The current project aims to develop a psychophysiological threat-and-coping model of social change. Linking social, psychological, and physiological levels of analysis this novel model describes and explains the interplay between lower-level physiological responses, and higher-level information processing, to understand how people form opinions about social change. Moving beyond maladaptive physiological arousal (threat) the possibility will be examined that change can also elicit more benign arousal (challenge) and link this to sensitivity to specific types of arguments (instrumental, moral, identity) and rigidity versus open-mindedness in opinion formation.

2 PhD positions

We seek two PhD candidates on this project. The first successful candidate will work on a project on (dealing with) the threat of migration; this part of the project will be carried out at Leiden University. The second PhD candidate will work on a project on the threat of diversity- and sustainability policies in organizations; this part of the project will be carried-out at Utrecht University.