Kayley Okst is currently a PhD student in the Politics and Intergroup Relations lab (PIRL) at New York University (NYU) working with Dr. Eric Knowles. She earned her BA in Psychology from Boston College in 2019. During her undergraduate career, she worked with Dr. Andrea Heberlein on an honors thesis exploring the impacts of political disagreement on how we perceive others’ minds.
Kayley's research focuses on intergroup conflict and political polarization, with an emphasis on belief formation. She is particularly interested in how people form beliefs in opposition to those they dislike. Her work explores the psychological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, examining how partisan identity, affective polarization, and social norms shape self-concept and political attitudes. She also investigates the broader consequences of polarization, including its effects on collective action and democratic engagement.
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