Brittany Tausen

Biography

Education: B.A., Carroll College (2010); M.Sc. University of Aberdeen (2011); Ph.D. University of Aberdeen (July 2014). At SPU since 2016 Dr. Tausen is a social cognitive psychologist inherently interested in the way that people think about themselves and others. While completing her doctoral work at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Dr. Tausen’s research focused on how different perspectives (e.g., first-person vs. third-person) can be leveraged to alter the outcomes of mental simulations. This work has garnered international attention given its wide-ranging implications ranging from assessments of potentially painful events to the amount of calories one ingests. In her Social Cognitive Laboratory at SPU, Dr. Tausen leads a team of students to better understand the factors that shape perceptions of the self and others. Whether investigating the conditions necessary to hold oneself responsible for a negative outcome or the ways that perspective taking can alter impressions of same-race and other-race individuals, Dr. Tausen’s research focuses on the underlying cognitive processes that accompany everyday social interactions. Dr. Tausen teaches General Psychology and Social Psychology as well as Colloquium Courses such as How (Not) to Read Minds and How Happiness Happens. Dr. Tausen in passionate about helping students broaden their understanding of psychology as well as encouraging them to take what they have learned outside the classroom. In an effort to breakdown stereotypes and provide an opportunity for individuals to tell their own stories, Dr. Tausen’s students contribute to a website aimed to help members of the SPU community express how they want to be seen rather than how they have been labeled throughout their lives.

Research Interest

Psychology