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  • Sümer Kampüsü,

  • Kayseri/Türkiye

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About Us

Social and political psychology research for a better society

The Perception and Politics Laboratory (PnPolitics Lab) is a research laboratory that examines individuals political attitudes, behaviours, and thoughts from a psychological perspective. PnPolitics Lab is positioned at the intersection of psychology and politics. The studies conducted in the laboratory focus on topics such as migration, political participation, political leadership, citizenship, collective action, intergroup relations, discrimination, social identity, gender, environment, and space.

PnPolitics Lab aims to produce solutions to various social issues in addition to academic studies. It strives to transform academic knowledge into a social output through the projects it develops. Collaborating with many national and international researchers, PnPolitics Lab provides space for researchers working with different scientific paradigms, methodological frameworks, and critical approaches.

About Us

Our Research

Social and political psychology research for a better society

The Perception and Politics Laboratory (PnPolitics Lab) is a research laboratory that examines individuals' political attitudes, behaviours, and thoughts from a psychological perspective. PnPolitics Lab is positioned at the intersection of psychology and politics. The studies conducted in the laboratory focus on topics such as migration, political participation, political leadership, citizenship, collective action, intergroup relations, discrimination, social identity, gender, environment, and space. PnPolitics Lab aims to produce solutions to various social issues in addition to academic studies. It strives to transform academic knowledge into a social output through the projects it develops. Collaborating with many national and international researchers, PnPolitics Lab provides space for researchers working with different scientific paradigms, methodological frameworks, and critical approaches.

Our values

We believe that knowledge is the primary force for a better society and a better world. We prioritise academic integrity, ethical standards, and scientific impartiality in all our endeavours. Our work is grounded in a commitment to fairness, inclusivity, and the consideration of diverse perspectives, while upholding universal human rights. We strive to maximise individual potential through collaboration, open communication, and interdisciplinary approaches. By engaging in projects with societal impact, we aim to contribute to a fairer and equitable world, harnessing the empowering and transformative power of knowledge.

Did you know?

A country's political leader's anti-immigrant stance can influence the anti-immigrant attitudes of citizens in another country! Research shows that political leaders can affect the attitudes of citizens in other countries towards immigrants through social media.

The People Behind Our Success

Manager

  • Lab Coordinator

    Ahmet Çoymak

    Lab Coordinator
    ahmetcoymak@gmail.com

    Our laboratory founder Ahmet Çoymak completed his postgraduate studies in social and political psychology at Middle East Technical University and Queen’s University Belfast. His doctoral research in Northern Ireland, which examined the psychological construction of multiple identity dynamics and normalization processes, earned him a prestigious research fellowship from the Institute of Child Care Research. In 2018, he completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Connecticut. Later, he was awarded the WEISS International Scholar title and spent two years at Barnard College, Columbia University, where he continued his research and taught as a full-time faculty member. In 2020, he joined Abdullah Gül University as the founding head of the Department of Psychology. His research interests in political psychology include intergroup relations, civic engagement, political trust, stereotypes and discrimination, and critical social psychology.

    Personal Link

Member

  • Lab Manager

    Ömer Topuz

    Lab Manager
    omer.topuz@agu.edu.tr

    Ömer Topuz graduated from Adnan Menderes University in 2020. He obtained his master’s degree in social psychology from Bursa Uludağ University. He investigated the psychological mechanism behind the out-group favouritism phenomenon by focusing on the role of shared reality in his master's thesis. He is pursuing his PhD in social psychology at Middle East Technical University (METU). He also works as a research assistant at Abdullah Gül University. His research interests include social identity processes, intergroup biases, immigrations, gender issues, and intergroup conflict.

    Personal Link
  • H. Öznur Erem

    Hafize Öznur Erem

    H. Öznur Erem
    eremoznur@gmail.com

    Hafize Öznur Erem is a social psychologist currently working as a teaching assistant in the Department of Psychology at Abdullah Gül University. She completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at Hacettepe University and received her M.A. in Social Psychology from Ankara University. Her research interests include intergroup relations, social identity, prejudice, and cancel culture.

  • Member

    Nazlı Karakoçoğlu

    Member
    nazli.karakocoglu@ufuk.edu.tr

    Nazlı Karakoçoğlu completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Hacettepe University in 2022, with a minor in Sociology from the same institution. She earned her master’s degree in Social Psychology from Ankara University and is currently pursuing her PhD in the same field at the same university. Her master’s thesis examined the dynamics between romantic beliefs rooted in social norms and psychological and cyber dating violence. She is currently working as a research assistant in the Department of Psychology at Ufuk University. Throughout her education, she has gained various laboratory and internship experiences and has delivered oral presentations at several national congresses. Her research interests include irrational relationship beliefs, dating violence, group-based prejudice, and collective action. She has been a member of the PnP Lab for over a year.

  • Member

    Hasan Yentür

    Member
    hasankomis@gmail.com

    Hasan Yentür graduated from the Department of Psychology at Ege University in 2019. After his undergraduate degree, he began his Master’s and doctoral education at the Department of Psychology at Dokuz Eylul University. During this educational process, he participated in various projects in the United States and Egypt. He is currently writing his doctoral thesis in the field of social psychology. His doctoral thesis is related to political leadership and migration dynamics. In general, his areas of study are leadership, migration, space, self, and identity. He is conducting research on these topics at the Politics and Perception Lab

  • Member

    Seher KARASU

    Member
    sehr.karasu@gmail.com

    Seher Karasu obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University in 2020. In 2024, she completed her master’s degree in psychology at Ondokuz Mayıs University, focusing on environmental psychology. In the same year, she began her PhD program in Social Psychology at Dokuz Eylül University. She previously worked as a research assistant at Karadeniz Technical University and currently continues her position at Dokuz Eylül University during her doctoral studies. She is conducting research on political psychology topics at the Perception and Politics Lab.

Interns

  • Intern

    Didar Kemer

    Intern
    didar.kemer@gmail.com

    I am a fourth-year psychology student at Abdullah Gül University. My academic interests lie in social psychology, with a focus on implicit bias, prejudice and intergroup relations. I have actively participated in several national and international projects, including European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations initiatives, where I contributed to raising awareness about mental health and discrimination. Recently, I conducted a research project titled “The Impact of Implicit Bias on Teacher Evaluations: Examining the Influence of Perceived Ethnicity in Secondary School Environments” which investigated how teachers’ evaluations of students’ performance and abilities are influenced by the perceived ethnicity of the students.

  • Intern

    Edanur Akkuş

    Intern
    akkuseda1408@gmail.com

    I am a third-year Psychology student at Abdullah Gül University. I am interested in research at the intersection of psychology and politics, focusing on how psychological factors influence political dynamics. I aim to further explore these topics academically and contribute to the projects at the Perception and Politics Lab.

  • Intern

    Mohammed Farhan Uddin

    Intern
    farhan.uddin@agu.edu.tr

    My name is Mohammed Farhan Uddin, and I am a third-year psychology undergraduate at Abdullah Gül University, Türkiye. My academic interests include social psychology and industrial psychology, and I am passionate about understanding human thought and behavior. Alongside my studies, I have been actively involved in student organizations and community initiatives, which have strengthened my skills in collaboration, leadership, and research.

Former Members

  • Muhlis Eroğlu

    eroglumuhlis@gmail.com

    Muhlis completed his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Aydın Adnan Menderes University. During his undergraduate studies, he participated in the ERASMUS+ Student Exchange Program and studied for six months at Helena Chodkowska University of Technology and Economics in Warsaw. In 2024, he earned his Master’s degree in Psychology (with a specialization in Social Psychology) from Bursa Uludağ University, completing his thesis entitled “The Impact of Legitimizing Myths and Motivations on the Relationship Between Social Dominance Orientation and Animal Protein Consumption in Vegans, Vegetarians, and Carnivores.” His research interests mainly focus on intergroup relations, prejudice, and discrimination.

  • Member

    Mehmet Ali Sevim

    Member
    mehmetali.sevim@agu.edu.tr

    Mehmet Ali Sevim graduated from Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Department of Psychology, in 2020. In his thesis project during this period, he examined concepts such as intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety. After various scientific community and laboratory experiences, he started his master’s degree in Data Science at Abdullah Gül University in 2022. In his master’s thesis, he focuses on the problem of over-pathologisation in the context of therapist perceptions and social hierarchy. His interests include over-pathologisation, psychotherapies, diagnostic bias, and psychometric measurements.