PIK Professor and Penn CFAR HCP SWG Director Dolores Albarracín has been named one of five recipients of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences for her research increasing “our understanding of how attitudes can be changed, particularly with regard to persuasive messages,” the awards committee said.
“My research has been guided by the following questions: How do we change behavior through persuasion? When does persuasion begin with changes in convictions, and when does it end with changes in beliefs that originate in particular emotions? How can we promote exposure to messages audiences fear and resist?” Albarracín says. “Answering each of these questions involves identifying the psychological processes at play and producing policy recommendations that benefit society.