styles
• Persuasion and communication strategies
• Group processes and self-regulation
• Epistemic motivations (e.g., need for cognitive closure)
• Political psychology and extremism
• Cultural tightness-looseness and its societal implications

Recent Projects:

• Ecological threats and their impact on cultural attitudes
• Role of cognitive closure in prejudice and leadership preferences
• Psychology of extremism and motivational imbalance

Teaching: Currently teaches courses on Extremism Psychology and Persuasion & Interpersonal Influence at Sapienza. Courses are offered in Italian and English, with materials available via Google Classroom.

Awards & Grants: Over 300 publications in international journals, though no specific awards are listed. Active in securing grants and maintaining collaborative research networks.

Labs/Teams: Leads research projects on cultural tightness, pandemic psychology, and motivational dynamics within the Department of Psychology at Sapienza.