Callahan CV Page 1
Shannon P. Callahan
Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis
134 Young Hall, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616
Email: spcallahan@ucdavis.edu
Website: shannonpcallahan.wordpress.com
EDUCATION
2009-Present
Ph.D., Social Psychology,
University of California, Davis
Dissertation Advisor: Alison Ledgerwood
Dissertation Title: The reifying effect of symbols: How group symbols
influence social perception
Expected 2015
2007—2009
M.S., Experimental Psychology, with highest distinction
Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Thesis Advisor: Janine Buckner
2002—2006
B.S., Peace Psychology, magna cum laude
Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA
Thesis Advisors: Dave Drews and Mark McKellop
OTHER TRAINING
2013
Summer Institute for Social and Personality Psychology, UC Davis
HONORS AND AWARDS
2014
Best Poster, GPIR Poster Contest at the Society for the Psychology
Study of Social Issue convention
2013
Dispute Resolution Research Center Student Scholarship, International
Association for Conflict Management conference
2011
Runner-Up, SPSP Graduate Student Poster Awards
2010
Grant in Aid, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
2009
APS Student Research Travel Award
2006
Honors in Peace Studies, Juniata College
2006
Drews Psychology Award, Juniata College
2002-2006
Dean’s List, Juniata College
Callahan CV Page 2
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Ledgerwood, A. & Callahan, S. (2012). The social side of abstraction: Psychological
distance enhances conformity to group norms. Psychological Science, 23, 907-913.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Ledgerwood, A., Callahan, S., & Chaiken, S. (2014). Changing minds: Persuasion in
negotiation and conflict resolution. In M. Deutsch, P. T. Coleman, & E. C. Marcus (Eds.),
The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice, Third Edition. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2013). The symbolic importance of group property:
Implications for intergroup conflict and terrorism. In T. Walters, R. Monaghan, & J. M.
Ramirez (Eds.), Radicalization, Terrorism, and Conflict. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK:
Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW OR IN REVISION
Soderberg, C., Callahan, S., Kochersberger, A., Amit, E., & Ledgerwood, A. (in revision). The
effect of psychological distance on construal level: A meta-analysis.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (in revision). When does “this land” need to be “our land”? The
importance of ownership for symbolizing group identity.
MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. Why flags & logos matter: Group symbols increase perceived
entitativity.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. Buildings and belonging: Understanding the antecedents of
using symbols to represent group identity.
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
Group symbols and entitativity. (with Alison Ledgerwood.)
Optimal distinctiveness, emotion, and symbols. (with Katherine Sorensen and Cynthia Pickett.)
Group identity and construal level. (with Courtney Soderberg and Alison Ledgerwood.)
Group symbols and group conflict.
CONFERENCE TALKS
Callahan, S. (2012, May). Why flags & logos matter: The impact of symbols on perceptions of
groups. Talk presented at the 3rd annual UC Davis Psychology Department Conference,
Davis, CA. (Second place, Graduate Student Research Contest).
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2012, April). Why flags and logos matter: Group symbols
increase perceived entitativity. Talk presented at the 92nd annual Western Psychological
Callahan CV Page 3
Association Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2011, September). Buildings and belonging: Understanding
the motivational underpinnings of conflict over group identity symbols. Talk presented
at the 5th annual CICA–STR International Conference on Contemporary Issues on
Violence, Aggression, and Terrorism, Irvine, CA.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2014, June). The reifying effect of symbols: How group
symbols affect social perception. Poster presented at the Society for the Psychological
Study of Social Issues 10th biennial convention, Portland, OR. (Best Poster, GPIR Poster
Contest)
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2014, February). A sign of quality: How group symbols affect
social perception. Poster presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology
15th annual convention, Austin, TX.
Soderberg, C., Callahan, S., Kochersberger, A., Amit, E., & Ledgerwood, A. The effect of
psychological on abstraction: A meta-analysis of construal level theory. Poster
presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology 15th annual convention,
Austin, TX.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2013, June). “Look out, they’ve got a flag!” Group symbols
increase perceptions of threat by increasing the perceived realness of the group. Poster
presented at the International Association for Conflict Management 26th annual
convention, Tacoma, WA.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2013, January). “Look out, they’ve got a flag!” Group symbols
increase perceived threat by enhancing entitativity. Poster presented at the Society for
Personality and Social Psychology 14th annual convention, New Orleans, LA.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2012, January). Transcending ownership: Group identity
symbols need not belong to the group. Poster presented at the Group Processes and
Intergroup Relations Preconference, San Diego, CA.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2012, January). Why flags & logos matter: Group symbols
increase perceived entitativity. Poster presented at the Society for Personality and
Social Psychology 13th annual convention, San Diego, CA.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2011, November). Buildings and belonging: Understanding the
motivational underpinnings of conflict over group identity symbols. Poster presented at
the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation 1st annual Northern California
Symposium on International Conflict and Cooperation, Berkeley, CA.
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2011, January). Buildings and belonging: Understanding the
motivational underpinnings of group identity goals. Poster presented at the Society for
Personality and Social Psychology 12th Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX.
(Runner-up, Graduate Student Poster Award).
Callahan, S. & Ledgerwood, A. (2010, July). Buildings as symbols: Understanding the
motivational underpinnings of property disputes. Poster presented at the International
Callahan CV Page 4
Society of Political Psychology 33rd Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Callahan, S. (2009, May). Retrieval induced forgetting of political messages: The effect of prior
attitudes. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science 21st Annual
Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Callahan, S. & Nolan, S. (2008, May). The influence of professor gender and field on online
student evaluations. Poster presented at Association for Psychological Science 20th
Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.
CHAIRED SYMPOSIA
Callahan, S. (2012, April). The social cognition of group judgments: Contextual influences on
perception and evaluation. Symposium conducted at the 92nd annual Western
Psychological Association Convention, San Francisco CA.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Instructor
Social Psychology, UC Davis (Summer 2014)
General Psychology, UC Davis (Spring 2014)
Teaching Assistant
Psychology of Emotion, UC Davis (Spring 2014)
Psychology of Religion, UC Davis (Winter 2014)
Prejudice & Sexual Orientation, UC Davis (Fall 2013)
Smartphone Sensing, SISPP (Summer 2013)
Automaticity, SISPP (Summer 2013)
Subject Pool Coordinator, UC Davis (Summer 2011- Summer 2013)
Social Psychology, UC Davis (Spring 2010)
Research Methods, UC Davis (Winter 2010 & Spring 2011)
Introductory Psychology, Seton Hall University (2007-2009)
Guest Lecturer
Group Processes, Social Psychology, UC Davis (Fall 2012)
Motivation, General Psychology, UC Davis (Summer 2012)
Interpersonal Attraction, Social Psychology, UC Davis (Spring 2010)
Social Thinking & Social Influence, General Psychology, Seton Hall
University (Fall 2008).
Social Relations, General Psychology, Seton Hall University (Fall 2008
Callahan CV Page 5
UNIVERSITY AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
2013
Reviewer, APSSC RISE Research Award Competition
2012—present
Coordinator, Social-Personality Brownbag Colloquium, UC Davis
2010—2012
President, Psychology Graduate Student Association, UC Davis
2010—2012
Graduate Student Association Representative, Psychology, UC Davis
2010
Reviewer, SPSP Graduate Student Poster Competition
2009
Graduate student representative, College of Arts and Sciences
Strategic Planning Committee, Seton Hall University
2004-2006
Student representative, Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
Advisory Board, Juniata College
MENTORSHIP
2014
Undergraduate research project, Lorena Albernoz
2014
Undergraduate research project, Maxwell Hong
Title: Group symbols, size, threat, and their effect on group identity
2010-2012
Lab Supervisor, Attitudes and Group Identity Lab
2011
Honors Thesis, Ruth Anne Pfaff
Title: Effect of height on construal level
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Association for Psychological Science
American Psychological Association
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
International Association for Conflict Management
Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society