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Staff Profile

Dr Zachary Petzel

Lecturer in Social Psychology

Background

Roles and Responsibilities

Lecturer in Social Psychology

Qualifications

PhD, Psychology (emphasis in Behavioural Neuroscience), University of Missouri - St. Louis

MA, Psychology (emphasis in Behavioural Neuroscience), University of Missouri - St. Louis

BA, Psychology (minor in Philosophy), University of Missouri - St. Louis

Previous Positions

Lecturer, Queen's University Belfast (Sept 2020 - Dec 2020)

Postdoctoral research fellow, Queen's University Belfast (Jan 2019 - Sept 2020)


Research

I am a social neuroscientist interested in how the environments we live in shape our behavior. For example, did you know that merely viewing an alcohol advertisement can increase aggression and racism? My research attempts to understand these kinds of phenomena. So, do you act differently after consuming alcohol at home versus in the pub? Do Star Wars posters negatively impact women’s interview performance? Do recent trends towards atheism in the United Kingdom mean spiritual interventions are unappealing? Does use of the stars and stripes on beer cans increase purchasing among patriotic Americans? Stay tuned to find out!


My recent work has focused on mechanisms of self-control and stress-induced alcohol consumption, examining the role of cardiovascular responses and interventions to improve coping strategies. Other work examines alcohol intoxication and mechanisms of impulsivity, measuring cortical activity and its relation to task performance. Notably, this work is interdisciplinary, drawing from social, behavioral, health, and clinical psychology, in addition to neuroscience via the use of electrocardiography (ECG), impedance cardiography (ICG), electrodermal activity (EDA), electromyography (EMG), and electroencephalography (EEG).


My research also emphasizes the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). My postgraduate work with Dr Bettina Casad examined how stereotypes and sexism affect mental and physical health of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). After completing my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral research fellow for the EPSRC funded project "Inclusion Really Does Matter" led by Dr Ioana Latu. This research used virtual reality to inform development of intervention techniques to promote engagement with diversity initiatives in STEM. Current EDI work examines the impact of prejudiced large language models (e.g., ChatGPT) and extended contact to reduce prejudice against racial minorities.


Teaching

I am module leader for PSY1008 (Personality and Mental Health), PSY1016 (Foundations in Social Psychology), PSY2003 (Social Psychology), and PSY3040 (Psychobiology of Drug Addiction). I have previously led PSY2021 (Introduction to Health and Addiction Science; not currently offered) and contributed to PSY3047 (The Social Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination; not currently offered).


I supervise students for the BSc Psychology, MSc Foundations in Clinical & Health Psychology, and MRes Neuroscience programmes. I am also open to supervising MPhil and PhD students, see details here. If you would like to discuss potential supervision, feel free to send me an email so we can discuss it further. 

Publications

  • Articles

    • Knight E, Costa-Mendes M, Hill C, Johnstone E, Petzel ZW. . Biological Psychology 2026, 109230, 109230.
    • Guest B, Levasseur M, Petzel ZW. . Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications 2026, epub ahead of print.
    • Petzel ZW, Sowerby L. . Computers in Human Behavior 2025, 165, 108563.
    • Petzel ZW, Farrell L, McCormack T, Turner RN, Rafferty K, Latu IM. . European Journal of Psychology of Education 2024, 39, 3161–3184.
    • Petzel ZW, Casad BJ. . Social Psychology 2023, 54(4).
    • Petzel ZW, Casad BJ. . The Journal of Experimental Education 2022, 90(3), 656-672.
    • Petzel ZW, Noel JG, Casad BJ. . Social Cognition 2022, 40(5).
    • Farrell L, Petzel ZW, McCormack T, Turner RT, Rafferty K, Latu IM. . BioScience 2021, 71(3), 292-304.
    • Petzel ZW, Noel JG. . Journal of Health Psychology 2021, 26(14), 2966-2972.
    • Noel JG, Petzel ZW. . Addictive Behaviors 2020, 108, 106460.
    • Casad BJ, Franks JE, Garasky C, Kittleman MM, Roesler AC, Hall DY, Petzel ZW. . Journal of Neuroscience Research 2020, 99(1), 13-23.
    • Petzel ZW, Casad BJ. . Social Cognition 2019, 37(3), 341-354.
    • Noel JG, Petzel ZW, Mulderig TH. . Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 2019, 33(3), 285-296.
    • Petzel ZW, Noel JG. . Addictive Behaviors 2019, 92, 24-27.
    • Petzel ZW, Noel JG, Casad BJ. . Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 2019, 33(7), 626–636.
    • Casad BJ, Petzel ZW, Ingalls EA. . Sex Roles 2019, 80(7-8), 469-488.
    • Casad BJ, Petzel ZW. . Social Psychology 2018, 49(4), 191-204.

  • Book Chapter

    • Casad BJ, Petzel ZW. . In: Nadal,K, ed. The Sage Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender. Sage, 2017, pp.1243-1246.