We are social psychologists with more than 60 years of combined experience conducting research on interpersonal relations, with a focus on commitment processes. We know the research literature well and can help you apply it to solving vexing workplace problems.
Dr. Ximena B. Arriaga is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and University Scholar at Purdue University. She attained a B.A. degree from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Arriaga studies the rewards and challenges of close relationships. Her work examines how relationships can alter insecure tendencies (funded by NSF), what makes them endure (funded by NIMH), and why they endure even if they become harmful (funded by the Center for Families at Purdue University). Her research has been published widely and she has won a number of awards for her teaching Dr. Arriaga also has been active in her profession, as an Associate Editor (e.g., Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin) and Consulting Editor (e.g., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology). She has held elected and appointed positions in leading professional organizations, and is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the Midwestern Psychological Association, the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. She was elected President of the Midwestern Psychological Association. She also served as Program Director for Social Psychology at the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Arriaga has also dedicated significant time and effort to change systemic conditions that cause people to feel overlooked or underappreciated in various settings. She was an inaugural Provost Fellow at Purdue, working closely with Purdue campus leadership to foster a climate of inclusive success.
Dr. Christopher R. Agnew is Professor of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on close, interpersonal relationships and the use of relational models to understand broader social and health processes.
He has published and presented his research widely, and has received funding from the National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Cancer Institute), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Meta. Dr. Agnew has served on the editorial boards for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and Personal Relationships (on which he served as Associate Editor). He was among the General Editors of the Cambridge University Press book series Advances in Personal Relationships. He was the recipient of the Early Career Award from the Relationships Researchers Interest Group of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and the Research Career Award from the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue. He is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, American Psychological Association, International Association for Relationship Research, Midwestern Psychological Association, the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. He served as President of the International Association for Relationship Research
Dr. Agnew also served as Head of Psychological Sciences at Purdue from 2009 to 2017 and as Associate Vice President for Research for Purdue University from 2017 to 2022.