Adam Cohen's main research interests fuse cultural, social, and personality psychology. He is interested in how religious differences function as cultural differences, affecting domains including religious identity and motivation, well-being, moral judgment, forgiveness, and the like. Cohen is also interested in applying evolutionary theory to religion. He is associate editor of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. He has had grant funding from the Notre Dame Science of Generosity program, the Templeton Foundation, NSF, DARPA, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Army Research Institute.
Professor Cohen is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, the 2009 recipient of the Margaret Gorman award from the American Psychological Association, the 2013 Godin Prize winner from the International Association for the Psychology of Religion, and the 2012 Gumby Award winner from the ASU Department of Psychology.
Cohen, A. B. Many forms of culture. American Psychologist (2009).
Cohen, A. B., & Hall, D. E. Existential beliefs, social satisfaction, and well-being among Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant older adults. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (2009).
Cohen, A. B., Malka, A., Hill, E. D., Thoemmes, F., Hill, P. C., & Sundie, J. M. Race as a moderator of the relationship between religiosity and political alignment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2009).
Horberg, E. J., Oveis, C. O., Keltner, D., & Cohen, A. B. Disgust and the moralization of purity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2009).
Oveis, C., Cohen, A. B., Gruber, J., Shiota, M. N., & Haidt, J., & Keltner, D. Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia is associated with tonic positive emotionality. Emotion (2009).
Cohen, A. B., Shariff, A. F., & Hill, P. C. The accessibility of religious beliefs. Journal of Research in Personality, (2008).
Shariff, A. F., Cohen, A. B., & Norenzayan, A. The Devil’s advocate: Secular arguments diminish both implicit and explicit religious beliefs. Journal of Cognition and Culture (2008).
Weeden, J., Cohen, A. B., & Kenrick, D. T. Religious participation and reproductive strategies. Evolution and Human Behavior (2008).
Adam Cohen, P Hill. Religion as culture: Religious individualism and collectivism among American Catholics, Jews, and Protestants. Journal of Personality (2007).
J Siev, Adam Cohen. Is thought-action fusion related to religiosity? Group differences between Jews and Christians. Behavior Research & Therapy (2007).
Adam Cohen, A Malka, P Rozin, L Cherfas. Religion and unforgivable offenses. Journal of Personality (2006).
L Cherfas, P Rozin, Adam Cohen, A Davidson, C McCauley. The framing of atrocities: Documenting and exploring wide variation in aversion to Germans and German-related activities among Holocaust survivors. Peace & Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology (2006).
Adam Cohen, D Hall, H Koenig, K Meador. Social versus individual motivation: Implications for normative definitions of religious orientation. Personality & Social Psychology Review (2005).
Adam Cohen, J Pierce, R Meade, J Chambers, B Gorvine, H Koenig. Intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity, belief in the afterlife, death anxiety, and life satisfaction in young Catholic and Protestant adults. Journal of Research in Personality (2005).
Adam Cohen, P Rozin, D Keltner. Different religions, different emotions. Behavioral & Brain Sciences (2004).
Adam Cohen. Religion, likelihood of action, and the morality of mentality. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (2003).
Adam Cohen, J Siegel, P Rozin. Faith versus practice: Different bases for religiosity judgments by Jews and Protestants. European Journal of Social Psychology (2003).
J Abramowitz, J Huppert, Adam Cohen, S Cahill, D Tolin. Religious obsessions and compulsions in a non-clinical sample: The Penn Inventory of Scrupulosity. Behavior Research and Therapy (2002).
Cohen. Just how many forms of culture are there?. American Psychologist (0).
Cohen Gruber Keltner. Comparing spiritual transformations and experiences of profound beauty. Psychology of religion and spirituality (0).
Hill Terrell Cohen Nagoshi. The role of social cognition in the religious fundamentalism-prejudice relationship. Journal Scientific Study Religion (0).
Li Cohen Weeden Kenrick. Mating competitors increase religious beliefs. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (0).
Cohen, A. B., Hill, P. C., Shariff, A. F., & Rozin, P. Furthering the evolution of discussion on religion: Multi-method study, universality, and cultural variation. The evolution of religion: Studies, theories, and critiques (0).
Kwan Johnson Neel Cohen. Anthropomorphism. Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology (0).
Research Activity
Cohen,Adam*. Two Axioms of Control: Belief in a Just World and Belief in God among Confucians and Orthodox Jews. Fuller Theol. Sem(6/1/2015 - 8/31/2015).
Cohen,Adam*, Brewer Jr,Gene, Corman,Steven Robert, Newman,Matt L. Religion Culture and Trust. DOD-AFOSR(2/1/2015 - 1/31/2018).
Johnson,Kathryn Ann*, Cohen,Adam, Enders,Craig Kyle, Okun,Morris A. Psychological Needs Individual Differences and Representations of God. TEMPLETON (JOHN) FDN(8/15/2014 - 8/14/2017).
Johnson,Kathryn Ann*, Cohen,Adam, Okun,Morris A. Does Knowledge of Science and World Religions Lead to Representations of God as Transcendent (ASUF 30006287). ASU FDN(8/15/2014 - 2/14/2017).
Corman,Steven Robert*, Brewer Jr,Gene, Cohen,Adam, Roberto,Anthony, Ruston,Scott W, Trethewey,Angela. Toward Narrative Disruptors and Inductors: Mapping the Narrative Comprehension Network and its Persuasive Effects. DOI - NBC(6/27/2012 - 12/26/2013).
Cohen,Adam*, Okun,Morris A. Promoting Prosociality Through the Cultivation of a Benevolent God-Concept. TEMPLETON (JOHN) FDN(9/1/2011 - 5/31/2014).
Cohen,Adam*. The Influence of Benevolent vs. Judgmental God-concepts on Volunteerism. UNIV OF NOTRE DAME(8/15/2011 - 8/14/2012).
Cohen,Adam*, Enders,Craig Kyle, Neuberg,Steven Laurence. Ethnic and Religious Influences on Forgiveness for Mass Atrocities. NSF-SBE(2/15/2010 - 1/31/2012).
Warner,Carolyn*, Cohen,Adam. The Role of Religious Beliefs and Institutions in Generosity: Catholicism and Islam. UNIV OF NOTRE DAME(1/1/2010 - 6/30/2012).
Cohen,Adam*. Evaluating Effects of Spiritual Practices Across Traditions. IONS(1/1/2007 - 6/30/2008).
Cohen,Adam*. Effects of Faith, Nature of God, and Community on Health and Well-Being: A Multi-Method, Multi-Cultural Study. METANEXUS INST(6/1/2006 - 5/31/2008).
