Ahra Ko
- ahrako@wharton.upenn.edu
- 0000-0002-7295-1097
- Google Scholar
As a super-social species, we face diverse challenges and opportunities in navigating relationships:
protecting ourselves from danger, avoiding infectious others, building friendships, gaining status, pursuing romantic partnerships,
and caring for our families. Among these goals, which three are most important to you, and how motivated are you toward each?
Have these goal priorities shifted over time, especially compared to earlier stages of your life or in response to the global pandemic?
Our goal priorities shape how we perceive and interact with ourselves, others, and the world around us.
These goal-directed social cognitions function to help us achieve our goals by flexibly navigating the challenges and opportunities
in our social lives. As our goal priorities shift across life stages and in response to environmental changes, our goal-directed
social cognition must also flexibly adjust.
I investigate these functionally flexible social minds—how our social cognitions are flexibly calibrated in response to
shifting goal priorities in a functional way that facilitates goal achievement. My research explores dynamic connections
between (a) goal priorities, (b) cognitive appraisal, and (c) environments, examining
how they interact at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cross-cultural levels.
Employment
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
education
Honor & Award
paper published & invited revision
13. Ko, A. & Neuberg, S. L. (Invited Revision) Ecological affordances across life stages: An affordance management framework. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. [Target article]
12. Duckworth, A. L., Ko, A., Milkman, K. L … & Van den Bulte, C. (invited revision) Nudging teachers: A megastudy to increase math achievement among 3 million elementary school students. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
11. Ko, A., Neuberg, S. L., Pick, C. M., Varnum, M. E. W., & Becker, D. V. (2024) Responses to political partisans are shaped by a COVID-sensitive disease avoidance psychology: A longitudinal investigation of functional flexibility. American Psychologist. [Paper] | [OSF]
10. Kirsch, A., Kenrick, D. T., Ko, A., Pick, C. M., & Varnum, M. E. W. (2024) Sibling aggression is surprisingly common and sexually egalitarian. Evolution and Human Behavior, 45(2), 214-227. [Paper] | [OSF]
09. Ko, A., Bock, J. E., Ko, J., & Krems, J. A. (2023) Contagious or prosocial? Perceptions of mask-wearers toward Whites and Asians: A cross-cultural comparison during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 17(11), e12880. [Paper] | [OSF]
08. Ko, A., Suh, E. M., Shin, J., & Neuberg, S. L. (2023) Functionally calibrating life satisfaction: The case of mating motives and self-perceived mate value. Journal of Happiness Studies, 24(2), 651-675. [Paper]
07. Pick, C. M., Ko, A., Wormley, A. S., Wiezel, A., Kenrick, D. T., … & Varnum, M. E. W. (2022) Family still matters: Human social motivation during a global pandemic. Evolution and Human Behavior, 43(6), 527-535. [Paper] | [OSF]
06. Pick, C. M., Ko, A., Kenrick, D. T., … & Varnum, M. E. W. (2022) Fundamental social motives measured across forty-two cultures in two waves. Scientific Data, 9(1), 1-12. [Paper] | [OSF]
05. Barlev, M., Ko, A., Krems, J. A., & Neuberg, S. L. (2022) Weight location moderates weight-based self-devaluation and perceived social devaluation in women. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 19485506211060724. [Paper] | [OSF]
04. Krems, J. A., Ko, A., Moon, J. W., & Varnum, M. E. W. (2021) Sexually unrestricted women are perceived as having low self-esteem: First evidence for a pervasive, robust (but unfounded) stereotype. Psychological Science, 32(6), 871-889. [Paper] | [OSF]
03. Ko, A., Pick, C. M., Kwon, J. Y., Barlev, M., Krems, J. A., Varnum, M. E., ... & Kenrick, D. T. (2020) Family matters: Rethinking the psychology of human social motivation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(1), 173-201. [Paper] | [OSF]
02. Becker, D. V., Rheem, H., Pick, C. M., Ko, A., & Lafko, S. R. (2019) Angry faces hold attention: Evidence of attentional adhesion in two paradigms. Progress in Brain Research, 247. [Paper]
01. Ko, A., & Suh, E. M. (2019) Does physical attractiveness buy happiness? Women’s mating motivation and happiness. Motivation and Emotion, 43(1), 1–11. [Paper]
Conference
Symposium Organizing
"From Walkability to Pathogens to Seasonality: Multilevel Influences of Ecology on Psychological and Cultural Dynamics" (October, 2024).
Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Speakers: Ahra Ko (Chair), Shige Oishi, Mark Schaller, Michael Varnum.
“Human values: An integrative perspective” (October, 2023).
Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Madison, Wisconsin.
Speakers: Ahra Ko, Daniel Sznycer, Joshua Jackson, Igor Grossmann.
"COVID, Disease Psychology, and Politics" (June, 2022).
Human Behavior & Evolution Society Conference, Virtual.
Speakers: Ahra Ko (Chair), Michael Bang Peterson, Lene Aarøe, Lei Fan.
"The Invisible Hand of Family: Why and How Kin Matter" (February, 2020).
Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Speakers: Ahra Ko (Co-chair), Debra Lieberman, Oliver Sng, Jonathan Scultz.
Travel Award
Paper Presentation & Talk
13. Ko, A., Duckworth, A. L., & Milkman, K. L. (February, 2024). A 140,000-teacher megastudy of email nudges to encourage math progress. Paper presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, California.
12. Ko, A., Pick, C. M., Varnum, M. E. W., & Kenrick, D. T. (October, 2023). Valuing motives: A cross-cultural analysis of fundamental social motives in 42 countries before and during the pandemic. Paper presentation at the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Madison, Wisconsin.
11. Ko, A., Pick, C. M., Varnum, M. E. W., Becker, D. V., & Neuberg, S. L. (June, 2022). Responses to partisans are calibrated by a COVID-sensitive behavioral immune system. Paper presentation at the Human Behavior & Evolution Society Conference, Virtual.
10. Kirsch, A., Kenrick, D. T., Ko, A., Pick, C. M., & Varnum, M. E. W. (June, 2022) Differences in aggression among kin and non-kin. Paper presentation at the Human Behavior & Evolution Society Conference, Virtual.
09. Cohen, A. B., Moon, J. W., & Ko, A. (May, 2022). Individual differences and ecological influences interact to predict anti-atheist prejudice. P aper presentation at APS Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois.
08. Kirsch, A., Kenrick, D. T., Ko, A., Pick, C. M., & Varnum, M. E. W. (April, 2022) Differences in aggression among kin and non-kin. Paper presentation at the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society.
07. Ko, A., Pick, C. M., Varnum, M. E. W., Becker, D. V., & Neuberg, S. L. (February, 2022). Threat-based antipathy toward Republicans is calibrated within individuals by a disease psychology sensitive to COVID cases. Data presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Francisco, California.
06. Bock, J., Ko, A., & Krems, J. A. (February, 2021). Explicit and implicit evaluations of mask-wearers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paper presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference.
05. Ko, A., Pick, C. M., Kwon, J., Barlev, M., Krems, J. A., Varnum, M. E. W., & Kenrick, D. T. (February, 2020). Family matters: Rethinking the psychology of human social motivation. Paper presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
04. Krems, J. A., Ko, A., Moon, J. W., & Varnum, M. E. W. (October, 2019). Sexually unrestricted women are perceived as having low self-esteem: First evidence for a pervasive persistent, robust (but unfounded) stereotype. Paper presentation at the annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, Toronto, Canada.
03. Ko, A., Suh, E. M., Shin, J., & Neuberg, S. L. (May, 2019). Functionally calibrating life satisfaction: The case of mating motives and self-perceived mate value. Paper presentation at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
02. Ko, A., & Suh, E. M. (August, 2016). Self-perceived mate value and happiness. Paper presentation at the International Society for Quality of Life Research conference, Seoul, South Korea.
01. Shin, J., Suh., E. M., Kim, J., & Ko, A. (May, 2015). Romantic motives make the relative aspects of happiness salient. Paper presentation at Korea Social and Personality Psychological Association conference, Seoul, South Korea.
Poster Presentation
13. Palo A., Ko, A., & Neuberg, S. N. (April, 2023)
Punishing good outcomes & punishing good intentions: Contrasting punishment decisions made by direct recipients vs. third-party observers.
Poster presented at Arizona Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (AZPURC).
[Third Best Poster Award]
12. Sabree, K., Ko, A., Neuberg, S. N., & Kenrick, D. T. (April, 2021) Are you my father? Paternal uncertainty and genetic testing. Poster presented at Arizona Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (AZPURC), Virtual.
11. Ko, A., Becker, D.V., & Neuberg, S.L. (February, 2021). Is AAAB more diverse than ABBB? On judging diversity. Poster presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference.
10. Rheem, H., Ko, A., & Becker, D. V. (November, 2019). Conflict evoked by counter-stereotypical implicit associations is processed by the conflict monitoring mechanism like Stroop stimuli. Poster presentation at the Psychonomic Society conference, Montréal, Québec, CA.
09. Defelipe, R. P., Crispim, A. C., Ferreira, J. H. B. P., Varella, M. A. C., Valentova, J. V., Varnum, M. E W., Pick, C. M., Ko, A., & Kenrick, D. T. (September, 2019). Reproductive effort as the best predictor of life satisfaction: Evidence from a Brazilian sample. Poster presented at the meeting of the International Society for Human Ethology, Zadar, Croatia.
08. Ko, A., Suh, E. M., & Neuberg, S. L. (January, 2019) Is life satisfaction calibrated by self-perceived mate value? Poster presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, Portland, Oregon.
07. Ko, A., Suh, E.M., & Neuberg, S.L. (July, 2018) Is life satisfaction calibrated by self-perceived mate value? Poster presentation at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
06. Ko, A., Suh, E.M., & Neuberg, S.L. (March, 2018) Q: Is happiness predicted by self-perceived mate value? A: Am I a man or a woman? Poster presentation at Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, Atlanta, GA.
05. Ko, A., Kim, E., & Suh, E.M. (January, 2017). Sex differences in self-perceived mate value and happiness. Poster presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Antonio, TX.
04. Kim, E., Song, Y., Ko, A., & Suh, E.M. (January, 2017). The relationship between fetal testosterone (digit ratio) and happiness. Poster presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Antonio, TX.
03. Ko, A., Kim, E., & Suh, E.M. (January, 2016). Women’s hormonal fluctuation and happiness judgment: physical attractiveness matters more during high fertility phase. Poster presentation at Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
02. Kim, E., Ko, A., & Suh, E.M. (January, 2016). Incremental theory of physical attractiveness and happiness among Koreans. Poster presentation at Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
01. Shin, J., Suh., E.M., Kim, J., & Ko, A. (January, 2016). Romantic motives make the relative aspects of happiness salient. Poster presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.