Rate My Professor Russ Webster

Russ Webster, Ph.D., serves as Associate Professor of Psychology in the Psychological and Social Sciences division at Pennsylvania State University Abington. A first-generation college graduate, he earned a B.A. in Psychology and French from North Central College in 2003, including a study abroad experience in Angers, France. He continued with an M.A. in Cognitive and Social Processes from Ball State University in 2006 and a Ph.D. in Personality/Social Psychology from Kansas State University in 2012. Before joining Penn State Abington, Dr. Webster held visiting faculty positions at three undergraduate institutions: Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota; North Central College in Naperville, Illinois; and St. Mary's College of Maryland in St. Mary's City, Maryland. His career reflects a commitment to teaching and research at primarily undergraduate institutions.

Dr. Webster's research investigates the interplay between individual differences—such as personality, attributions, and attitudes—and situational factors in shaping intergroup prejudice, his primary focus, alongside magical thinking as a secondary line. Recent work centers on how belief in pure evil and belief in pure good influence aggression, prosociality, political psychology, perceptions of gun violence perpetrators, and consumer ethics. Other areas include stereotyping, discrimination, human sexuality, gender, sexual orientation, fantasy, and superstition. He has secured substantial funding through grants, including the 2021 C3N Criminal Justice Research Center Grant for $5,375, Summer Faculty Grant Fellowships of $4,000 in 2017, 2020, and 2021, Faculty Development Grants ranging from $1,125 to $4,400 between 2016 and 2020, a 2019 Chancellor's Grant for $4,979, and a 2019 Rubin Psychological and Social Sciences Endowment for $1,440. Notable publications encompass 'Social vigilantism: Measuring individual differences in belief superiority and resistance to persuasion' (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2010), 'Angels and demons are among us: Assessing individual differences in belief in pure evil and belief in pure good' (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2013), 'Methodological and theoretical improvements in the study of superstitious beliefs and behavior' (British Journal of Psychology, 2014), 'Demons with guns: The effect of belief in pure evil on attributions of gun violence perpetrators' (Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2021), and 'From Hobbits to Harry Potter: A psychological perspective on fantasy' (Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, in press). These contributions advance understanding of moral beliefs and prejudice in social contexts.