In grade school, a priest visiting Chicago parish labeled him a hooligan.
Years later, that unfortunate incident (based upon a simple misunderstanding, John Skowronski assures) helped inspire him to research why and how people form their opinions about others. Now social psychologists around the world label him as a leading researcher in the arena of social cognition.
Skowronski’s early work examining biases in social judgments has influenced many other researchers and, more recently, he has increased understanding in how people spontaneously form “first impressions” and how those impressions color future interactions.
He is also highly regarded for his work on autobiographical memory, exploring why we remember some things and not others and how we place events in time. He has also established a reputation for his evolution-based theoretical ideas related to the development of a sense of self in humans and for his work exploring social memory.
“John’s work is elegant, creative, important and meticulous. He is the perfect model of what a good scientist does,” says Steven Sherman, the Chancellor’s Professor of Psychology at Indiana University.
Skowronski, who enjoys teaching a wide variety of courses from introductory psychology to advanced courses in social cognition, believes that teaching and research go hand-in-hand.
“I don’t know how you could be a competent instructor in this area and not be a researcher at the same time,” he says. “Things change so fast that it’s the only way to keep up.”