Peter DeScioli

Peter DeScioli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University, where he holds a joint affiliation with the Social and Behavioral Sciences division. He earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University, Brandeis University, and Chapman University. His research focuses on how strategic reasoning shapes human social behavior, particularly in areas like moral judgment, political decision-making, and alliance formation.

• Education: PhD, Psychology, University of Pennsylvania (2008)
• Postdoctoral Institutions: Harvard (2012-2013), Brandeis (2010-2012), Chapman (2008-2010)

His work integrates experimental methods with evolutionary theory to explore topics such as:

• Moral condemnation's strategic functions
• Coalitional psychology in politics
• Ownership disputes through game experiments
• Partisan conflict dynamics

Recent studies examine voting behavior under redistribution scenarios, international debt morality, and the evolutionary origins of legal systems. His work has been featured in venues like Political Behavior, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and PNAS.

DeScioli has received the HBES 2010 Postdoctoral Award and authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles. He directs the Political Psychology Lab and teaches courses on moral politics and experimental political science.