Dr. Kristin Laurin

Dr. Kristin Laurin is an associate professor at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Laurin is interested in how motivation shapes a person’s identity. Her research examines how people’s goals and motivations interact with their beliefs and ideologies. In 2018, she received the SAGE Young Scholar Award, became a Fellow with the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and received the Janet Taylor Spence Award for transformative early career contributions. Most recently, Dr. Laurin received the Killam Faculty Research Fellowship through the University of British Columbia.



Educational Resources:

  • Learning Check-In: After watching the video interview with Dr. Laurin, students will answer reflection questions about it.

  • Website Review: Students will investigate Dr. Laurin’s website to learn more about her research.

  • Article Analysis: Students will select a recent publication of Dr. Laurin’s and create a PowerPoint presentation about it.

  • Recommended Courses: An extended list of courses that correspond with Dr. Laurin’s video interview and her areas of expertise.


Dr. Laurin's website


Representative Publications:

  • Jost, J. T., Halperin, E., & Laurin, K. (2020). Editorial overview: Five observations about tradition and progress in the scientific study of political ideologies. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 34, iii. View article here

  • Heltzel, G., & Laurin, K. (2020). Polarization in America: two possible futures. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 34, 179-184. View article here

  • Kay, A. C., Gaucher, D., Peach, J. M., Laurin, K., Friesen, J., Zanna, M. P., & Spencer, S. J. (2009). Inequality, discrimination, and the power of the status quo: Direct evidence for a motivation to see the way things are as the way they should be. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(3), 421. View article here