Dr Ryan Statton

Bringing fresh perspectives and boundless enthusiasm to the field of social psychology, Ryan is an early career researcher making waves as a Teaching and Research Associate in the School of Psychology. With a firm grounding in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, Ryan adopts an innovative mixed-methods approach to unravel the intricacies of group dynamics and interpersonal interactions.
Ryan's doctoral research, titled "Examining the Sociolinguistic Expression of Moral Disgust, and Investigating the Role of the Emotion in Inter- and Intra-Group Processes," exemplifies their commitment to understanding the profound influence of emotions on social processes. Through this work, they explored how moral disgust is constructed, communicated, and situated within the complex tapestry of group relations.
Driven by curiosity and a passion for robust measurement design, Ryan continues to push the boundaries of knowledge in their early career. Their research interests span diverse areas, including moral disgust, intragroup processes, leadership, social norms, intergroup relations, political ideology, social media communication, person-centred care, and digital health interventions.  
In the classroom, Ryan strives to ignite the same intellectual curiosity in their students. Their teaching interests encompass research methods, experimental design, focus groups, transcription, advanced analysis techniques like regression, ANOVA, Bayesian statistics, and thematic analysis, as well as the overarching themes of social norms and group processes.
With a solid foundation in psychometrics, scale development, classical test theory, item response theory, reflexive thematic analysis, and behavioural experiments, Ryan is well-equipped to tackle complex research questions as an emerging scholar in social psychology. They hold a Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy, reflecting their commitment to excellence in teaching.

2018 – 2023 Social Psychology, PhD, University of Plymouth “The Role of Moral Disgust in both inter- and intra- group relations".
 Supervisors: Dr Jaysan Charlesford, Dr Alison Bacon, Professor Jon May
2019 – 2020 PgCert in Academic Practice (with Distinction), University of Plymouth

2017 – 2018 MSc Psychological Research Methods (with Distinction), University of Plymouth
2013 – 2017 BSc(Hons) Psychology with Professional Placement (First Class Honours), Brunel University London 

As a Social Psychologist with a background in Evolutionary Psychology, I am primarily interested in how groups of people work and why they work that way.
Theoretical Psychological Interests