Associate ProfessorAndrew Vonasch

I believe a university education should prepare students not only for successful careers, but also for thoughtful, meaningful, and engaged lives. Few disciplines are better suited to that mission than psychology because it helps us better understand ourselves, one another, and the questions that shape nearly every aspect of human life. Why did someone do what they did? Why do we feel the emotions we do? How does the brain give rise to conscious experience? Why do some people flourish while others struggle? How can we help people overcome suffering? Why do people fight, cooperate, love, sacrifice, or forgive? These questions are not only scientifically fascinating—they are deeply practical. They shape how we understand ourselves, relate to other people, care for those who are struggling, resolve conflict, raise children, make public policy, and find meaning in our lives.

In my classes, we therefore spend as much time thinking about questions as we do about answers. We don't just discuss what researchers found—we ask why they pursued a particular question, why they designed a study the way they did, what alternative explanations they considered, and what conclusions the evidence actually supports. Rather than seeing research as a finished product, students learn how new knowledge is created: how to identify important questions, develop theories, design rigorous studies, evaluate evidence critically, and contribute ideas of their own. My goal is to help students think like psychological scientists, developing habits of curiosity, critical thinking, and evidence-based reasoning that will serve them throughout their lives—whether they become practitioners, researchers, policy analysts, or pursue careers beyond psychology.