Social Scientist
MJ Schneider
Ph.D. Student · University of Washington
I study how people understand and change themselves — how identity is built, bent, and rebuilt through social experience. My work sits at the intersection of self-concept, social identity, and prejudice, with a particular interest in how simulation and social context shape the way we know who we are.
Research Interests
Questions I study
Self & Identity
How do people revise their self-concepts? I examine how mental simulation, social feedback, and context reshape who we understand ourselves to be — including how identity shifts across major life transitions.
Prejudice & Social Context
How do social identities — gender, sexuality, generational status — interact with systems of bias? I study prejudice as it operates in everyday settings, institutions, and political contexts.
Political Polarization
Can religious community reduce political animosity? As part of the Templeton-funded project on religion and political polarization, I examine how religious behavior shapes affective polarization across the ideological spectrum.
Selected Publications
Published Work
Accepted · Journal Article
Does religious behavior reduce affective polarization? Evidence from a daily diary study
Smiley, A. H., Schneider, M. J., Kaiser, C. · Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
2024 · Journal Article
Simulation requires activation of self-knowledge to change self-concept
Schneider, M. J., Rubin-McGregor, J. M., Elder, J., Hughes, B., & Tamir, D. · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
2024 · Book Chapter
Sexual and gender identity prejudice
Kite, M., Wagner, L., & Schneider, M. J. · Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination, 3rd Ed. Routledge & CRC Press
2022 · Book Chapter
Brain training and intelligence
Schneider, M. J., & Viskontas, I.V. · Investigating Pop Psychology: Pseudoscience, Fringe Science and Controversies. Taylor and Francis
Teaching
In the Classroom
Teaching Assistant · University of Washington
Graduate TA · 2023–Present
- —Fundamentals of Research Design
- —Abnormal Psychology
- —Advanced Human Sexuality
- —Psychology of Gender
Reader / Grader · University of Washington
Course Support · 2023–Present
- —Psychology of Health Disparities
- —Biopsychology
- —Social Psychology Lab
- —Learning
- —Motivation
Mentorship
Growing together
I mentor multiple undergraduate research assistants and honors students in the Social Identity Lab each year, supporting them through empirical research, professional development, and whatever path comes next — inside or outside academia.
Get in Touch
Let's connect
I'm always glad to hear from collaborators, students, and anyone curious about the work.