PsychFest Event Information
What is PsychFest?
PsychFest is an annual event that takes place at the end of spring quarter to give psychology and behavioral neuroscience students an opportunity to present their scholarly efforts in a supportive, low-pressure environment, which can help students develop public speaking skills necessary to excel in a graduate program or a post-baccalaureate career.
PsychFest 2026: Friday, June 5
Keynote Presentation: Friday, June 5, 4-5PM AW 210
Title of Presentation: The threat—>politics conundrum: past, present, and future
Presenter: Dr. Fade Eadeh, Seattle University
Dr. Fade Eadeh is an assistant professor in psychology at Seattle University. He received a Ph.D. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from Washington University in 2017, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Seattle University. His work focuses on the consequences of threat and emotion within social and personality psychology, and how different psychological processes contribute to shifts in emotions and political preferences. He has published extensively in top social psychology journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Social Psychological and Personality Science, and Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Moreover, his work has been mentioned in popular press outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Quartz Magazine, The Huffington Post, Glamour Magazine, and Yahoo.
About the Keynote Presentation:
Life is filled with many threatening events -- terrorism, spiders, unsafe drinking water, and even threats to democracy, to name a few. Interestingly, over seven decades of research has shown that such threatening events can affect people’s political beliefs, typically shifting them to be more supportive of conservative political policies. However, my own work complicates the relationship between threat and politics. Specifically, I outline a theory that identifies certain features of the “situation” that could push people to the political right or left. I will then outline my own research focuses as I continue to develop this work into the future
For more information about PsychFest, please consult with your faculty research mentor. You may also contact a member of the Events Committee:
- Jennifer Devenport, Chair
- Feng Cao
- Jenni McCabe
- Christie Scollon
- Adrian Villicana
- David Sattler
We are grateful to our annual PsychFest Sponsors!
- Dean's Office, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Western Associated Students Bookstore
- Center for Cross-Cultural Research
Past PsychFest Keynote Speakers
2025 - Dr. Jordan Shannon, Seattle University, Title: Counseling and Theories Surrounding Black Men’s Mental Health
2024 - Dr. J. Kiley Hamlin (she/her), University of British Columbia. Title: The infantile origins of human morality: Studies with preverbal infants and toddlers.
2023 - Dr. Maddy Jalbert, University of Washington. Title: Exploring Why We Fall for Misinformation and What We Can Do About it
2022 - Dr. Chantel Prat, University of Washington. Title: Peer Interactions in the Digital World
2021 - Dr. Kristina Olson, Princeton University. Title: Gender Diversity in Childhood
2020 - Dr. Brian Nosek, University of Virginia. Title: Shifting Incentives from Getting it Published to Getting it Right
2019 - Dr. Amori Mikami, University of British Columbia. Title: Peer Interactions in the Digital World
2018 - Dr. Melissa Tehee, Utah State University. Title: Understanding and Addressing Trauma in a Cultural Framework
2017 – Dr. Jessica Tracy, University of British Columbia. Area: Social/Personality. Title: The Nature of Pride: The Emotional Origins of Social Rank
2016 – Dr. Ryan Reese, Oregon State University, Cascades. Area: Counseling. Title: From Western to Faculty Member: Key Learnings on Becoming a Researcher-Practitioner
2015 – Dr. Andrea Stocco, University of Washington. Area: Cognitive/Neuropsychology. Title: Manipulation and Representation of Symbolic Knowledge in the Human Brain
2014 – Dr. Kevin Haggerty, University of Washington. Area: Developmental/Clinical. Title: Power of Family to Promote Well Being: Results from the Family Connection Studies
2013 – Dr. Izabella Schultz, University of British Columbia. Area: Clinical. Title: Mental Disorders and Work
2012 – Dr. Eric Eich, University of British Columbia. Area: Cognitive/Neuropsychology. Title: Remembering the Personal Past from Field and Observer Perspectives
2011 – Dr. Edith Chen, University of British Columbia. Area: Health/Developmental/Neuropsychology. Title: Psychobiological Pathways linking SES to Childhood Asthma
2010 – Dr. Cheryl Kaiser, University of Washington. Area: Social/Cross-cultural. Title: Group Identity and Experiencing Discrimination
2009 – Dr. Ross Thompson, University of California, Davis. Area: Developmental. Title: Parent-Child Conversation and Psychological Understanding
