Dr. Sarah Cavrak

Cognitive scientist specializing in conservation and health psychology research

Wilmington, North Carolina, United States of America

Research Expertise

Conservation

Sustainable Behavior

Wellness

Cognitive Psychology

Decision-Making and Judgment

Environmental Psychology

Social Justice

Pro-Social Behavior

Conservation Psychology

Health Psychology

Climate Change

About

I am a cognitive scientist who specializes in conservation and health psychology. My career to this point has been an exciting exploration into my passion for understanding the various decision-making processes we undertake each and every day, and the ways in which cognitive mechanisms and implicit and explicit belief systems impact the choices we make. From what we buy to how we cast our votes; and from where we donate our precious dollars to how we interact with the natural world; cognitive processes underlie all of these lifestyle factors and judgments. The decision-making research I’ve conducted over the past decade has been diverse and includes topics like pro-environmental behavior, politics, health and lifestyle wellbeing, and pro-social behavior (charitable donations, volunteerism, activism), among others. My research has been published in several high impact journals (e.g., Memory & Cognition, Applied Cognitive Psychology, Intl. Journal for the Psychology of Religion), and featured in various popular online outlets (e.g., Fox Business News, NerdWallet, Digiday, MedTech Dive). Professional affiliations include: The American Psychological Association, The Society for Consumer Psychology, and the Association for Psychological Science.

Publications

Deciding the Fate of Others: The Cognitive Underpinnings of Racially Biased Juror Decision Making

The Journal of General Psychology / Jul 01, 2012

Kleider, H. M., Knuycky, L. R., & Cavrak, S. E. (2012). Deciding the Fate of Others: The Cognitive Underpinnings of Racially Biased Juror Decision Making. The Journal of General Psychology, 139(3), 175–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2012.686462

Line‐up Misidentifications: When Being ‘Prototypically Black’ is Perceived as Criminal

Applied Cognitive Psychology / Oct 09, 2013

Knuycky, L. R., Kleider, H. M., & Cavrak, S. E. (2013). Line‐up Misidentifications: When Being ‘Prototypically Black’ is Perceived as Criminal. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28(1), 39–46. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.2954

Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Words and a Moral Decision or Two: Religious Symbols Prime Moral Judgments

The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion / May 12, 2014

Cavrak, S. E., & Kleider-Offutt, H. M. (2014). Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Words and a Moral Decision or Two: Religious Symbols Prime Moral Judgments. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 25(3), 173–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2014.921111

Do Police Officers' Beliefs About Emotional Witnesses Influence the Questions They Ask?

Applied Cognitive Psychology / Jan 24, 2015

Kleider‐Offutt, H. M., Cavrak, S. E., & Knuycky, L. R. (2015). Do Police Officers’ Beliefs About Emotional Witnesses Influence the Questions They Ask? Applied Cognitive Psychology, 29(2), 314–319. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3111

Looking like a criminal: Stereotypical black facial features promote face source memory error

Memory & Cognition / Jul 07, 2012

Kleider, H. M., Cavrak, S. E., & Knuycky, L. R. (2012). Looking like a criminal: Stereotypical black facial features promote face source memory error. Memory & Cognition, 40(8), 1200–1213. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-012-0229-x

Education

Edinboro University

B.A., Psychology / December, 2003

Edinboro, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Georgia State University

M.A., Cognitive Sciences / December, 2010

Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America

Georgia State University

Ph.D., Cognitive Sciences / December, 2013

Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America

Experience

Georgia State University

Graduate Research/Learning Assistant / August, 2007 — December, 2013

Sheldon Sinrich, LLC

Research Consultant / January, 2014 — December, 2014

Cox Communications

Research Consultant / December, 2013 — July, 2015

AnalyticsIQ, Inc.

Senior Research Director / January, 2016 — Present

Links & Social Media

LinkedIn

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