In the midst of a heated election year, Bradley University is hosting a public lecture that aims to uncover how psychology shapes and influences political attitudes.
John Jost teaches social political behavior at New York University and is a leading researcher on the topic.
His mother, Jean Jost, teaches medieval English literature at Bradley. She helped coordinate the visit. Jost wouldn’t go into detail about her son’s lecture, but says it will likely boil down to a conversation about nature-versus-nurture:
“He’s very measured, and will probably come up with a balance between the two,” Jost said.
Jost says she didn't fully realize her son's acclaim until someone in the psychology department told her that students had been reading her son John's work.
"He's very modest," Jost said. "I had to find out that he was the head of an international organization because he was very busy one time and I didn't know why he was so busy," Jost said.
In addition to his work in academia, John Jost is President of the International Society of Political Psychology.
NYU professor John Jost will speak in Neumiller Lecture Hall Tues. at 7 pm. The event is free and open to the public.