TELLI DAVOODI, PH.D.

I am a cognitive developmental psychologist by academic training and a senior social science researcher by profession. I use cross-cultural and developmental research approaches to study social cognition. My research focuses on the role of the socio-cultural environment in learning, forming beliefs, and reasoning about abstract social constructs, like gender, nationality, religion, or the idea of ownership. Within this framework, I also study religious cognition to uncover the relative contributions of, and interactions between, cognition and culture in forming beliefs about supernatural entities (e.g., God) and abstract scientific entities (e.g., germs). On my Research page, you can find out more about my research program and projects I am excited about. 

I'm currently a senior social science consultant at Gallup, where I work with internal and external multi-functional teams to uncover and communicate actionable insights about social issues, opinions and attitudes, and trends in sociopolitical views around the globe. 

Before joining Gallup, I worked with Tania Lombrozo as a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University, where I developed a theory for explaining the functional roles of religious and scientific cognition. I am also affiliated with Boston University, where I work on a grant I received from the John Templeton Foundation, together with Kathleen Corriveau, investigating how anxiety about adverse circumstances may be related to belief in supernatural explanations.  

I care about diversity, inclusion, and social justice in academic and industry settings and promote and practice self-reflection, active learning, and recognition of agency and responsibility within all individuals and communities.