Mark R. Joslyn, PhD.

I study political attitudes and attitude change.  How are political attitudes formed and under what conditions may we expect change?  I draw from cognitive and motivational theories, recognizing the value of both to understanding the political mind.  Over the past few years, I examined various determinants of causal attributions.  The perceived causes of mass shootings, obesity, homosexuality, wealth and success are a few of the attributions examined.  Another prominent feature of my research concerns the political attitudes and behavior of gun owners.  We know very little about this group, though guns generate much attention in American Politics.