Program
Program
Program
Book of abstracts (available by clicking)
Keynotes
Keynotes
Bertram F. Malle is Professor of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. He was trained in psychology, philosophy, and linguistics in Austria and earned his Ph.D. in psychology at Stanford University. He received the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP) Outstanding Dissertation award, an NSF CAREER award, and is co-recipient of the Decision Analysis Society 2018 best publication award and the 2019 SESP Scientific Impact Award. He is past president of the Society of Philosophy and Psychology and a Fellow of SESP, APS, SPSP, and the Cognitive Science Society. Malle’s research focuses on moral psychology (norms, blame, guilt), and human-machine interaction (trust, machine morality). He has distributed his work in over 180 scientific publications and numerous books, most recently as co-editor of the Cambridge Handbook of Moral Psychology (2025). His lab page is bit.ly/scsrlab.
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Moral Judgment and Moral Regulation: How Morality Exists in Minds and Communities
Morality exists in both communities and individual minds. What coordinates these two components is moral regulation, which are tools that bring individuals in line with the norms of their community (e.g., blame, guilt, punishment). Moral regulation relies on moral judgments—judging what norms hold in a particular case and to what degree they may be violated. Many researchers argue that moral judgments are biased in numerous ways. But if that were true, then moral regulation would be biased as well, and communities could not uphold morality. I will argue that moral judgments are themselves regulated by norms, which put pressure on individuals to form accurate and justified moral judgments. However, norms that regulate moral judgments can break down, opening the door for distortion and weaponization. I will discuss contexts in which such breakdowns occur and analyze what options we have to reestablish accurate and justified moral judgments and regulation.
Sophia Moskalenko is a Senior Research Scientist at Development Services Group (DSG) and a Research Fellow at Georgia State University. She earned her Ph.D. in social and clinical psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and her research focuses on radicalization, terrorism, self-sacrifice, martyrdom, and disinformation.
Previously, Dr. Moskalenko served as a Program Management Specialist at the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism’s Behavioral Insights Hub, where she managed an international portfolio of research, practice, and evaluation in the fields of Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). At the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (NC-START), she led projects commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State.
Dr. Moskalenko also consults for the European Commission, NATO, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and Georgia State University’s Cyber Security Unit. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed articles (cited over 7,000 times) and co-authored several influential books, including Friction: How Conflict Radicalizes Them and Us (award-winning), The Marvel of Martyrdom: The Power of Self-Sacrifice in a Selfish World, and Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon. Her work has appeared in The Conversation, BuzzFeed News, Psychology Today, Salon, Vox, NBC, Haaret
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Weaponized Narratives: Disinformation, Radicalization, and the Psychology of Contagion
Viral disinformation—misleading content designed to manipulate belief and behavior—has become a powerful tool in the digital era. Though widely used to inflame public sentiment and polarize populations, the psychological mechanisms by which disinformation facilitates radicalization and mobilization remain underexplored. Can stories cause real-world harm? What kinds of narratives are particularly dangerous? And who is most vulnerable to their effects?
This presentation explores the mobilizing potential of disinformation through both historical examples and recent case studies from the United States and Russia. Across these contexts, disinformation campaigns have weaponized narratives of identity contagion to generate moral panic, harden group boundaries, and justify political violence. Despite distinct cultural backdrops, these campaigns reveal striking similarities in the psychological conditions that made them effective, including social isolation, perceived identity threat, and heightened moral polarization.
By comparing the structure, content, and psychological effects of these disinformation campaigns, the analysis highlights shared antecedents and outlines vulnerability factors that make individuals and groups susceptible to radicalizing influence. These insights offer a deeper understanding of how dangerous narratives are not only believed, but lived—and how they can become catalysts for real-world extremism.
Aífe Hopkins-Doyle is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Surrey and at the University of Exeter. Previously, she held positions as Assistant Professor at both the University of Surrey and the University of Kent. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Kent. Her research explores sexism, false beliefs about gender relations, and strategies for promoting gender equality in education and academia. Her work has been published in journals including Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Communications Psychology, and Sex Roles, and has been featured in The Times, Forbes Magazine, and VICE. Her recent research on the accuracy of feminist stereotypes was awarded the 2025 Georgia Babladelis Best Paper Award by Psychology of Women Quarterly. She is also co-founder of the SPRinG+ Network, which supports collaboration and networking among social psychologists researching gender-diverse topics across Europe.
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Gender Disparities in Academia: Research Insights and Solutions
Despite recent progress, gender disparities in academia remain a pressing issue. Women continue to be underrepresented in almost all disciplines and often earn less than their male colleagues. In academic psychology, although women are not numerically underrepresented, disparities persist in areas such as pay, research outputs, and scholarly impact. Social psychology—with its emphasis on social cognition and understanding biases in human behaviour and decision making—is uniquely positioned to provide insights on the mechanisms that sustain these disparities. In this talk, I will review empirical research on gender disparities across traditional academic performance indicators (e.g., grant funding, promotion) as well as recent evidence suggesting that some gaps—such as recognition through professional awards—may be narrowing in certain contexts. Albeit not in ways that will lead to equality in eminence. By drawing on social psychological theory and data, this talk aims to provoke critical consideration and discussion about how our discipline can contribute to fostering a more equitable academic environment.
OUTSTANDING WOMEN IN SCIENCE
Award of the 20th Annual Meeting of the PSPS
Please note!!! The deadline for submitting applications has been extended to August 24, 2025
On the occasion of the 20th Annual Meeting of the PSPS, the organizers of the Meeting have established "Outstanding Women in Science" Award. The award will be granted to women for outstanding achievements in the field of social psychology – in particular, for their overall scientific achievements, contributions to the development of social psychology, and popularization activities related to psychological knowledge and its applications.
Who can be a candidate?
Any woman who is a Polish citizen, at least a doctoral degree, and is employed at a scientific or academic institution in Poland.
Who can submit a nomination?
- scientific institutions and academic centers,
- individuals employed at these institutions,
- self-nominations are also welcome
📅 Application deadline: August 10, 2025.
📝 Application form (available in Polish only)
📄 Award Regulations (in Polish)
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The nominations will be evaluated by the Award Committee, appointed by the organizers of the 20th Annual Meeting of the PSPS. The Committee members are:
- prof. dr hab. Agata Gąsiorowska (USWPS),
- dr hab. Aleksandra Cisłak-Wójcik, prof. USWPS (USWPS)
- dr hab. Katarzyna Hamer, prof. IP PAN (IP PAN)
- dr Maria Baran (USWPS)
- prof. dr hab. Wojciech Dragan (UJ)
The name of the laureate will be announced during the official session of the 20th Annual Meeting of the PSPS in September 2025.