Vivian P. Ta-Johnson

Vivian P. Ta-Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology within the College for Health, Community and Policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research leverages natural language processing to investigate social psychological phenomena, with a focus on policing, human-chatbot interactions, and persuasion.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from The University of Texas at Arlington
• M.S. in Experimental Psychology from The University of Texas at Arlington
• B.A. in Psychology from The University of Texas at Arlington

Dr. Ta-Johnson's research spans social psychology and computational methods, particularly natural language processing. She investigates police-community interactions, use-of-force decision making, and police training through the lens of cognitive load and linguistic analysis. Additionally, she explores human-chatbot interactions, examining user motivations and discussion topics. Her work bridges traditional social psychology with innovative computational approaches to address complex social issues in law enforcement and digital communication.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong trend in applying NLP to real-world social contexts, especially in policing and online interactions. The research consistently addresses the psychological mechanisms underlying communication in high-stakes environments and digital platforms, contributing to both theoretical understanding and practical applications in training and technology design.

Scientific Awards:

• Article Award (2022) from the International Association for Relationship Research
• APA Dissertation Research Award (2017) from the American Psychological Association

Information regarding advising and grant funding was not provided in the available sources.

Dr. Ta-Johnson leads the Language & Social Dynamics Lab (formerly the Technology, Relationships, and Language Lab), which focuses on using natural language processing to study social psychological processes. The lab's work aims to improve law enforcement training and practice through analysis of police performance in training programs and body-worn camera videos, as well as to understand human interactions with social chatbots.