Amanda Johnston, Ph.D.

Biography

Amanda Johnston, Ph.D., is currently an associate professor of psychology at University of Houston–Clear Lake. Her research focuses on understanding stereotypes about primarily gender groups, social change, and motivation. Dr. Johnston approaches most of her research from a social role theory framework; this perspective emphasizes the critical nature of a group’s position in the social structure for understanding both group differences and beliefs about groups.

Her dissertation research explored how the beliefs that we have for why groups possess particular traits and behaviors contributes to the overall stability and legitimacy of the existing social structure. She is also interested in how the motivations underlying social change impact evaluations by others.

Some of her most recent work explored how the goals women typically possess contribute to why women opt out of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

Curriculum vitae

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