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Ivars Austers

Ivars Austers, phd

Professor, Senior Researcher

e-mailivars.austers@lu.lv 
Orchidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1800-3624 
Google Scholar 

   

Ivars Austers began his academic journey in social psychology by exploring the dynamics of social groups. His early research focused on the human ability to take others' perspectives — specifically, the conditions under which people can accurately infer what others are thinking. This work earned him a doctoral degree from Stockholm University and led to his current role as a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Latvia.

Ivars' research interests span several key areas, including social identity, perspective-taking, decision-making, and traffic psychology. He often remarks that “a well-crafted experiment in social psychology holds its own aesthetic beauty” — a philosophy that continues to guide his scientific endeavors

 

Research Methods and Psychological Assessment I

Contemporary Psychological Theories I: A Modern Understanding of the History of Psychology and the Philosophy of Science

Social cognition

Statistics in Psychology I

Psychological research methodology, data analysis and interpretation

Statistics in Psychology II

 

Social Psychology (social identity, attribution theory, stereotypes, prejudice). Driver Behavior. Patriotism/Nationalism. Judgment and Decision-Making (biases in judgments and conclusions, risk perception). Cross-Cultural Psychology (values, social axioms).

 
 

Austers, I. (2002). Attribution of value stereotypes as a consequence of group membership: Latvian and Russian students living in Latvia compared. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 26, 273 – 285.

Austers, I. (2002). Ability to take an out-group's perspective in explaining positive and negative behaviors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 43, 407 – 412.

Austers, I., Dimdins, G., Priedols, M., Gaina, V., & Leja, V. (2024). The opposing roles of patriotism and nationalism in explaining trust in a political system. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 10, 101131