Bias as Resource: A Psychological Alignment Model of Resilient Knowledge
Author(s) / Lena Aarøe
Political Psychology Pre-Conference
2026 APSA Political Psychology Pre-Conference
Political Psychology Across the Discipline: New Theory, Methods, Measures, and Applications
A focused gathering ahead of the 2026 APSA Annual Meeting for scholars advancing political psychology across subfields, methods, and research contexts.
Date
September 2, 2026
Time
8:30 am Breakfast - 5:45 pm Reception
Location
Harvard University
Bringing together innovation from across the discipline
In increasing numbers, political psychologists now span the traditional subfields of Political Science, producing impactful work in International Relations, Comparative Politics, American Politics, and Theory. This growing diversity - extending even into emerging areas like computational political science - has led scholars to ask fresh questions in new contexts, expanding psychological work well beyond its traditional home in social psychology.
That expansion has proven generative. Recent political psychology work offers new ways of thinking about emotion, motivation, attitudes, and other key processes and outcomes, while applying these insights to a wider range of social and political phenomena than ever before, with implications that reach into other subfields as well.
This conference will provide a space for scholars making innovative contributions to the expansion of political psychology theory, measurement, and application to connect with political psychologists across subfields for rigorous debate of new ideas. We invite scholars from across the discipline to register on Eventbrite and join the conversation before the main APSA meeting begins.
We hope to see you there,
The 2026 APSA Political Psychology Pre-Conference Organizing Committee
Joshua Gubler
Ris Swank
Alexa Bankert
Amanda Friesen
Gijs Schumacher
Thanks to Ryan Enos (Harvard University) for hosting, and to our sponsor, APSA's Political Psychology Section.
Conference format
What the day will include
Four thematic paper panels
Fifteen-minute presentations followed by Q&A
A roundtable with editors of the journal Political Psychology
A moderated discussion on future directions in political psychology
Breakfast, lunch, coffee, snacks, and a closing reception with complimentary drink tickets
Itinerary
Conference itinerary
Finalized schedule for the 2026 APSA Political Psychology Pre-Conference.
8:30-9:00 am
Breakfast
Breakfast and informal conversation before the program begins.
9:00-9:30 am
Opening Remarks
Conference welcome and framing for the day.
9:30-10:45 am
Panel 1: Theory
Paper presentations and discussion on theoretical innovation in political psychology.
G(r)ay Liberals? Symbolic Identity Recognition, Conservative Co-optation, and Political Judgment Among Minoritized Voters
Author(s) / Alberto López Ortega, Martin Naunov, Stuart J. Turnbull-Dugarte
Enduring Wounds: State Violence and Conspiracy Thinking in American Politics
Author(s) / Franshelly M. Martinez-Ortiz
10:45 am-12:00 pm
Panel 2: Computational Methods
Paper presentations and discussion on computational approaches to political psychology.
The Substance of Partisan Affect: Identity, Issues, and the Asymmetric American Voter
Author(s) / Yujin Julia Jung, Dean Schafer, T. Murat Yildirim, Brandon Beomseob Park
When War Costs Generate Escalatory Demands: Measuring Perceived International Injustice with Machine Learning
Author(s) / Alina Khamatdinova
Are Conversations More Persuasive Than Static, One-Way Messages? Experimental Evidence from AI Political Persuasion
Author(s) / Jacques Courbe
12:00-1:00 pm
Lunch
Lunch and conversation with presenters and attendees.
1:00-2:00 pm
Roundtable with the Editors of Political Psychology
A roundtable conversation with editors of the journal Political Psychology.
2:00-3:15 pm
Panel 3: Causal Inference and Emotion
Paper presentations and discussion on causal inference, emotion, threat, and political behavior.
Too Damn High! Housing Affordability and Protest Participation
Author(s) / Deren Onursal, Adam LeGrand Hobbs
Triple Threat: A Lab Experiment of Experienced Threat and Ideology
Author(s) / Jesse Mehravar, Amanda Friesen, Benjamin Ruisch, Ruben Andre Teixeira Azevedo
Asking About Violence: Experimental Evidence from Survey Research in Mexico
Author(s) / Manuel Moscoso-Rojas, Hannah Baron, Rebecca Leitman, Sandra Ley, Lauren Young
3:15-4:30 pm
Panel 4: Measurement and Scale Development
Paper presentations and discussion on measurement, scale development, and belief networks.
The Reservist State: How Geopolitical Rivalry Undermines Women's Representation
Author(s) / Alexis Y. Jang
Political Mental Health is Distinct from Mental Health and Has Unique Political Correlates
Author(s) / Delaney Peterson, Gijs Schumacher, Frederic R. Hopp, Bert N. Bakker
The Structure of Belief Networks in Mass Publics
Author(s) / Allen Wilson, Connor Choate
4:45-5:45 pm
Moderated Discussion
A closing moderated discussion on future directions in political psychology.
5:45 pm
Reception
A concluding reception with time to connect informally with fellow participants.
Who should attend
Designed for a broad political psychology community
This pre-conference is intended to bring together scholars across subfields for discussion, debate, and connection before APSA begins.
All scholars with an interest in political psychology are invited at any stage of their career.
Participants working across political science subfields, including international relations, comparative politics, American politics, theory, and computational approaches.
Attendees are encouraged to book their hotel one night early and join the discussion before the main APSA meeting begins.