Ashley Marie Rankin
Ph.D. student at Oklahoma State University
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
What I Do
I study the evolutionary and biological underpinnings of human relationships. My primary research aims to understand the psychobiology behind relationship quality. For example, some of my work asks the questions:
Much of my work deals with sex differences, cooperation, and competition. My work is funded by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow Program. See my full CV here.
Links to my successful Research and Personal Statement and unsuccessful Research and Personal statement for the NSF GRFP.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email: Ashley.Rankin@okstate.edu
Office: #215, 116 North Murray Hall
Current Research Projects
Venting: The good, the bad, and the hormonal underpinnings
In work published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, I explore the physiological underpinnings of venting, or co-rumination.
In ongoing work, I am exploring the welfare trade-offs toward those being discussed and who you're venting with. Other work is exploring how the degree of venting within the friendship effects cortisol and progesterone synchrony.
Close Friends are Hormonal
Two hormones known to be involved in the stress response and affiliative behaviors are cortisol and progesterone. The goal of this project is to examine if higher levels of hormonal synchronization in cortisol and progesterone between friends is associated with friendship quality and co-rumination.
Foraging for Social Partners
I employ a budget allocation paradigm to examine how individuals prioritize different types of relationships (close friends, romantic partners, etc.) across different social contexts. Current studies are examining necessities and luxuries of social relationships.
Education
Oklahoma State University
Psychology
University of North Texas
Bachelor of Science
Psychology, Anthropology
Natasha Kingsley © 2019