Shannon C. Houck, PhD

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Assistant Professor

Defense Analysis

Naval Postgraduate School

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ABOUT ME

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Shannon Houck is an Assistant Professor in the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Prior to joining NPS, she was a faculty member at Syracuse University from 2016-2020.

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Dr. Houck earned a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Montana in 2015. She is the author of 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and her research has been featured on popular news outlets such as the New York Times, Psychology Today, and USA Today.

RESEARCH

What do I study?

How can social psychology increase our understanding of influence in the modern information environment? What are the causes and consequences of cognitive rigidity versus flexibility as they relate to polarization, extremism, and violence? What cues in language help predict these outcomes?

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At the broadest level, my research falls at the intersection of social and political psychology and focuses on applying psychological science to security issues. I study the social psychological underpinnings of influence, extremism, the connections between complex (versus simple) cognition, communication, and behavior.

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Selected Publications

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Houck, S.C., Branagan, B., Gramm, J., & Crisafulli, J. (2021). Changing Hearts and Brains: SOF Must Prepare Now for Neurowarfare. Small Wars Journal.

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Sargent, R., Houck, S.C., & Conway, L.G. III (2021). How to Stop Political Division from Eroding Military-Academic Relations. Defense One. 

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Lyon, R., Branagan, B., Gramm, J., & Houck S.C. (in press). Implications of Neurological Directed-Energy Weapons for Military Medicine. Journal of Special Operations Medicine.

Houck, S.C., Salvati, J.M., Newman, L.S., Vrij, A. (2021). Simulating interrogation in the lab: Examining the effectiveness of pain, coercive verbal pressure, and rapport-building for obtaining reliable information. Journal of Applied Security Research. 

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Houck, S.C., Huber, K.J., Ess, M., & Proulx, M.L. (2020). Cognitive Complexity in Political Contexts. In Oxford Encyclopedia of Political Decision Making. Oxford University Press. 

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Houck, S.C., McFarland, J., Machia, L.V., & Conway, L.G. III. (2019). When beliefs lead to (im)moral action: How believing in torture’s effectiveness shapes the endorsement of its use.  Political Psychology, 40: 1315-1339. 

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Conway, L.G, III, Houck, S.C., Gornick, L.J., & Repke, M.A. (2018). Finding the Loch Ness Monster: Left-Wing Authoritarianism in the United States. Political Psychology, 39(5), 1049–67.

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Houck, S.C., Repke, M.A., & Conway, L.G. III (2017). Understanding what makes terrorist groups’ propaganda effective: An integrative complexity analysis of ISIL and Al Qaeda. Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, 12(2), 105-118.

TEACHING

Teaching Awards

Teaching Experience

Teaching Awards

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National

• 2017 - Teacher/Scholar Travel Award.  Society of Personality and Social Psychology.

University

• 2019 - Meredith Professorship Teaching Recognition Award.  Syracuse University.

Departmental

• 2015 - Psychology Department Teaching Award.  University of Montana.  

• 2013 - Introduction to Psychology TA Teaching Award.  University of Montana.

Teaching Experience

CV